This paper reports on the annual variation of the composition of waste fuels fed to two different Waste to Energy (WtE) plants in Sweden. Twelve waste fuel samples from one year of sampling in each plant were analysed with Ion Chromatography and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy to study the variation of elements within and between the fuels of the two different plants and also to investigate any seasonal variations. The ultimate analyses show that the composition was rather similar throughout the sampling period for both plants, respectively. However, there was a larger variation in the content of ash forming elements within and between the plants. Trace metals, present in low concentrations, showed the widest relative variation. The samples were also analysed for dioxin and PCB content. The reported average value for all samples is 29 ± 15 ng I-TEQ dioxin per kilo dry waste. The calculated toxicity of twelve PCB congeners, reported as WHO-PCB, is less or close to the detection limit < 0.02 μg PCB WHO-TEQ per kilo dry waste.

Improving the efficiency of waste-to-energy combined heat and power plants increases their production of both electricity and heat. Economic evaluation of such improvements enables adequate decisions to be made between the various alternatives with respect to economic viability of the plant. In this study, the cost and profitability of different modifications to improve efficiency in a waste-to-energy plant are considered: these include the re-arrangement of air heaters, the introduction of a reheater, flue gas condensation (FGC) and an integrated gasification-combustion process. The base case and the modifications are evaluated and compared when operating either as a combined heat and power plant or as a power plant. Modelling, simulation and cost estimations were performed with the Aspen Plus software. Although the integrated gasification-combustion technology with FGC has the highest exergy efficiency, its higher capital cost is greater than all of the other alternatives. Modification 6, which involves both re-arrangement and changing the air heating medium has the lowest capital cost with respect to enhancing exergy efficiency. Modifications 1 and 7, involving FGC, are the best alternatives for the capital cost per total unit of revenue generated. These modifications not only provides the highest heat production but also the highest net present value (NPV). The base case and the modifications investigated all have positive NPV, indicating that a waste-to-energy combined heat and power plant is an attractive investment. However, an increase of about 122% in the gate fees would be required for a system with only electricity production to be profitable.

Combustion tests have been carried out in a circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler co-firing wood and municipal, digested and mechanical dewatered sewage sludge from two Swedish wastewater treatment plants, using either iron sulphate or aluminium sulphate as precipitating chemicals. Experimental data on the concentration of various phosphorous compounds in the ashes are compared with theoretical equilibrium predictions. A clear relationship is not found between the employed precipitation chemical and the formation of phosphorous compounds in the ash. Hematite (Fe2O3(s)) is predicted to be the stable iron compound, and even in the sludge precipitated by iron sulphate, the aluminium content is sufficient to form aluminium phosphate (AlPO4(s)) in similar amounts as in the sludge precipitated by aluminium sulphate. Lime addition to the bed gives a decreased formation of AlPO4(s) in favour of calcium orthophosphate (Ca3(PO4)2(s)), which interferes with the sulphur capture efficiency of lime.

Combustion tests have been carried out in a fluidised bed boiler to investigate the fate of trace elements during co-combustion of wood and municipal sewage sludge. The approach was to collect fuel and ash samples and to perform thermodynamic equilibrium calculations for gasification (reducing) and combustion (oxidising) conditions. Trace elements are found in the ash. Even most of the highly volatile Hg is captured in the bag filter ash. The bag filter ash offers higher surface area than the secondary cyclone ash and enhances the capture of Hg. There is no obvious correlation between capture and parameters investigated (sludge precipitation agent and lime addition). As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Se, Sb and Tl are predicted by equilibrium calculations to be volatile in the combustion chamber under oxidising conditions and Hg even at the filter temperature (150°C). Reducing conditions promote, in some case more than others, the volatility of As, Cd, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl and Zn. The opposite effect was observed for Cu and Ni. Data points to the necessity of including bag-filter in the gas cleaning system in order to achieve good removal of toxic trace elements.

Interference from phosphorus on sulphur capture during co-firing of sludge with wood has been investigated in a circulating fluidised bed boiler. Chemical equilibrium analyses were performed on the combustion system to complement the experimental results. It was found that the relatively high content of phosphorus in municipal sewage sludge interferes with the sulphur capture by occupying calcium, which otherwise would be available for reaction with sulphur. This fact must be taken into account when sulphur capture strategies are decided for reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions from sewage sludge as an additional fuel.