Experience of Incinerator

Development in Japan
Katsuya Kawamoto
Research center for Material Cycles and Waste Management
National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
Visiting Professor of Yokohama National University
Contents
Introduction
Incineration as a disposal method of municipal solid wastes (MSW)
in Japan –Changes in the last two decades
Influence of dioxin issues on the disposal of MSW
Gasification-melting process as a new incineration disposal of MSW
Future development
1
 Introduction and overview -1

Incineration plays an important role in disposing MSW in

Japan, because it can reduce weight and volume of MSW
with a good sanitation.

However, it essentially has some problems such as air

pollution as well as the emission of carbon dioxide. Dioxins
have been attracting much concern as a hazardous pollutant
emitted from the incinerator.

Dioxin problems have caused big changes on MSW

disposal. One of the changes is that efforts were made to
improve incineration technology and to produce new
type thermal treatment processes.
2
Introduction and overview -2

Brand new incineration systems of pyrolysis/

gasification/melting processes have been introduced into
Japan.

They have some distinctive features that suite for

sustainable society, which are reduction of
environmental pollutant loads and recovery of material
resources from wastes.

There are a variety of movements for establishing a

sound material-cycle society by many constituents.

3
 Change over time in amounts of
MSW and industrial waste

Industrial waste discharges (104 tons/year)

5500 45000
MSW discharges (104 tons/year)

1,100g/person·d

5000

40000
4500

4000 1,000g/
person·d 35000
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
3500
Industrial waste

3000 30000
75
80

90

96

98

00

02

04
85

95

97

99

01

03
19
19

19

19

19

20

20

20
19

19

19

19

20

20
Fiscal year

Data for 1975-1995 are for 5 year intervals. 4

 Change of MSW in Japan

Incineration Resource recovery via treatment

Immediate resource recovery Immediate land disposal

6000

5000
A m o u n t (1 04 t)

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
This figure also gives the breakdown of the treatment method of MSW. 5
Change over time in heating value of
waste (lower heating value)
12000

10000
Heating value (kJ/kg)

8000

6000

4000

2000
Osaka Tokyo (wards) Yokohama

0
1950 1970 1990 2010

Fiscal year
6
 Change of nationwide incineration plants in Japan
Numbers Capacity
2,000 250,000

1,800
The number of incineration facilities has gradually decreased, and
1,600 200,000
was 1,320 at the end of FY 2005 (March 31, 2006). This represented
a decrease of 25% from FY 1998.
1,400

1,200 150,000

1,000

800 100,000

600

400 50,000

200

0 0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Batch(Manual) Capacity Batch(Machanical) Capacity Intermittent Capacity

Fully continuous Capacity Total Capacity Batch(Manual)Numbers
Batch(Machanical) Numbers Intermittent Numbers Fully continuous Numbers
Total Numbers 7
 Regulations on air pollutants in
Japan
a)
Regulation on dioxins (PCDDs, PCDFs
Air pollutants from incineration and DL-PCBs) for incinerator of wastes a)
Pollutant Criteria for
Sulfur oxides (SOx) Criteria for
Capacity of newly
existing
Dust constructed
furnace incinerator
Flue gas Hydrochloric acid incinerator b)
(ng-TEQ/m3N) (ng-TEQ/m3N)
components (HCl)
Nitrogen oxides > 4 t/h (96 t/d) 0.1 1
(NOx)
Benzene 2-4 t/h 1 5
Hazardous Trichloroethylene
< 2 t/h 5 10
air pollutants Tetrachloroethylene
Dioxins a) Based on “Law Concerning Special Measures
against Dioxins”
a) Flue gas criteria are mainly
determined based on “Air Pollution b) Facilities constructed after 16 Jan. 2000
Control Law”
8
 Laws that proceed reduction,
reuse and recycling of wastes

Basic law for establishing a sound material-cycle society: 2000

Law for promotion of effective Waste management and

utilization of resources: 1991 public cleansing law:1970

Law concerning special

measures against dioxins:
Separate collection Home appliance 1999
and recycling of recycling law : 1998
packaging waste
promoting law : 1995
Construction material
recycling act : 2000
Food recycling
Motor vehicle recycling law :
law : 2000
2002 (enforcement-2004)
9
 Transition of incineration treatment
for MSW
Functions and roles widely required in incineration
treatment (have changed in response to the needs of the times…)
Appropriate treatment for sanitation

Weight/volume reduction

Reduction of environment impacts

Recycling and resource recovery

In recent years, the dioxin problem brought about a particularly large change. In
line with the movement toward a sound material-cycle society, heightened
expectations were placed on resource recycling through the introduction of new
methods such as the gasification and melting furnace and other technologies.
10
 Incineration and incinerator
Example of stoker type Incinerator

C + O2 = CO2
H + 1/4O2 = 1/2H2O Secondary air Flue gas + Fly ash
S + O2 = SO2
NOx, CO, DXNs Gaseous Complete
combustion combustion
Drying/Pyrolysis

Ash melting
furnace

Air for Slag

drying
Bottom ash
Primary
combustion air
incinerate : Post
to burn something until it is completely destroyed combustion air 11
Example of configuration of typical fully-
continuous stoker-type incinerator
⑮

⑤
Surplus heat ⑯
④ use
⑰

③ ⑫ 23
⑭ 22
⑲
⑪

⑨ ⑳

⑱
① ⑦
⑬

② Plant wastewater
⑥ ⑩
⑧

21

◆ Symbols ◆ ①Platform ⑦Ash crane ⑬Fly ash treatment equipment ⑲Steam-type gas reheater

Waste flow Steam flow ②Waste pit ⑧Treated ash pit ⑭Filter-type dust collector ⑳Catalytic reactor
③Waste crane ⑨Incinerator ⑮Steam receiver 21 Wastewater treatment equipment
Ash flow Condensate flow
④Primary forced draft fan ⑩Ash pusher ⑯Turbine-generator 22 Steam condenser
Gas flow Wastewater flow
⑤Secondary forced draft fan ⑪Boiler ⑰Condensate tank 23 Chimney
Air flow
⑥Ash pit ⑫Cooling tower ⑱Induced draft fan
12
 Important technical factors in
incineration
3 Ts : Temperature
Time (residence time)
Turbulence (adequate mixing and stirring)
Technical innovations, including improvement of the secondary combustion air
injection method, advanced control using artificial intelligence, etc.

Large-scale fully-continuous facilities account for Secondary air Flue gas + Fly ash

40% of the total number of incineration facilities Gaseous Complete

combustion combustion
Drying/Pyrolysis
and more than 80% of treatment capacity.
Ash melting
furnace
Number of incineration facilities
Stoker type incinerator : 70 % Air for
drying
Slag

Bottom ash
Primary
Fluidized bed type incinerator and combustion air
Post
gasification-melting furnace etc.: 30% combustion air

13
Waste disposal and environmental potential
risk caused by emission of hazardous materials

sp ort Risk to
tran atmospheric
ed ia
ss- m environment
Cro
Vaporization, Exhaust gas
Vaporization,
Scattering Resource Exhaust Stirring up
recovery gas

Emission of Collection/ Intermediate treatment Landfill

wastes transportation (Incineration etc.)

Waste water Leachate

Illegal Risk to aquatic

Risk to soil
Waste environment
environment
disposal
rt
a n s po
at r
Risk to e di
s- m
s
atmospheric C ro
environment
14
 Influence of the dioxin problem

The dioxins became an extremely large problem in Japan from around the mid-1990s and
this had a direct effect on improvement of the element technologies of incineration
treatment processes.
Total Emissions of dioxins in
Improvement of combustibility : 3Ts Total amount
Japan
(g-TEQ/year)
Power generation equipments w/higher
efficiency
Improvement in flue gas treatment
technologies such as changing dust
collecting equipment to the bag filter

Regional MSW collection and treatment in

areas spanning several municipal units
(cities, towns, and villages
Encouraged efforts to create a recycling
society
15
 Basic concepts of gasification and
melting system
Low emission of dioxins because of high temperature combustion
Low air ratio combustion and simplification of flue gas treatment system
Melting only by own possessing energy (It does not need to put energy from outside.)
Recycling of valuable materials (Fe and Al) in high quality because of reductive
atmosphere
Minimization of the quantity and volume of residues that are transferred to landfill site
MSW Boiler Dust De-NOx
separator equipment Steam Power
Pyrolysis
gasifier
ガス化-溶融方式 turbine generator

Melting
furnace Stack

Gas
Fly ash

Iron,
Slag
Aluminium
Fe and Al can be Ash is highly Dioxins can be Low air ratio combustion
recovered in the state reduced and can highly reduced → Simplification and
be changed to because of high minimization of flue gas
not to be oxidized.
resources. temperature. treatment 16
 Classification of incineration and
gasification/melting system
Incineration plant Stoker type
Fluidized bed type
Rotary type
Gasification Integrated type Shaft furnace type
melting facility
Separate type Kiln type
Fluidized bed type
Gasification Integrated type Shaft furnace type
reform type
Separate type Kiln type
Fluidized bed type

Gasification type Melting furnace type Manufacturer in Japan

Shaft furnace (Melting is done in the same · Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd.
furnace.) · JFE Engineering Corporation
· Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
Kiln type Circular flow melting
· Takuma Co., Ltd.
· Ebara Corporation
· Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co., Ltd.
Fluidized bed Circular flow melting · Hitachi Zosen Corporation
· Others 17
Change of the number of gasification/
melting plant in operation

100 Gasification/gas
reforming system
80 Kiln gasification
Number of plant

60 Fluidized bed
gasification
Shaft furnace
40

20

0
98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06
19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
Year
18
 Shaft furnace type gasification/
melting system
Waste crane
Coke
Limestone
Stack

Bag
Boiler filter
Combustion Catalytic
chamber Exhaust gas reactor
temperature
Melting adjuster
furnace
Molten
materials Induced Steam turbine
Platform
Magnetic draft fan generator
separator
スラグ
メタル

Water crusher

Waste pit To melting Collected dust

Slag furnace detoxifying system
Precrusher Metal
Flow of solid waste Flow of molten materials
Flow of air Flow of ashes
Flow of exhaust gas Flow of steam 19
 Kiln type gasification/melting system
Exhaust gas
Steam turbine recirculation
blower
Pyrolysis gas
G
incinerator
Forced draf t f an Air preheater Exhaust gas
Alkali agent

Gas Primary Secondary Steam

MSW Drum heating
gas
cooler bag filter bag filter gas
circulating Boiler reheater
blower

High-temperature
Drum hot gas precipitator
combustion Catalytic
Waste crusher
Reactant melting furnace de-Nox
reactor
Pyrolysis drum
Heavy
metal
Pyrolysis residue sorter Slag conveyor fixative
Induced
Mixer draft fan
Carbon &
molten fly Stack
ash silo
Iron Aluminum Slag Mixture

To high-temperature combustion melting

Suction blower
20
 Fluidized bed gasification/melting
system Secondary air
Secondary preheater
air blow er
High pressure steam receiv er

Recyclables facility hot water heat exchanger

Waste crane Forced draft

preheater
Forced draft fan Low pressure steam condenser

Sand suction Steam turbine

Generator Water tank
device
Waste hopper
Low pressure steam receiver

Waste Waste crusher Deaerator

charging Caustic soda
City gas Vaporiz er
pusher Ash from Ammonia w ater
other sources

Catalytic
reactor
Sand Wet harmful gas
charging removal device
valve
Waste heat 脱じん助剤
Dedusting agent
Reused boiler 再利用水
Reused water
Forced
water High draft heater
temperature Bag filter
Platform Fluidized air heater
bed
Dust feeder gasification
City gas furnace Economizer
Induced
Rotary draft fan
Waste pit
melting
furnace Circulation fan Chimney

Ash collecting conveyor Wastewater Flue gas reheater

Waste Secondary air heater
Discharge of
wastewater
storage tank
noncombustible Ash solidific ation 21
materials
 Performance of gasification/melting furnace
system : Relationship between amount of
waste processed and slag production

A~G shows each plant surveyed. 22

 Next-generation stoker furnace
- Concept and characteristics of the next-generation stoker furnace
Improvement of heat recovery rate
Waste
Increased boiler temperature
and pressure
Combustion To exhaust gas treatment system
chamber
~ 1000 oC

Air/exhaust Fly ash

gas Boiler
Purification of exhaust gas
and ash, and recycling

High-efficiency
exhaust gas treatment
Heating by steam

Downsized exhaust gas

Air treatment system

Improvement of combustion
performances Incinerator bottom ash
Lower air ratio/increased oxygen
concentration in combustion air
Blowing heated air Integration of systems (ash melting, etc.)
Circulation (recirculation) of exhaust gas
Advanced grate cooling

Application of advanced control technology 23

 Power generation by incineration
“Refuse (Waste) to energy”
Use of residual heat in waste incineration plantsX
Use of residual heat
U s e o f Residual heat is
residual heat Hot Power not used.
Total Steam Other
water generation
Number of 995* 923 244 271 79 401
plants (1,035） (966) (244) (263) (85) (455)
*Value of 2003.
Feed water The numbers may be counted repeatedly
Exhaust
and the ones in the parentheses indicate
Boiler

Waste gas
Incinerator data for 2002.
feed treatment

Stack
system
Steam

Condenser
Fuel
Super

Air Combustor
heater Combined and repowered system
： Steam flow for power generation in
Ｇ Ｇ ： Exhaust gas flow incineration facility
Gas turbine Ｇ ： Generator
Steam 24
generator
turbine
 Current status on power generation
in gasification/melting plant

Relationship between amount of waste

processed and power generation
4,000
(MW/H/month)

A
B
C
MWh/月）

D
3,000 E
F
G
発電電力量（

2,000
Generated power

1,000
250 kWh/t-MSW
0
0 5,000 10,000 15,000
Based on a detailed investigation
conducted for 7 facilities
Amount of waste processed
ごみ処理量（ｔ /月） (t/month)
25
 Exhaust gas treatment technology
Typical recent exhaust gas treatment systems
Lime and activated carbon
or auxiliary agent High efficiency dust
removal
(a) Incinerator Boiler Gas Bag filter Stack
cooler Low temperature (150-
200ºC)

Lime and activated

carbon or auxiliary agent Ammonia

(b) Gas Bag filter Re- Catalytic NOx

Incinerator Boiler Stack
cooler heater removal tower

Melting Gas
furnace Dust collector
cooler

Activated carbon or Alkaline agent

auxiliary agent Ammonia

Gasification Gas Bag filter Bag filter Re- Catalytic NOx

(c) melting furnace
Boiler
cooler heater
Stack
(1) (2) removal tower

Fly ash
26
 Gasification and gas reforming
technology

Gasification/melting system succeeds in the utilization

of potential energy of MSW. However, chemical
species such as C and H are not utilized as materials.

Gas reforming process converts pyrolysis gas to H2, CO, CO2

and CH4 etc.. Especially, H2 can be utilized in a fuel cell.

Hydrogen energy attracts a great concern because it can

be applied to fuel cell and may produce a new energy
system in a future society.

27
 Thermoselect systemTM (JFE
Engineering)
(7)Gas purifier Washing Desulfurization
Dehumidifition
(6)High-speed gas
cooling device

(5)Gas reformer

Purified
Sulfur synthesized gas
1200oC
(2)Dryer and
pyrolyzer High Composition
Wastes example (Vol%)
temperature
reactor NaOH H2 : 35%
Pit Process water CO : 25%
treatment device CO2 : 35%

Drying/Degassing
Salt mixing device
Metallic Mixed salt
Press Oxygen Homogenization camber hydrates

(1)Waste (8)Water treatment

compressor divice
PSA (3)Gasifier/ Slag
Melting chamber Metal pit Reusable water

(4)Slag/Metal homogenization chamber

28
 Two-stage fluidized bed type gasification
and gas reforming process （EUPTM:
Ebara-Ube Process）
Low temp. High temp. Gas composition
Syngas H2 : 40-45% vol%
gasifier gasifier
H2, CO CO : 25-30% vol%
600-800ºC 1300-1500ºC 3350 Nm3/h
CO
Waste Scrubber converter Combustible gas
plastics

Heating value
27-37MJ/kg(dry)
Hydrogen

Capacity H2 : 99.9 vol%

30 t/d
H2:2000-2200 Nm3/h
Water Purification
O2,
Water vapor
NH4Cl
Residue+Sand Slag

29
 Gasification/gas reforming plant installed
in a plant of Showa Denko K.K.

Type：EUP
Height : 70 m (!)

Operated from Stock tower of raw

April, 2003 material

Raw material：Waste plastics

Gasification furnace/gas
Amount treated：195 t/d reforming furnace

in plan （64,000 t/y）

Major gas components：H2, CO,CO2

Gas formation amount：
200,000m3N/d

Use of gas：H2 is used as a raw material of ammonia synthesis.

CO2 is supplied to another manufacturer.
30
 Development concept of
gasification and reforming system
Basic concept of R & D on gasification/reforming technology conducted in
National Institute for Environmental Studies Japan
Steam Oxygen Aims of this study
Pyrolysis gas • To establish an efficient hydrogen
Applica- production process.
tion of • To reduce emissions of pollutants
Waste Catalysts
MSW Biomass and by-products.
Plastics

Point 1 :
To verify the
feasibility of the
disposal of CO2 CO Reformed gas H2,CO
various kinds of H2
Steam
solid waste by
Oxygen Refiner
gasification

Point 2 : Molten Carbonate

Configuration of Point 3 :
Fuel Cell (MCFC)
suitable gasification Confirm the catalytic
or
operating conditions performance on
hydrogen conversion, Solid Oxide Fuel
furthermore on reducing Cell (SOFC)

31 emissions of by-products.
 Recent trial in Japan
Example of trial calculation of energy recovery effect by methane fermentation
process

What is attracting most attention recently in waste treatment is the use of methane fermentation. It
is being studied to produce methane (biogas) by taking advantage of the presence of food waste with
a high water content, and to use it directly as an energy source or reform it into hydrogen.

Biogas + incineration Energy efficiency* = 25%

A combination of incineration with Methane
Waste Garbage Biogas Gas engine
methane fermentation technology fermentation

is expected to be used in future 1,000ton 360ton

6.7MJ/kg 1.9MJ/kg
waste treatment. Moisture 50% Moisture 80% Residue 84MWh Power
49ton
Total generated
3.3MJ/kg 466MWh
power
An increase in generated power is
expected based on estimates for Combustible 382MWh
Residue
material
Incineration Power
the case in which all of the waste 640ton 689ton
9.4MJ/kg 9.0MJ/kg
produced is incinerated and for the Moisture 36%
case in which some food waste is
used for methane fermentation. Incineration Energy efficiency* = 21.7%

Waste Incineration 403MWh

1,000ton Total generated power
6.7MJ/kg
Moisture 50%
32 ** Energy efficiency = (Generated power x 3,600) / (Heating value of waste)
 Conclusions and future direction

Incineration has been a core technology for MSW treatment in Japan.

The performance of rapidly reducing the amount of MSW is reliable.

However, it needs effective flue gas treatment and further it becomes

important to meet the needs of the times, such as recovery of energy and
recycling of resources, and to make good use of incineration.

In this context, gasification and melting furnace system will be a

promising way for the disposal of MSW and resource recovery.

Further, gasification and reforming technology may be an expected

technology as a material and energy recovery system from solid
wastes including biomass.

33