2. Agenda
• Some solid waste basics
• Broward County Solid Waste Program
• Review of Emerging Solid Waste Technologies
• Development Factors to Consider
• Discussion
3. County as Responsible Entity
• Each county shall implement a recyclable materials recycling program.
• Such programs shall be designed to recover a significant portion of at
least four specified materials.
• A county’s goals shall be to divert or reduce waste disposal by 30
percent or more.
• The Broward Resource Recovery Board was created by the County to
address the needs of incorporated and unincorporated Broward County.
Section 403.706(1): The governing body of a county
has the responsibility and power to provide for the
operation of solid waste disposal facilities to meet the
needs of all incorporated and unincorporated areas of
the county.
4. Broward
County(3) 51% 25% 24% 8.61(2)+
Statistical Comparison
Municipality
Waste
Landfilled
Waste
Combusted
Waste
Diverted
Waste
Generated+
per capita
lbs/day
Nationwide(1) 54.3% 13.6% 32.1% 4.54
Florida
State(2)* 59% 13% 28% 9.79+
Sources: (1)US EPA’s Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2005 Facts and Figures
* State values, though 2 years older than County’s, vary marginally year to year, as stated by FDEP Staff.
(3) Draft Calendar Year 2005 Broward County Report to FDEP
(2) Florida State - FDEP Calendar Year 2003 Data Tables
+ Note: Values from the 2003 FDEP data tables are for per capita MSW collection, not generation.
5. Population of Broward County
Broward County’s population has increased steadily
over the years; nearly tripling since 1970. With more
than 1.7 million residents today, it is the second most
populated county in Florida.
6. Waste Generation in Broward County
Population (not to scale)
Waste generation
7. Broward County’s Resource Recovery System
Wheelabrator
South (WTE)
Wheelabrator
North (WTE)
Ash Monofill
Recycling
Facility
Contingency
Landfill
County
HHW
HHW
8. Looking to the Future…
• The current system is aging, and may require
expansion
• Appropriate sites for new facilities are rare and
controversial
• Emerging technologies hold many potential benefits,
if commercialized
9. …and why are they important?
Conversion Technologies are an array of
emerging technologies capable of converting
solid waste into useful products and chemicals,
green fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, and
clean, renewable energy
What are Conversion Technologies…
10. • Ability to create higher end use for green and organic wastes
(including biosolids, agricultural residue, etc.)
• Ability to recover for beneficial use, materials not feasibly
recyclable
• Reduce pollution and environmental impacts
• Preserve valuable landfill space while maintaining local control
over disposal
• Ability, locally, to produce renewable energy and green fuels,
including ethanol, biodiesel, electricity, etc.
• Reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions
Potential Conversion Technology Benefits
11. Sample Conversion Technologies
• Pyrolysis is the thermal
processing of waste in the
absence of oxygen
• Gasification is the thermal processing of
waste with a limited amount of oxygen using
some combination of heat, pressure, and
steam to convert materials directly into a gas
Thermal:
12. Sample Conversion Technologies
• Acid Hydrolysis
is the chemical decomposition of
waste using acid and water to split
chemical bonds
Chemical:
13. Sample Conversion Technologies
• Anaerobic digestion is the bacterial breakdown
of organic materials in the absence of oxygen
• Aerobic digestion is, essentially, composting
Biological:
14. Thermal Conversion
Pyrolysis
– Endothermic (heat used to initiate process)
– Organics used only, feedstock must be homogeneous
Plasma Arc
– Converts selected waste streams to slag and syngas
– Syngas can be burned for energy, slag can be reused/sold
Gasification
– Partial oxygenation of feedstock to produce syngas
– Requires sorting and preprocessing
– Often used in conjunction with Plasma Arc or Pyrolysis
15. Pyrolysis/Gasification – Thermal Conversion Process
Pre-Processing
Conversion
Output/Byproducts
Image sources: Ebara Corporation and Entech
Renewable Energy Technologies P/L
18. Biological
• Generally lower temperature process
• Uses biodegradable feedstock
• Produces compost, chemicals and gases
• Anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to
breakdown organic MSW without oxygen
• Aerobic digestion uses microorganisms to breakdown
organic MSW with oxygen
• Pre-sorting recovers marketable goods
• End products often marketable
20. Chemical
Acid Hydrolysis
– Converts cellulose-based material to ethanol
– Requires some pre-sorting of materials
Catalytic Cracking
– Converts select waste to hydrocarbon based products
– Applies only to clean plastic waste streams
Thermal Depolymerization
– Converts bio-waste into “green fuels”
– Not known to process mixed MSW
Ethanol Fermentation
– The conversion of cellulose based waste via hydrolysis,
fermentation and dehydration to make ethanol as a fuel
21. Acid Hydrolysis – Chemical Process
Pre-Processing
Conversion
Output/Byproducts
22. Overview of New and Emerging Technology
• There are over 100 vendors developing these new and
emerging technologies
• At least 20% of them are operating pilot or
demonstration programs
• Many are international
• Numerous new and emerging technologies are not yet
commercially viable for MSW, but are commercially
operational for specific waste feedstocks
23. Things to Consider About an Emerging Technology
• Proven for the types of waste to be processed
• Proven at the approximate scale contemplated
• Regulatory perspective
• Financial strength of developer
• Track record of developer with other projects
• Maintain reliable contingency plan
