The energy generated by the combustion of non-recyclable waste produces electricity and heat for either local industry or domestic energy needs. Waste-to-energy therefore helps conserve fossil fuels, limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills.
The development of efficient operational techniques and the systematic use of biogas have sharply increased the recovery of the biogas given off by waste fermentation. Veolia has patented an automated management system for biogas collection networks called Methacontrol®, which is used to continuously adjust the collection network’s operation. This process significantly increases the quantity of biogas collected compared with a manual adjustment method.
Veolia has also developed anaerobic digestion systems: dry for municipal waste, and wet for waste from the agricultural and food processing industries.
Veolia is involved in developing the sector for solid recovered fuel (SRF), also known as refuse-derived fuel (RDF). SRF is dry, non-hazardous waste that can be used as a fuel for co-incineration in facilities such as cement works furnaces. SRF provides a way to recover a significant fraction of municipal waste or non-hazardous industrial waste while at the same time meeting industry’s growing demand for energy.
> Heat recovery
> SFR recovery