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The Minnesota state legislature recently awarded US$400,000 to Koochiching County in the north-central part of the state to fund a feasibility study for a potential facility that would convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into energy.
Biomass magazine reports that the plant, which would be located near International Falls, would use plasma torches to gasify MSW. These torches house electrodes, and when a continuous flow of electricity is applied, an arc forms between them. The air in the torch pushes this extremely hot artificial bolt of lightning into a furnace, where the MSW enters.
The temperatures generated by this process, which can be hotter than the surface of the sun, rip apart compounds and convert inorganic solids into a glassy obsidian-like rock that can be used in road construction. The process also transforms organic materials into syngas that can be used to make electricity and liquid fuels.
"Plasma gasification could revolutionize the whole field of waste management," said Lou Circeo, director of plasma research at Georgia Tech Research Institute. He is considered a pioneer in plasma gasification, and part of the Minnesota feasibility study will involve sending waste samples to the institute in order to test the plasma gasification process. The process has been successfully used to eliminate MSW in two facilities in Japan. Similarly, the first phase of a facility in St. Lucie, Fla.-expected to come on line in 2009-will process up to 3,000 tons of waste per day.
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Egypt reviews Red Sea waste management system – Dailynewsegypt
Egypt’s Minister of Local Development and Environment, Manal Awad, and Red Sea Governor Walid El-Barqi held an extensive meeting to review the performance of the governorate’s waste management system and discuss measures to improve environmental services and operational efficiency. The meeting, held during Awad’s visit to the Red Sea Governorate to mark World Environment Day, focused on assessing current challenges facing waste collection, sorting, recycling and disposal operations, as well as identifying priority actions to strengthen the system’s performance. Awad stressed that the government places significant importance on developing an integrated waste management system in the Red Sea Governorate, given its strategic importance as one of Egypt’s leading tourism destinations. She emphasized the need to comply with environmental and technical standards governing sanitary landfills, waste treatment facilities and environmentally sound disposal practices. During the meeting, officials reviewed the current status of waste management operations in Hurghada, including collection, transportation, sorting, recycling and final disposal activities. Discussions also covered the infrastructure upgrades required to improve system efficiency and ensure the proper operation of sanitary landfill facilities. Yasser Abdullah, head of Egypt’s Waste Management Regulatory Authority, presented updates on temporary waste collection and sorting sites and outlined measures to strengthen operational management and oversight. He highlighted the importance of improving monitoring mechanisms for waste handling activities and maximizing the recovery of recyclable materials while reducing informal and unregulated practices.