1. Is there any other Waste to Energy plant in India?
NO, the Okhla Waste to Energy facility is the first large scale integrated waste management project ever being set up in the country, aiming for a sustainable solution taking MSW through an environment friendly combustion process to generate clean and renewable energy from MSW.
NO, the Okhla Waste to Energy facility is the first large scale integrated waste management project ever being set up in the country, aiming for a sustainable solution taking MSW through an environment friendly combustion process to generate clean and renewable energy from MSW.
2. Did you consciously procure land at Okhla to set up this facility?
No, The land was transferred on lease by Government of Delhi from this 200 acre piece of land that had been earmarked for waste treatment facilities in Delhi's master plan back in 1920's.
3. Is the facility a health hazard?
No, The facility is not a health hazard.
Read moreWaste Incineration — A Potential Danger? Bidding Farewell to Dioxin Spouting: German Environment Minister
The Impact on Health of Emissions to Air from Municipal Waste Incinerators: Study by the UK Prime minister’s Office
4. Why do you think your facility will be a success while other efforts in the past have failed?
Timarpur Okhla Waste to Energy facility is India’s first large scale WtE project aiming to dispose and process one-third of Delhi’s Municipal Solid Waste and generate a much needed clean renewable energy. The facility has been designed to cater to Indian waste. An extensive case study on past failures was carried out. The selected technology has proved to work on low calorific value as prevails in Indian and Delhi scenario.
5. Is the facility adding to the carbon emission?
No, on the contrary, the facility has been registered with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC) for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as defined in the Kyoto Protocol.
6. Where is the waste being sourced from?The waste is not being sourced. The Municipal Solid Waste is being delivered by NDMC and MCD at the Okhla WtE facility.
Timarpur Okhla Waste to Energy facility is India’s first large scale WtE project aiming to dispose and process one-third of Delhi’s Municipal Solid Waste and generate a much needed clean renewable energy. The facility has been designed to cater to Indian waste. An extensive case study on past failures was carried out. The selected technology has proved to work on low calorific value as prevails in Indian and Delhi scenario.
5. Is the facility adding to the carbon emission?
No, on the contrary, the facility has been registered with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC) for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as defined in the Kyoto Protocol.
6. Where is the waste being sourced from?The waste is not being sourced. The Municipal Solid Waste is being delivered by NDMC and MCD at the Okhla WtE facility.
7. What efforts are being taken to improve recycling?
Recycling takes place at the source and during the primary collection and transfer station process in the various colonies. In addition to this and at the Okhla Waste to Energy facility and during the segregation process recyclables such as metals, large and hard plastics, glass, inert and rubber are being segregated and being sent back to the recycling industry.
8. How is Municipal Solid Waste being stored?
Municipal Solid Waste is stored in a MSW pit / bunker which is maintained under negative pressure to prevent bad smell – odour escaping into the neighborhood. There is no provision within the premises to facilitate the storage of MSW in the open.
9. What measures have been taken to prevent bad smell?
- The trucks which will deliver waste on behalf of MCD and NDMC to the waste to energy facility are compactor type vehicles. The trucks with the compacted Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) enter into an enclosed reception hall which is under negative pressure to prevent bad smell – odor going into the neighborhood. The ‘sucked’ air is then ‘reused’ to enhance the combustion process.- The building, the tipping and bunker area is maintained under negative pressure which controls bad smell.
10. What kind of waste is being treated at the facility?
According to MSW Rules 2000 only non Hazardous Municipal Solid Waste will be treated at the facility.
11. What segregation takes place at TOWMCL?
As per the agreement with NDMC and MCD, the corporations are supposed to deliver segregated waste to the waste processing facility at Okhla. However the Timarpur Okhla Waste Management Company facility is fully equipped to treat mixed Municipal Solid Waste. In most cases in Delhi, natural segregation and recycling takes place during the primary collection and transportation and prior to the transfer station processes in colonies.
Once the waste arrives at waste to energy facility the trucks enter into an enclosed reception hall which is under negative pressure to prevent bad smell – odor going into the neighborhood. The ‘sucked’ air is then ‘reused’ to enhance the combustion process.
At the enclosed reception hall the trucks open and dump the waste in an enclosed area, after which it is transferred to a separation / segregation process where inert, plastics, rubber, glass and metals are removed which will be sent back to the recycling industry.
12. How is temperature during the combustion process monitored?
The Waste to Energy facility is having a reverse acting stoker, forward moving stoker, refuse feeder and ash discharge system. The combustion control is through a local stoker Siemens PLC ( Programmable Logic Controllers) . The PLC system is connected to a Honeywell Data Control System (DCS) in the control room and continuously being monitored (24x7 basis) by boiler operators. The hydraulic ram feeder pushes the MSW to boiler reverse acting stoker where combustion air enters from grate, here the waste is dried, ignited and the combustion process starts. Then it is taken to forward acting stoker for post combustion. The Draft equipments ID fan is installed to remove the flue gas from boiler, PA fan- provides hot combustion air to furnace & SA fan- provides the over fire/ tertiary air for combustion.
Automatic combustion control
During normal operation the furnace temperature is maintained at a minimum of 850° C. Feeding rate of waste inside the furnace is controlled by steam requirement, according to steam requirement MSW feeding increases or decreases, air flow in to the furnace also varies correspondingly for optimum combustion. If in any case this temperature falls below 850° C, alarms will be activated and an auxiliary fuel automatically starts to maintain the temperature.
Apart from above furnace monitoring cameras are installed to monitor the furnace area and to ensure complete combustion.
13. What are the emissions standards that the Waste to Energy facility needs to comply with?
Below are the norms listed out in the DPR and Consent to Operate granted on 21st dec, 2011:
Parameters
|
Concentration mg/Nm3
|
Particulate Matter
|
150
|
Nitrogen Oxides
|
450
|
HCI
|
50
|
Total Dioxins/furans
|
0.1ng TEQ/Nm3*
|
Volatile organic compounds in ash shall not be more than 0.01%
| |
14. How are emissions being monitored?
The facility has been installed with a sophisticated Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) supplied by Yokogawa Japan, one of the foremost technology suppliers in this field. The system is designed to measure SO2, NOx, CO2, O2 & HCL at chimney & ID Fan outlet.
SO, NOx, CO2 is measured by Infra red principle, O2 is by zirconia cell, HCL is measured by using Gas filter co-relation IR based principle.
The emission standards will be met as per the Consent to Operate.
15. Apart from monitoring – is any air pollution control equipment being installed?
Approx. 50 % of the facility is accommodated to ensure that air pollution is controlled. This is being achieved through a FLUE GAS TREATMENT SYSTEM:
The flue gas treatment system is a dry adsorption system using hydrated lime and activated carbon as reagents. It essentially consists of the following major components:
• Flue Gas System inlet Duct
• Reactor and Product Recirculation System
• Bag House Filter
• Sorbent Handling System
• End Product Handling System
• Process Water System
• Auxiliary Systems (Compressed Air System, Nitrogen Inerting System)
Outlet emissions are monitored through sophisticated continuous emission measuring instruments. The system measures following parameters: CO2, HCI, NO, NOx, O2, SOx. Gas temperature and the pressure is also analysed continuously to regulate the dosing of sorbents. The flue gas entering the Reactor at the bottom is conditioned with water to an optimized operating temperature. The resulting temperature reduction and increase in water vapour content of the flue gas, as well as the formation of a liquid surface film on the dust particles, contribute to the high pollutant separation efficiency.
By means of the Reactor and the externally circulating fluidized bed it is possible to adjust extremely long solids retention times which enhance the pollutant collection efficiency and the utilization of the sorbent. Besides this fact the good effectiveness of the process is obtained by a high-turbulent flow of the solids in the Reactor and by the resulting maximum mass and heat transfer.
Dioxins/Furans and Mercury removal by adsorption
The control of the dioxins/furans is performed by means of adsorption on pulverized activated carbon (HOC). The HOC is injected into the Reactor together with the slaked lime.
Due to the high specific surface of the adsorbents combined with an ideal pore size distribution the HOC-dust excellently removes the above mentioned pollutants. An adequate residence time for the adsorption of the pollutants is available due to the entrained flow phase within the Reactor and the filter cake on the filter bag surface and due to the external recirculation of the whole sorbent. As the flue gas penetrate this homogeneous layer at the filter bags from the outside to the inside, heavy metals, dioxins/furans and traces of the acid gas components are physically and chemically adsorbed and thus removed from the flue gas.
Bag House Filter
The second stage of the flue gas cleaning system is the fabric filter serving for the fine cleaning of the flue gas. In principle also the chemical reactions described above occur within the filter. The bag house filter system is supplied by one of the best available manufactures: Gore-Tex from the USA.
16. What is the calorific value of the waste to be processed?
As per the regular waste sample tests performed with accredited laboratories, The facility is constantly receiving waste with Calorific Value of approx 1500-1800 Kcal/Kg.
17. How is the facility dealing with Fly Ash/Bottom Ash disposal?
At a waste to energy facility the waste volume gets reduced to approx. 10% of its original volume, post combustion process. The ash after quenching is discharged through ash discharger and is conveyed to ash silo. The fly ash and bottom ash shall be disposed of in an environmental proper manner and/or being utilized for manufacturing of building material as per the consent to operate.
18. Why is WtE a better Environmental solution?
- Waste to Energy (WtE) facilities offer a safe, technologically advanced means of waste disposal while also generating clean, renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting recycling through the recovery of metals and other recyclable materials.
- WtE facilities are located in the middle of cities world-wide to tackle the ever growing garbage disposal and treatment problems. The fact that these facilities are located close to where garbage is generated reduces transportation of garbage to distant landfills and therefore reducing carbon emissions and road side pollution (as generated by trucks).
- For every ton of waste processed in a WtE facility, one would avoid the need to import one barrel of oil or mine a quarter ton of coal. WtE facilities not only offset our dependence on fossil fuels, they also prevent the production of greenhouse gases. In a more direct comparison, combusting one ton of waste in a WtE facility prevents the equivalent of one ton of CO2 from entering into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels to produce the same amount of electricity, and the decomposition of Municipal Solid waste (MSW) in landfills.
- As waste decomposes in a landfill, it produces methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas (over 20 -25 times more potent than CO2.) No methane is produced from WtE facilities. Additionally, keeping waste out of landfills means more open space and less risk of leaking toxins into groundwater and releasing harmful air emissions. Waste to Energy facilities also recycle metal that would have otherwise been land filled. In total, creating energy from waste is simply a better solution.
19. Where is Waste to Energy implemented?
- There are approx 900 Waste to Energy plants all across the world.
20. Is it safe?
Yes, it is absolutely safe.
Waste to Energy (WtE) is a process that takes municipal solid waste (MSW), i.e. household trash through a one hour computer controlled environmental friendly combustion process at high temperatures of 850*C and 1050*C (to prevent formation of Dioxin and Furans )and reduces the waste to 10% of its original volume. The heat generated from the combustion chambers heats up water in steel tubes that form the walls of the combustion chambers. The water is turned to steam and sent through a turbine that continuously generates electricity.
The Waste to Energy (WtE) industry has been in existence for over 25 years and has developed state-of-the-art technology making it one of the cleanest forms of waste disposal while at the same time generate clean renewable energy. The advanced technology in combusting waste is the air quality (emission) control system. Waste to Energy (WtE) facilities meet or exceed the strictest standards and employ a multi-step process to achieve superior environmental performance.
21. How does the facility work?a) Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) will be delivered to the Timarpur Okhla Waste Management Company facility
b) After arrival of trucks at the facility they will enter into an enclosed reception hall which is under negative pressure to prevent bad smell – odor going into the neighborhood. The ‘sucked’ air is being ‘reused’ to enhance the combustion process (see under 6);
c) The reception hall closes and hereafter the trucks will open and dump the waste in an enclosed area, after which it is transferred to a separation / segregation process where inert, plastics, rubber, glass and metals will be removed and sent back to the recycling industry;
d) The Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) MSW is than stored in a MSW pit / bunker where large hydraulic cranes will be mixing the fuel to a homogenous fuel and by pressing the volume the humidity level will be reduced and leachatte will be removed through a drainage system, transferring it to a sophisticated leachatte treatment facility;
e) The RDF is transferred to a combustion chamber with a pre drying zone, where self-sustaining combustion is maintained at extremely high temperatures.
f) We maintain the building around the tipping and bunker area under negative pressure and use this air in the combustion process to control odor.
g) The heat from the combustion process boils water.
h) The steam from the boiling water drives a turbine that generates electricity.
i) Electricity is distributed to the local grid.
j) Ash from combustion is processed to be land filled or alternatively to produce bricks, to be reused in road construction and/or road dividers etc…
k) All gases are collected, filtered and cleaned before ‘hot air’ is being emitted into the atmosphere.
l) Gas will be managed from the combustion process with state-of-the-art air pollution control technology that operates at higher standards than the current emission standards in India;
m) Emissions will be controlled of particulate matter primarily through a bag-house (fabric filter).
n) We monitor criteria and other pollutants and operating parameters to ensure compliance with permit conditions.
22. What is the difference between an incinerator and a Waste to Energy (WtE) facility?
The term “incineration,” which is often erroneously applied to WtE is an uncontrolled combustion process without energy recovery. Today’s modern WtE facilities are in no way similar to incinerators of the past. Using municipal solid waste (MSW) as the primary fuel source, WtE facilities recover electricity and steam for the communities in which they operate. WtE facilities burn waste in specially designed boilers to ensure complete combustion. The facilities use state-of-the-art pollution control equipment to scrub emissions, preventing them from releasing into our environment. The result is clean, renewable energy.
WtE facilities divert of waste from landfills each day preventing ground water contamination as well as preventing methane gas emissions (20-25 times more potent than carbon dioxide) from decomposing garbage.
23. Why is Waste to Energy (WtE) considered to be renewable?
The formal definition of the term “renewable energy” varies. The International Energy Agency defines renewable energy as energy “derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly.” Solar, wind, wave, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy are typically considered renewable. In addition, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have included WtE within the definition of renewable energy.
Those who support the claim that WtE should be considered renewable reference that there is a tremendous amount of MSW remaining after reuse and recycling, even in locations with mature state-of-the-art waste management programs. This waste can serve as a long-term supply of fuel in WtE facilities, as it will be “replenished constantly” for the foreseeable future and is consistently replenished and all of the energy recovered by the WtE process preserves natural resources and avoids secondary impacts from mining and the combustion of those resources.
24. What is left after the waste goes through energy recovery? Is it harmful? What do you do with it?
The Waste to Energy process produces a combined ash, which is two of the by-products of the WtE process: the bottom ash that remains after the combustion process and air pollution control residue. Combined ash is considered non-hazardous. Bottom ash is reused in civil projects such as road construction and fabrication of bricks.
25. Incinerators were widely known as polluters and dangerous for the environment. What effects do Waste to Energy (WtE) facilities have on our environment?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nearly one ton of green house gas emissions are avoided for every ton of municipal solid waste processed at a WtE facility due to the following:
Avoided methane emissions from landfills. When a ton of solid waste is delivered to a waste-to-energy facility, the methane that would have been generated if it were sent to a landfill is avoided. While some of this methane could be collected and used to generate electricity, a large portion of methane and other harmful pollutants cannot be captured.
Avoided carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion. When a megawatt of electricity is generated by a WtE facility, an increase in carbon dioxide emissions that would have been generated by a fossil-fuel fired power plant is avoided.
Avoided CO2 emissions from metals production. WtE facilities recover metals for recycling. Recycling metals saves energy and avoids CO2 emissions that would have been emitted if virgin materials were mined and new metals were manufactured, such as steel.
c) The reception hall closes and hereafter the trucks will open and dump the waste in an enclosed area, after which it is transferred to a separation / segregation process where inert, plastics, rubber, glass and metals will be removed and sent back to the recycling industry;
d) The Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) MSW is than stored in a MSW pit / bunker where large hydraulic cranes will be mixing the fuel to a homogenous fuel and by pressing the volume the humidity level will be reduced and leachatte will be removed through a drainage system, transferring it to a sophisticated leachatte treatment facility;
e) The RDF is transferred to a combustion chamber with a pre drying zone, where self-sustaining combustion is maintained at extremely high temperatures.
f) We maintain the building around the tipping and bunker area under negative pressure and use this air in the combustion process to control odor.
g) The heat from the combustion process boils water.
h) The steam from the boiling water drives a turbine that generates electricity.
i) Electricity is distributed to the local grid.
j) Ash from combustion is processed to be land filled or alternatively to produce bricks, to be reused in road construction and/or road dividers etc…
k) All gases are collected, filtered and cleaned before ‘hot air’ is being emitted into the atmosphere.
l) Gas will be managed from the combustion process with state-of-the-art air pollution control technology that operates at higher standards than the current emission standards in India;
m) Emissions will be controlled of particulate matter primarily through a bag-house (fabric filter).
n) We monitor criteria and other pollutants and operating parameters to ensure compliance with permit conditions.
22. What is the difference between an incinerator and a Waste to Energy (WtE) facility?
The term “incineration,” which is often erroneously applied to WtE is an uncontrolled combustion process without energy recovery. Today’s modern WtE facilities are in no way similar to incinerators of the past. Using municipal solid waste (MSW) as the primary fuel source, WtE facilities recover electricity and steam for the communities in which they operate. WtE facilities burn waste in specially designed boilers to ensure complete combustion. The facilities use state-of-the-art pollution control equipment to scrub emissions, preventing them from releasing into our environment. The result is clean, renewable energy.
WtE facilities divert of waste from landfills each day preventing ground water contamination as well as preventing methane gas emissions (20-25 times more potent than carbon dioxide) from decomposing garbage.
23. Why is Waste to Energy (WtE) considered to be renewable?
The formal definition of the term “renewable energy” varies. The International Energy Agency defines renewable energy as energy “derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly.” Solar, wind, wave, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy are typically considered renewable. In addition, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have included WtE within the definition of renewable energy.
Those who support the claim that WtE should be considered renewable reference that there is a tremendous amount of MSW remaining after reuse and recycling, even in locations with mature state-of-the-art waste management programs. This waste can serve as a long-term supply of fuel in WtE facilities, as it will be “replenished constantly” for the foreseeable future and is consistently replenished and all of the energy recovered by the WtE process preserves natural resources and avoids secondary impacts from mining and the combustion of those resources.
24. What is left after the waste goes through energy recovery? Is it harmful? What do you do with it?
The Waste to Energy process produces a combined ash, which is two of the by-products of the WtE process: the bottom ash that remains after the combustion process and air pollution control residue. Combined ash is considered non-hazardous. Bottom ash is reused in civil projects such as road construction and fabrication of bricks.
25. Incinerators were widely known as polluters and dangerous for the environment. What effects do Waste to Energy (WtE) facilities have on our environment?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nearly one ton of green house gas emissions are avoided for every ton of municipal solid waste processed at a WtE facility due to the following:
Avoided methane emissions from landfills. When a ton of solid waste is delivered to a waste-to-energy facility, the methane that would have been generated if it were sent to a landfill is avoided. While some of this methane could be collected and used to generate electricity, a large portion of methane and other harmful pollutants cannot be captured.
Avoided carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion. When a megawatt of electricity is generated by a WtE facility, an increase in carbon dioxide emissions that would have been generated by a fossil-fuel fired power plant is avoided.
Avoided CO2 emissions from metals production. WtE facilities recover metals for recycling. Recycling metals saves energy and avoids CO2 emissions that would have been emitted if virgin materials were mined and new metals were manufactured, such as steel.
26. Is Waste to Energy an option for Climate Change?
If the goal is greenhouse gas reduction, then waste-to-energy is the option for waste disposal. When greenhouse gases (GHG) such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are released into the earth’s atmosphere, they trap infrared radiation from sunlight. This is stored as heat in the atmosphere and can be tied to the increase in the earth’s average temperature, causing what is known as global warming or climate change. Waste to Energy offsets greenhouse gases to combat climate change. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for every ton of municipal solid waste processed at a Waste to Energy facility, the release of approximately one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions into the atmosphere is prevented due to the avoidance of methane generation at landfills, the offset of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel electrical production, and the recovery of metals.
27. What is green house gas and what are methane gases?
Methane is a greenhouse gas, mostly emitted from decomposing waste in landfills, which is 20 – 25 times the potency of carbon dioxide and is ranked as a dangerous contributor to climate change. Waste to Energy facilities avoid the production of methane while producing significantly more electricity from each ton of waste compared to landfills. Further GHG reductions are realized by the avoidance of carbon emissions from long-haul transportation methods used to transport garbage to distant landfills. Waste used as fuel in WtE facilities is typically generated in the surrounding area.
28. Is waste to Energy recognized under the Kyoto protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism program?
The Kyoto Protocol is a United Nations international pact to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism program, waste to energy is recognized as a source of greenhouse gas credits. The Okhla Waste to Energy facility has been registered under the UNFCC program.
29. Is e-waste being processed at this facility?
No
30. Is Medical waste being processed at this facility?
No
31. Is industrial waste being processed at this facility?
No
32. Is hazardous waste being processed at this facility?No
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