Noboru Tanigawa

Tokyo Metropolitan Research Institute for Waste Management
(2 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064 Japan)

Abstract

Issues concerning MSW treatment are entering a new phase. These include the problems concerning PCDDs/PCDFs reduction, the shortage of available landfill sites and the formation of social systems geared towards recycling. Gasification and pyrolysis processes are introduced in this paper as the core technology behind the next generation of MSW incineration. The latest trends in flue gas purification, resource recovery from ash and energy recovery are also introduced as the most important components used in modern incineration systems. In addition to these incineration related topics, biogas production is overviewed, as an expected alternative to high-moisture content (garbage) incineration.

These new treatment technologies offer a wider variety of choices, from which an optimum treatment process can be chosen taking into account local conditions and waste characteristics in an effort towards solving MSW treatment problems.

Key words: gasification and pyrolysis, flue gas purification, resource recovery from ash, energy recovery, biogas