Conversion Technology 101

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Conversion Technology 101
Southern CaliforniaEmerging Waste Technologies
Forum
July 27, 2006
Presented by Coby SkyeLos Angeles County
Department of Public Works
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Welcome

• Current Solid Waste Management System in Los
  Angeles
• What Are Conversion Technologies?
• Where Do We Go From Here

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The Solid Waste Management Hierarchy in
California

• Source Reduction
• Reuse
• Recycling/Composting
• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
• 4. Environmentally Safe Transformation
  andLandfilling

Disposal Diversion
AB 939
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Solid Waste Generation in California ( Los
Angeles County)

• Total generated 78 (24) million tons/year
• Total diverted (3 Rs) 37 (12) million tons/year
• Total disposed (landfilled or incinerated) 41
  (12) million tons/year
• Diversion Rates
• Statewide 48
• Countywide 49
• City of Los Angeles 62
• sources CIWMB L.A. County DPW, 2004

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Solid Waste Composition in CA

• Organics (e.g. food green waste) 30
• Construction Demolition 22
• Paper 21
• Plastics 10
• Metals 8
• source CIWMB

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To Review the Problem

• Every year, 41 million tons of waste are
  disposed in CA, primarily in landfills, and
  the total amount disposed continues to grow

• In L.A. County, disposal capacity is dwindling
• Residual solid waste is incredibly heterogeneous
• Up to 80 of residual solid waste is organic
  (green waste, paper, plastics, etc.)

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Solid Waste Management Options
After Reducing and Reusing

• Recycling

Composting
Landfill /
Transformation
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Transformationas defined in CA Statute

• Incineration

Conversion
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Comparison
Conversion

• Incineration

vs.

• Materials are incinerated (burned)
• High heat
• Produces ash, which may be recycled, and may be
  used to generate electricity
• Low public acceptance in CA

• Thermal, Chemical, or Biological does NOT
  include combustion/incineration
• Temp. depends on process
• May produce electricity, fuel, chemicals, ash,
  char, and/or other products
• Public has little awareness of these processes

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What are Conversion Technologies
and why are they important? Conversion
Technologies are an array of emerging
technologies capable of converting post-recycling
residual solid waste into useful products and
chemicals, green fuels like ethanol and
biodiesel, and clean, renewable energy
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Sample Conversion Technologies
Thermal

• Pyrolysis is the thermal processing of waste in
  the absence of oxygen

• Gasification is the thermal processing of waste
  with a limited amount of oxygen using some
  combination of heat, pressure, and steam to
  convert materials directly into a gas

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Sample Conversion Technologies
Chemical

• Acid Hydrolysisis the chemical decomposition of
  waste using acid and water to split chemical bonds

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Sample Conversion Technologies
Biological

• Anaerobic digestion is the bacterial breakdown of
  organic materials in the absence of oxygen
• Aerobic digestion is, essentially, composting

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Sample Conversion Technologies
Facilities vary technology to technology,
feedstock to feedstock and vendor to vendor. No
two are alike.
images reprinted with permission from CIWMB staff
presentation, Dec. 2001, and from City of Los
Angeles RENEW LA Plan, July 2005
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Potential CT Benefits

• Ability to manage the States excess biomass and
  organic wastes (including biosolids, agricultural
  residue, etc.)
• Ability to recover materials not feasibly
  recyclable for beneficial use
• Reduce pollution and environmental impacts
• Reduce dependence on landfills and waste
  exporting, maintaining local control over
  disposal
• Ability to locally produce renewable energy and
  green fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel,
  electricity, etc.
• Promotes energy independence from foreign oil
• Creates professional, long term green collar
  jobs
• Reduces GHG emissions

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Where is Conversion?

• Lack of development in CA is primarily due to 3
  factors
• Cost,
• Regulatory Hurdles, and
• Misconceptions

?
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Where is Conversion?

• Cost

• L.A. County has relatively low landfill tipping
  fees (28-35/ton). However as landfills close
  and more waste must be shipped to distant
  destinations, by truck or rail, conversion will
  become more competitive.

• There are no existing commercial facilities in
  the U.S. using solid waste as a feedstock, making
  financing more difficult

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Misconceptions

• Myth 1 -- Jurisdictions will utilize conversion
  facilities in lieu of implementing traditional
  recycling programs
• Not true conversion facilities will be handling
  post-recycled (residual) solid waste, and
• Jurisdictions must still implement their
  recycling programs and comply with AB 939
• Myth 2 Conversion facilities will produce
  excessive toxic emissions or will be exempt from
  stringent environmental laws/regulations
• Not true facilities must comply with all
  applicable laws and regulations, and
• Conversion technologies are capable of meeting
  all environmental standards/safeguards as may be
  required by necessary permits, and have been
  shown to reduce net pollution, including GHGs

?
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Regulations vs. Reality

• For example, a gasification facility must meet
  the following criteria (AB 2770, 2002)

• Does not use air or oxygen in the conversion
  process (this is scientifically inaccurate, yet
  permanently coded into State law)
• Produces no discharges of air contaminants or
  emissions (this is theoretically an impossible
  task)
• Produces no discharges to surface or ground water
• Produces no hazardous waste
• Removes all recyclable materials and marketable
  green waste materials to the maximum extent
  feasible
• Meets all applicable laws, regulations, and
  ordinances
• Forbids a local agency from sending solid waste
  to the facility unless the agency has diverted at
  least 30 percent of their waste from disposal
  (this may conflict with Federal ICC)

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Summary

• Conversion Technologies can recover materials
  otherwise destined for disposal
• Conversion projects are in development throughout
  the Country
• If local efforts are successful, California would
  lead the U.S. in the development of these
  advanced technologies
• Its important for scientists, politicians,
  policy makers, environmentalists, and industry to
  continue to collaborate and dialogue