Incineration with Energy Recovery

In the context of WikiWaste Incineration with Energy Recovery is a ‘waste destination’ description that appears in WasteDataFlow.

Use in WasteDataFlow

Waste Disposal Authorities will select this option from a drop down list within WasteDataFlow if the Residual Waste collected by the Waste Collection Authorities or Residual Waste collected at the Household Waste Recycling Centres has been sent to an incineration facility that is defined as Energy Recovery Facility.

Context and Definition

If an Incineration facility can be shown to meet the energy efficiency measurement of R1 it can be classified as a recovery facility, if it cannot it is classified as a disposal facility. This means that an incinerator that generates power, and is a net exporter of power, can be described as an Energy from Waste(EfW) facility. An incinerator that is an EfW facility that meets the R1 criteria is the only type of incinerator under the legislation that can legitimately describe itself as an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF).

The most recent recent BREF guidance also sets out how incinerators can be described by:

• waste origin (e.g. Municipal Incinerators), and in WikiWaste includes Residual Waste EFW and Biomass Waste EFW,
• the nature of the waste (e.g. Hazardous Waste Incinerators),
• the method/type of incineration (e.g. High Temperature Incinerators)

In WikiWaste these last two bullet points are covered in High Temperature and Clinical Waste Incineration.

However, there are a range of other terms used in the sector to describe different types of incineration, the kiln/furnace used, and the subsidy that may apply to them, and these are captured in the table below:

Definitions in Legislation			Types	Temp. Range °C	Category		Kiln/Furnace/Reactor
Incineration	With Energy Recovery		Combustion	800 - 1450	Thermal Treatment		Grate
							Fluidised Bed
			Gasification	500 - 1600	Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT and ACT)		Rotary Kiln
	Without Energy Recovery						Plasma
			Pyrolysis	250 - 700	Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT and ACT)		Heated Tube
							Surface contact

UK Macro Data

Waste Facilities in UK provides an indication on the numbers of incineration facilities that are considered Energy Recovery Facilities operating within the UK. Those EfW facilities that presently have an R1 status are listed on the R1 page as Energy Recovery Facilities.

Older incineration facilities, Clinical Waste Incineration and Hazardous Waste Incineration generally do not meet R1, are therefore generally considered disposal facilities, and are generally registered in WasteDataFlow as Incineration without Energy Recovery.