Incineration packaging plastics

From the comparison it follows that route (1), direct incineration in MSWls, is generally the least favoiuable option in environmental terms. Hence, there is no doubt that the targets in the EU Packaging directive, which aim to steer away from incinerating plastics packaging in MSWls, have a sound rationale. 

Tests conducted in Finland and Sweden have indicated the viability of using waste paper and plastic packaging as a fuel in a conventional power plant rather than in a municipal solid waste incinerator. If the process is accepted, as much as 30 million tonnes of the 50 million tonnes of combustible packaging which Europe consumes each year could be used for power generation. The feasibility of the initiative is discussed, and its implications in terms of future power plant construction. APME... 

Wearing butyl rubber gloves, fireproof clothing, face shield, and goggles cover spill with sand.8 Transfer mixture into a dry plastic bag filled in advance with an inert gas. Package and label for disposal by incineration.2 Alternatively, in the fume hood, add butanol slowly to the solid mixture until the reaction ceases. Then carefully add water until all the... 

The method chosen for segregation and accumulation of wastes destined for incineration depends on the design of incinerator and its waste-feed mechanism, which vary widely. Some incinerators can handle only bulk liquid wastes, whereas others accept solid or packaged wastes such as fiber packs and glass or plastic bottles a few even accept steel cans or drums. 

Because of their low density, plastics comprise approximately 20% by volume of landfilled solid waste, although they contribute only about 7% of the total weight. Public opposition limits the disposal of plastics via incineration, despite their comparatively high energy content. These factors have stimulated considerable interest in the development of biodegradable plastics as replacements for conventional plastics, particularly in packaging and disposable applications. 

A major difficulty is that so many applications employ polymers as though they were readily disposable, despite the fact that they are, in reality, among the more inert of chemical pollutants. In particular, plastic packaging tends to make a single use of a fabricated polymer which is then thrown away. Even when disposed of responsibly, packaging materials are the source of a serious pollution problem. Municipal authorities dispose of such materials by one of two routes, landfilling and incineration, of which the latter cannot be readily used for chlorinated polymers, such as PVC, because of the additional problems caused by organochlorine species in the atmosphere. 

An example of collection and baling costs in 2002 in Sendai city with a population over one million, is shown in Table 26.23 compared with that for the total incineration cost. In 2002, about 10000 tons of bales were prepared from plastic containers and packaging. The major use was blast furnace application in JFE Steel at Kawasaki. 

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