This is a map, with data on biodiesel plants that are scheduled for construction or expansion.  To read more click download or view.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is committed to helping corporate energy users develop and promote landfill gas energy (LFGE) projects. LMOP is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that promotes the use of landfill gas as a renewable energy resource. By preventing emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—through the development of LFGE projects, LMOP helps businesses, states, and communities protect the environment and build a sustainable future.  To read more click view or download. 

The desire for less waste and more sustainable use of resources has resulted in the U.S. EPA’s Resource Conservation Challenge. This initiative is directed towards helping the U.S. transition from waste disposal towards materials management. Understanding the potential environmental and economic tradeoffs requires the use of life-cycle analysis and full cost accounting. Using the Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW-DST), nine scenarios were evaluated to compare the life-cycle environmental tradeoffs and costs for a range of technologies for a medium-size U.S. community. The MSW-DST can be used to identify more sustainable use of resources, which helps meet goals set forth in the Resource Conservation Challenge.  To read more click download.

Household waste contains approximately 150 to 250 kg of organic carbon per ton. These substances are biologically degradable and are converted by microorganisms into landfill gas in the absence of air. Stable, anaerobic methane fermentation begins 1 to 2 years after the waste is deposited in the landfill.  To read more click view or download. 

Bubbling fluidized-bed (BFB) systems are attractive when wide fuel flexibility is required, and for firing high moisture and lower heating value fuels. B&W’s solution – an open-bottom bubbling fluidized-bed unit, was the first such B&W design in North America.  The unit features an open-bottom design to eliminate concerns about rocks and other debris typically found in bark and woody biomass.  To read more click download.

Landfill gas (LFG) energy projects have been around since the late 1970s, providing renewable energy in the form of electricity and alternative fuel to citizens, businesses, and industry. In 2007 alone, more than 440 operational LFG energy projects in 42 states supplied:• 11 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and• 78 billion cubic feet of LFG to end users.To read more click view or download.

Utilization of landfill gas (LFG) in place of a conventional fuel such as natural gas, fuel oil, or coal in boilers is an established practice with a track record of more than 25 years of success. In the United States, more than 60 organizations have switched to the use of LFG in their industrial, commercial, or institutional boilers, with more than 70 boilers operating with LFG, either alone or co-fired with other fuels. Boilers firing LFG range in size from 2 to more than 150 million British Thermal Units per hour (MMBtu/hr). Companies using LFG are saving money while protecting the environment. General Motors fires LFG in boilers at four of their manufacturing and assembly plants and reports that they have realized energy cost savings of about $500,000 per year at each of the four plants.  To read more click view or download.

Current market conditions are providing multiple economic and environmental drivers to promote the use of renewable fuels including: A Federal renewable energy tax credit; State mandated Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) programs; Voluntary green up programs; Displacement of higher cost fossil fuels; and Biomass based power as CO2 neutral.  A viable renewable fuel in many parts of the country is wood-based biomass. There are many ways to drive useful energy out of biomass fuels. In regard to power production and or combined heat and power applications, a proven method is to convert the chemical energy in the biomass to thermal energy via gasification or combustion. This energy is transferred to a working fluid such as steam, which in turn drives a turbine generator, and/or provides heat to an industrial process.  To read more click download.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) helps protect the environment and build a sustainable future by promoting the recovery and beneficial use of landfill gas (LFG).  LFG contains methane, a potent heat trapping gas that can be captured and used to power businesses, greenhouses, vehicles, and homes.  To read more click view or download.

A recent biomass and non-condensable gas (NCG) firing addition, steam capacity increase and air system upgrade was successfully commissioned in a paper mill located in the southeastern United States. Boiler modifications included a new fuel handling and feeding system, an advanced overfire air system, a steam coil air heater (SCAH), overfire air (OFA) fan, sootblowers, and associated instrumentation and controls. A new venturi scrubber was installed and the induced draft (ID) fan was upgraded for the new conditions.  This paper discusses the upgrade and the results. Steaming capacity was increased by 19% while maintaining the original steam temperature. All performance guarantees and primary objectives were met and gaseous emissions were much lower than expected on a fuel with sawdust consistency. The mill operates continuously on biomass but has retained the existing stoker coal capabilities for future fuel flexibility.  To read more click download. 

This report describes the current alternative fuel technologies and their impacts on global warming and urban air quality. The biomass fuel called biodiesel is reviewed and its pros and cons are weighed against diesel.  To read more click view or download.

Waste incineration is on the increase throughout the world. Global capacity has increased from 160 to 200 million tonnes per year in the last decade and is expected to expand to 240 million tonnes per year in the next five years.  The increasing shortage of land for landfilling will require new plants to be built in the metropolitan regions of the world. Areas with high population density are unable to deal with the constantly increasing quantities of waste and are increasingly choosing to use industrial waste incineration.  Being in the forefront of this development Europe has limited the landfilling of untreated municipal waste by regulation.  To read more click download.

B&W’s expert design and technical prowess with products for the renewable energy market are assets for its customers – like Snowflake White Mountain Power– assuring • their project’s certainty of outcome.  This renewable project, slated for operation in the 4th Quarter 2007, resulted in converting a once abandoned boiler into a valuable asset at a lower capital cost. It is anticipated that the plant will serve as a benchmark project, which could be replicated in other areas of the country.  To read more click download.

Biogas results from anaerobic fermentation of organic materials. As a metabolic product of the participating methane bacteria, the prerequisites for its production are a lack of oxygen, a pH value from 6.5 to 7.5 and a constant temperature of 15°C (psychrophile), 35°C (mesophile) or 55°C (thermophile).  The fermentation period is approximately 10 days for thermophiles, 25 to 30 days for mesophiles and 90 to 120 days for psychrophile bacteria. The fermentation systems of today operate largely within the mesophile temperature range.  To read more click view or download. 

In the United States, approximately 1 ton of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated per person per year [1]. Of this waste, approximately 22 % is recycled, 14 % is combusted in wasteto-energy facilities, and 55 % is landfilled [2]. When MSW is deposited at a landfill, it decomposes anaerobically via the simplified reaction C6H10O4 + 1.5H2O = 3.25CH4 + 2.75CO2, generating a gaseous mixture of roughly 50 % methane and 50 % carbon dioxide by volume, as well as trace amounts of volatile organic compounds [2]. Untreated, landfill gas poses various environmental concerns; captured, LFG is a local renewable energy source. While approximately 2.6 million tons of methane is captured annually from landfills in the United States, 70 % of which is used to generate heat or electricity [3], efficient utilization of LFG is an area for research and development.  To read more click download.

Technological advancements, environmental regulations, and emphasis on resource conservation and recovery have greatly reduced the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, including emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study was conducted using a life-cycle methodology to track changes in GHG emissions during the past 25 years from the management of MSW in the United States. For the baseline year of 1974, MSW management consisted of limited recycling, combustion without energy recovery, and landfilling without gas collection or control. This was compared with data for 1980, 1990, and 1997, accounting for changes in MSW quantity, composition, management practices, and technology.  To read more click download.

Household waste is the highest-volume market in the waste industry, in most regions, the biggest contracts awarded in the waste management industry are for the collection and disposal of household waste.  As the leading market, household waste collection is also te starting point for the management of other fractions of waste like paper and cardboard, lightweight packaging and even industrial waste.  To read more click download.

Even in Kentucky, where coal is a major industry, communities are searching for alternative energy sources to counter the rising cost and dwindling supply of heating oil. They are also seeking improved ways to recycle or dispose of increasing volumes of waste. One such community is Campbellsville, a small town of just over 10,000 residents, located in Taylor County, the “Heart of Kentucky.”  To read more click download.

Waste-to-energy systems combust nonhazardous municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate electricity and/or steam as well as to sterilize and reduce the volume of waste requiring landfill disposal.  According to the Integrated Waste Services Association, there are 89 WTE plants in the United States that process about 95,000 tons of waste per day (35 million tons per year), generate about 2,500 megawatts of electricity, and provide for the waste disposal needs of more than 36 million people. In Europe, WTE facilities are estimated to process over 56 million tons per year.  To read more click download.

Currently, biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that is participating in this comprehensive, multiyear USEPA emissions testing program. Other alternative fuels were provided with special legislative exemptions from these emissions testing programs as part of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The costs of the emissions testing programs and related fuel certification requirements for the biodiesel industry will eventually run into several millions of dollars. These are expenses that must eventually be recouped through profits on future fuel sales.  To read more click view or download.

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) can be challenging in island settings. The island of Puerto Rico, for example, has faced increasing MSW management challenges in recent years due to the closing of several older landfills because of lack of compliance with federal landfill requirements. As in most island settings, Puerto Rico suffers from limited space for construction of new landfills. Furthermore, Puerto Rico residents generate more waste per capita than the people living on the continental US. Thermal treatment, or waste to energy (WTE) technologies are therefore a promising option for MSW management.  To read more click download.

The purpose of this study is to answer the question of whether recycling and waste-to-energy are compatible waste management strategies. Critics of waste-to-energy have argued the presence of a waste combustion facility in an area inhibits recycling and is an obstacle to communities’ efforts to implement active recycling programs. As this study will show, this contention has no basis in fact. In an examination of recycling rates of more than 500 communities in twenty-two states, which rely on waste-to-energy for their waste disposal, it is demonstrated that these communities recycle at a rate higher than the national average. Many of these areas have recycling rates at least three to five percentage points above the national average and in some cases are leading the country in recycling. The study concludes that recycling and waste-to-energy are compatible waste management strategies, which are part of an integrated waste management approach in many communities across the United States.  To read more click download.

The Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) performed a 13-week subchronic inhalation study in F344 rats of the potential toxicity of biodiesel exhaust emissions. The study was designed to fulfill the requirements of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-mandated Tier 2 health effects testing. Groups of rats were exposed to diluted biodiesel exhaust emissions at targeted NOx concentrations of 5, 25, or 50 ppm (low, intermediate, and high levels, respectively), while other rats served as air-exposed controls. Actual exposure concentrations achieved were within acceptable ranges. No effects of biodiesel-exhaust-emission exposure were observed in a variety of endpoints including mortality, toxicity as revealed by detailed clinical observations, feed consumption, toxicity to the eyes, neurohistopathology, formation of micronuclei (MN) in bone marrow cells, sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), fertility, reproductive toxicity, and teratology.  To read more click view or download.

A 25 MW facility that uses cereal straw as fuel to produce electricity.  This plant will produce 200 million kilowatt-hours per year, almost 5% of the electricity demand of Navarre.  There is 160,000 tons of straw per year needed as fuel and supplies can be topped using wood waste products.  This investment is $50 million euros.  Benefits are the addition of 100 jobs, and cost savings to Navarre.  To read more click download.

It’s a common occurrence to see and smell a black cloud of smoke rising from behind a diesel school bus. We expect that inhaling these fumes outside the bus would be dangerous for our health—and it is. But does that same diesel exhaust pose a risk to children sitting inside the bus on their way to and from school? We initiated this study of diesel exhaust levels inside school buses to answer this question in light of the overwhelming evidence that diesel exhaust causes cancer and premature death and exacerbates asthma and other respiratory illnesses. In fact, government regulators estimate, based on lifetime risks, that diesel exhaust is responsible for a surprising 125,000 cancers nationwide.1 Studies in California reveal that more than 70 percent of the risk of cancer from air pollution comes from diesel exhaust alone.  To read more click view or download.

India is a vast country brimming with cultural diversity and rich in natural resources.  India, along with China, has become the center of the world’s attention over the last decade because of its booming economic growth, large demographic of young, English-speaking workers, and shift from an agricultural to a more service-oriented economy. What this means for millions of Indians is that they now have the ability to consume an enormous variety of goods and services that were previously either unavailable or unaffordable. From small electronic items, such as cell phones, to large consumer goods like refrigerators and cars, Indian consumption has been steadily increasing and shows no signs of abating anytime soon. The flip side of this consumption boom is that the amount of waste generated has and will continue to increase correspondingly.  To read more click download.

In addition to providing essential trash disposal services cities and towns across the country, today’s waste-to-energy plants generate clean, renewable energy. Through the combustion of everyday household trash in facilities with state-of-the-art environmental controls, IWSA’s members provide viable alternatives to communities that would otherwise have no alternative but to buy power from conventional power plants and dispose of their trash in landfills.  The 87 waste-to-energy plants nationwide dispose of more than 90,000 tons of trash each day while generating enough clean energy to supply electricity to about 2.3 million homes nationwide.  To read more click download.

Until recently, emissions of landfill gas--comprised mainly of methane, carbon dioxide, and nonmethane organic compounds (NMOCs)--were not subject to federal regulation. These emissions are now regulated under the Clean Air Act as a result of the landfill New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emissions Guidelines (EG), promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 12, 1996 (hereinafter “the landfill rule”). Affected municipal solid waste landfills must collect and combust their landfill gas (LFG). There are two compliance options under the landfill rule--installation of a LFG collection system and flare, or installation of a LFG collection system and an energy recovery system.  To read more click view or download.

With the development of large reciprocating generator sets that can run reliably on alternative fuels such as low-Btu (i.e. dilute) methane, landfills, waste treatment plants, coal mining facilities and other sources of waste fuel now have a way to harness these “free” energy sources. Low-Btu reciprocating generator sets use proven technology to produce significant amounts of power from fuels that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere, including methane, a “greenhouse gas” that has been implicated in global warming. This paper outlines the process for determining waste-to-energy site suitability, reviews the maintenance issues and technology answers related to contaminants often found in methane, and cites several working wasteto-energy installations as examples of installed waste-to-energy applications.  To read more click download.

Contracts negotiated for disposal after Fresh Kills will impose significant cost increases on City taxpayers as waste disposal charges rise from the $42 per ton cost of disposal at Fresh Kills to prices ranging from $70-$100 per ton.  In addition, the City will be far more vulnerable to changes in market control, such as the increasing consolidation of the waste industry among a relatively small group of suppliers, and increasing transportation costs.  To read more click download.