Waste Management Strategies Related To Environmental & Health Issues

The production of energy from alternative sources and its impact on climate change are among the main strategic tools implicated in the sustainable development of our society. Accordingly, numerous types of biomass and wastes contribute towards the production of energy and reduction in the use of fossil fuels by means of biological, chemical and thermal processes. Further to the above, in modern integrated waste management scenarios the waste-to-energy process allows the cycle to be closed. Existing biomass and waste-to-energy technologies are currently undergoing rapid development: processes are being optimised and new ideas for technical application proposed. Despite the growing interest in the use of these technologies, in many countries their implementation remains limited, chiefly due to reasons other than those of a technical and economical nature (i.e. scarce public acceptance, negative past experiences, insufficient knowledge, to mention but a few). The aim of the Venice 2008 Symposium is to focus on the advances made in the application of technologies for energy recovery from biomass and waste and to encourage discussion on relevant aspects