Entwicklungen in der Technologie zur Herstellung von Brennstoffen aus kommunalen Abfällen

Developments in the technology of fuel production from municipal waste . Various methods have been developed in recent years for the production of fuel from municipal waste in the USA and in Europe, and some of them have been tested on a large scale. They utilize mainly machines employed in mechanical work-up and proven process steps developed specifically for the recovery of materials from municipal waste. Starting from the demands placed on the fuels the present status in Europe and the Federal Republic of Germany is illustrated with the aid of selected examples. The paper reports experimental results, operating experience, measures adopted to optimize the process engineering and to improve the fuel quality. It is not yet possible on the basis of the results obtained so far to estimate whether the production of fuels from waste will become accepted practice in Germany. It will be decisive whether the quality of the fuel can be optimized such that the limiting pollutant levels can be met without any need for flue gas scrubbing and whether longterm economic marketing of the fuel products is feasible.