Sustainable Development Goals
Organizations Involved:
A2Ambiente, City of Naples, Fisia Italimpianti SpA, Impregilo SpA, Kommunal GmbH, Deutsche Anlagen GmbH, EVO Energieversorgung Oberhausen AG, Partenope Ambiente
Services:
Design & Engineering, Due Diligence, Consulting, Component Supply
The Challenge:
Landfills are overflowing with municipal solid waste. This alternative energy source is an underutilized asset. Domestically produced energy is a big step forward, but it is one that Acerra, Italy, realized it needed to take. The goal was to use trash to generate electricity, bringing stability to both the price of the electricity and its availability. With the waste-to-energy process, there are no wide fluctuations or availability shortages. These facilities can operate twenty-four hours a day yearly, providing enough electricity to meet the local community's needs.
Greenhouse gas emissions play a huge role in global warming. This alternative energy generation method does not release even a fraction of the emissions that fossil fuel power plants do. These power plants must undergo rigorous emissions testing, and every aspect of the process is monitored closely. These facilities must meet stricter operating standards than any other type of power plant, and if these are not met, the plant is immediately shut down.
The Solution:
Work began in August 2004. In Oct 2008, A2A business unit Partenope Ambiente took over management of the €355 million project, and it was partially commissioned in March 2009. The three-line plant is, by some measures, the largest single-unit WTE plant in the world. The design throughput is around 600,000TPA. The WtE plant consists of three identical lines for the furnace, steam generator, and flue gas cleaning. Each line is designed for a throughput of 27.1 tonnes/hour (650 tonnes/day) with an LHV of 15.1 MJ/kg. The plant design is governed by the high revenues for the electricity produced, which is guaranteed for the plant's life. Thus, the plant is optimized for high electrical efficiency. Therefore, steam parameters of 500°C / 90 bar (932 F / 1305 psi) were chosen. The steam of all three lines is converted into electrical power by one turbine/generator unit.
Quality control occurs at the inception of the process. Two overhead refuse grabs, which hold 5 tons each, mix the waste in the bunker to create a homogeneous mixture. A crane feeds the mixed waste into the feeding hoppers of one of two forward feeding grates capable of processing 24 tons/hour. Each production line feeds a boiler that operates at a temperature above 1560°F for 2 seconds. The intense heat ignites the waste moving along the forward feeding grates until only bottom ash, which is treated in a separate facility, remains at the end of the grate.
Careful monitoring of the incineration process guarantees the complete burning of the combustible material in an environmentally safe manner. Sophisticated computerized controls maintain the temperature, grate speed, amount of air used, and all other aspects of the process, enabling proper incineration to occur at optimum levels.
The Acerra plant has been in full-time, full-scale commercial operation since 2009, achieving more than 90% availability yearly. It processes as-received post-recycled curb-side-collected solid waste and recovers electricity, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, commercial-grade hydrochloric acid, and gypsum. The residual materials (primarily fly and bottom ash, accounting for approximately 15% of the input material) from WtE Naples are sent directly to the landfill.
Acerra is locally situated, offering many advantages to the community. Jobs are created, taxes are paid, supplies are purchased at local businesses and stores, and energy is provided for a reasonable cost that does not pollute or harm the environment.
The Acerra facility uses municipal waste that would otherwise take up space in a landfill and contribute to environmental pollution. Waste is an unlimited resource. With all the garbage generated daily and the contents of existing landfills, there is enough waste to satisfy the electricity demand.
Using waste to generate energy does not harm the environment or the earth. No dangerous chemicals or toxins are used to poison wildlife and contaminate the land and water in the area, and pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are far less than those from using coal or other resources.
The Outcome:
The success of the Acerra waste-to-energy plant is a testament to the reliability, economic feasibility, and environmentally responsible nature of the thermal treatment technology for high-energy production and material recovery.
The Acerra facility uses state-of-the-art web-based monitoring platforms in a telemetry format, which gives the Italian Environment Agency complete disclosure of the plant operating data. This also provides the plant with owner complete control over emissions using a state-of-the-art data management and diagnostics platform. This powerful tool enhances process knowledge, power, and management.
Accera also uses data recording and analysis systems, giving commercial and industrial facilities an efficient and user-friendly control system. Users can combine the process data with a systems analysis platform, which includes batch reports, trends, traceability reports, alarm/event histories, component performance and efficiency reports, downtime/uptime comparisons, component failure histories, and more. All captured data is backed up with double redundancy, ensuring all information is protected.
This plant addresses more than one environmental problem. The power generated reduces the need for foreign oil or fossil fuels in the community and offers many benefits to people and the environment.
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