WTE & Incineration Feasibility Studies

Waste-to-Energy Projects & Experience
Broad Experience Across Waste-to-Energy Technologies and Applications

Eco Waste Solutions’ waste-to-energy experience extends beyond individual equipment projects. Our team has worked with thermal waste conversion technologies ranging from small modular and deployable systems to larger energy-recovery facilities, supporting technology development, engineering, plant modification, feasibility analysis, cost estimating and energy-recovery studies.

Through the acquisition of Enercon Systems technology and intellectual property, EWS also acquired extensive design knowledge and operating history associated with modular waste-to-energy systems developed to recover energy from municipal and industrial waste.

Our WTE experience spans the full project lifecycle — from evaluating whether a project makes sense, through technology selection and engineering, to plant operation, modification and performance improvement.

Enercon Modular Waste-to-Energy Technology
Acquired Technology. Preserved Knowledge. Modernized Engineering.

EWS acquired the Enercon Systems waste conversion technology and intellectual property, including the engineering designs and technical knowledge behind its modular waste-to-energy systems.

Following the acquisition, EWS undertook an extensive knowledge-transfer program with members of the original Enercon engineering team. This included reviewing legacy designs, calculations and operating experience and transferring decades of accumulated technical knowledge into EWS.

A major engineering modernization program followed. Legacy hand-drawn engineering drawings were converted into modern 3D models, system designs were reviewed, equipment and component costs were updated, and the technology was re-evaluated using current engineering tools and supplier information.

EWS personnel also spent time at the two remaining operating Enercon plants, that had been operating for 30+ and 40+ years respectively to better understand how these waste-to-energy workhorses had stood the test of time.  Understand things also from an operating and maintenance perspective — not simply from the drawings.

This work gave EWS detailed knowledge of the complete WTE plant, including:

• Waste receiving and material handling
• Combustion systems
• Boiler and steam generation systems
• Energy recovery
• Air pollution control
• Ash and residue handling
• Plant controls and balance-of-plant systems
• Equipment maintenance and lifecycle considerations
• Capital and operating cost drivers

Thermal Conversion Innovation

EWS has a long history of developing and advancing thermal waste conversion and waste-to-energy technologies. Our engineering and R&D work has resulted in patented technologies addressing energy recovery, combustion control, emissions reduction and deployable thermal treatment systems.

This experience goes beyond selecting commercially available equipment. EWS has been directly involved in developing, engineering, prototyping, testing and improving waste conversion technologies for a range of applications and operating environments.

Our patented innovations include technologies related to:

Mobile Energy from Waste
A flexible mobile waste-to-energy platform designed to allow useful thermal energy to be recovered through different energy-recovery devices depending on the application.

Control of Nitrogen Oxides in Waste-to-Energy Systems
Technology developed to improve control of NOx emissions associated with incineration.

Real-Time Waste Furnace Control
Control technology that allows furnace operation to respond dynamically to changes in incoming waste and combustion conditions.

Military-Grade Containerized Incineration
Technology developed for a highly mobile, ruggedized waste-treatment system suitable for demanding military and remote applications.

Operating WTE Plant Engineering
Engineering Support for Existing Waste-to-Energy Facilities

EWS experience is not limited to designing new systems. We have also provided engineering support for operating waste-to-energy facilities where owners were evaluating changes in feedstock, plant configuration or operating requirements, such as engineering services related to the proposed introduction of medical waste into an existing WTE facility.

Experience working with existing WTE facilities gives EWS an important perspective when assessing new projects: how design assumptions translate into actual operating conditions over the life of a plant.

Depending on the specific application, this type of analysis can include:

• Waste characteristics and heating value
• Changes in combustion conditions
• Plant capacity and throughput
• Feed and material-handling requirements
• Emissions implications
• Air pollution control requirements
• Ash and residuals
• Operating procedures
• Regulatory considerations
• Required equipment or process modifications

WTE Feasibility & Energy Recovery Analysis
Determining What Makes Sense Before Selecting a Technology

EWS has supported communities, industrial operators, engineering firms and project developers evaluating whether waste-to-energy is appropriate for their waste stream, location and project objectives.

Our work begins with the waste itself: how much is available, what it contains, how it varies and how much useful thermal energy it can produce. From there, we evaluate the technologies, infrastructure and energy-recovery options that are appropriate for the project.

Depending on the application, useful energy may be recovered as:

• Hot water
• Hot air
• Process heat
• Steam
• District heating
• Electrical power
• Combined heat and power

The best option is highly project-specific. Generating electricity is not automatically the most valuable use of recovered energy. In some projects, replacing purchased fuel, supplying process heat, generating steam for an existing user or providing district heating can produce a better technical and economic outcome.

EWS feasibility and WTE analyses may include:

• Waste characterization and energy content
• Required plant capacity
• Thermal technology selection
• Heat and energy balances
• Energy recovery alternatives
• Site and infrastructure requirements
• Air pollution control and emissions monitoring
• Regulatory requirements
• CAPEX and OPEX estimates
• Local fuel, energy, labour and logistics costs
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Comparison with existing waste disposal costs
• Greenhouse gas implications
• Project risks and implementation considerations

Project-Specific Economics

WTE project economics vary significantly by location and configuration. EWS develops estimates using current equipment, supplier and project information together with local conditions wherever practical, rather than relying primarily on generic industry averages or historical rule-of-thumb costs.

This provides proponents with a more realistic basis for deciding whether the project should proceed and which energy-recovery approach offers the best value.

U.S. Department of Defense Waste-to-Energy R&D
Deployable Waste-to-Energy Technology for Demanding Environments

EWS has participated in U.S. Department of Defense research and development programs focused on converting field-generated waste into useful energy while reducing reliance on conventional waste disposal and imported fuels.

The deployable WTE development program combined thermal waste treatment with energy recovery in a transportable system designed for military deployment and operation under challenging environmental conditions.

The system demonstrated how waste treatment and energy recovery could be integrated into a compact, deployable platform where conventional waste infrastructure may not be available.

This work also contributed to EWS’s broader experience in mobile energy recovery, system integration and the practical challenges of recovering useful energy from relatively small and variable waste streams.

The project involved:

• Waste-to-energy process development
• Waste heat recovery
• Reduced fossil-fuel requirements
• Mobile and transportable system design
• Integration into military logistics
• Prototype engineering and fabrication
• System testing and demonstration
• Operation under harsh conditions