WTE & Incineration Feasibility Studies

Determine whether thermal treatment makes sense before committing to a technology.

Waste-to-energy and incineration projects can offer significant advantages where landfill disposal, transportation or other waste management options are costly or constrained. But thermal treatment is not appropriate for every project.

EWS provides front-end technical and engineering analysis to help proponents determine whether incineration or waste-to-energy is technically, environmentally and economically viable — and, where it is, what type of solution is best suited to the project.

A feasibility study may consider:

• Waste quantities, composition and projected growth
• Waste heating value and suitability for thermal treatment
• Required treatment capacity
• Available incineration and waste conversion technologies
• Batch, continuous-feed and other process configurations
• Waste-to-energy and heat-recovery opportunities
• Site, infrastructure and utility requirements
• Material handling and waste preparation requirements
• Air pollution control and emissions monitoring requirements
• Expected emissions and residuals
• Regulatory and permitting considerations
• Ash and residue management
• Project-specific capital and operating cost estimates and economic analysis
• Staffing, maintenance and operational requirements
• Greenhouse gas implications
• Project risks and implementation considerations

Project-Specific Cost & Economic Analysis

The cost of a thermal waste treatment project is highly dependent on the project itself. System configuration, location, freight and logistics, labour, utilities, regulatory requirements, air pollution control, site conditions and local operating costs can all materially affect project economics.

EWS develops cost estimates using current equipment and supplier information and project-specific conditions wherever practical, rather than relying solely on generic industry averages or historical rule-of-thumb costs.

Depending on the scope and stage of the project, analysis may include:

• Preliminary or budgetary CAPEX estimates
• Major equipment and system costs
• Freight, logistics and installation considerations
• Fuel, utilities and consumables
• Labour and staffing
• Maintenance and replacement parts
• Air pollution control and emissions monitoring
• Ash and residuals management
• Estimated annual OPEX
• Lifecycle cost considerations
• Comparison with existing disposal or waste management costs
• Cost-benefit and alternative-scenario analysis
• Potential revenues or avoided costs associated with energy recovery, where applicable

This provides proponents with a more realistic basis for comparing alternatives and determining whether the project warrants further development.

Technology matched to the project

EWS has experience with a broad range of thermal waste conversion technologies, including modular mass-burn systems, two-stage incineration, rotary kilns, pyrolysis and gasification, as well as energy recovery, air pollution control and emissions monitoring systems.

This breadth allows the project to be evaluated based on the waste stream, operating environment, regulatory requirements, project economics and project objectives, rather than starting with a predetermined technology.

The result is a clearer understanding of whether the project should proceed, what further work is required, and what type of system should be considered.