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With the Atlantic County Public Utility landfill set to close in the next few years, officials are looking for new ways to dispose of waste, especially through new “waste transformation” technologies.
Newer technologies available include a combination of electricity and high temperatures in plasma gasification, or mechanical/mechanical waste sorting, removing valuable materials and transforming residues by either composting or anaerobic digestion. Biological treatment involves the process of turning waste into energy. A process that leaves a waste-derived fuel. As part of the process, the remaining waste could be as much as one-tenth of what is currently in landfills.
All of these new forms of turning waste into energy go beyond current methods, said Matt DeNafo, ACUA’s vice president of centralized maintenance and facilities management.
But there are challenges to overcome first. For example, obtaining permits and, more importantly, lowering the cost of new technology. “We can get the aviation permit, we can build the technology, the technology works, but it’s not cost effective, if we can find a cheaper way to dispose of the waste. , there is no point in doing this, he told the ACUA board on Sept. 15.
“We have seen many of these technologies evolve from demonstration projects and then from very large, very fast, unsuccessful projects,” he added.
Even with successful demonstration projects that address these economic, environmental, legal, and technical issues, scaling them from the demonstration level to full-scale operation can be challenging.
ACUA officials say some of the new technology can reduce the amount going to landfills by 80 to 90 percent. It also avoids some of the greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful byproducts that landfills produce.
ACUA is no stranger to attempts to bring waste diversion to the county. Cooperation with NRG Energy began in 2008, when NRG awarded a contract to develop a waste conversion project. DeNafo said it has obtained, or is in the process of obtaining, all permits except aviation permits from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
NRG’s new management ultimately decided against the project, smashing any prospects of introducing the new waste-conversion technology to the county. Despite the challenges facing the industry, DeNafo said he was inspired by the progress of various projects showcased at the Waste Transformation Technology Conference & Trade Show he attended earlier this year. He noted that representatives from several large companies were present, including representatives from Google and the US Department of Defense. There were presentations from various companies across the country, including California, Nevada, New York, and Oregon. These companies have faced some challenges, but they have shown how Atlantic County waste conversion projects can be profitable and successful, he said.