[Delivered Products & Systems]

Delivery of High-Efficiency Waste-to-Energy Plant and

Waste Heat Utilization Facility for Funabashi City
– Contribution to Establish the Recycling-Oriented Society
in the Local Community –
Hiroyuki SUZUKI*, Eiji NAKAYAMA*, and Kiyoyuki SAKURAI*

Abstract
At the end of March 2017, EBARA reconstructed the Funabashi Hokubu Incineration Plant in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, and also
completed the construction of (1) a high-efficiency waste-to-energy facility (Funabashi Meguru Plant) that consists of incineration equipment
with a capacity of 381 t/d and bulky waste crushing equipment with a capacity of 15 tons per 5 hours, and (2) a waste heat utilization facility
(Funabashi Meguru Spa). The high-efficiency waste-to-energy facility is characterized by a reduced environmental burden, and it can achieve
low CO and low NOx by adopting EBARA’s latest stoker-type incineration system, HPCC21, and an exhaust gas recirculation system and by
running stable, constant high-temperature combustion at a low air ratio. The facility is expected to contribute to waste treatment services,
which will facilitate the establishment of a recycling-based society and which is rooted in the local community, through waste-to-energy
conversion as well as the utilization of green energy, such as the supply of hot water to the waste heat utilization facility by utilizing waste
heat from the waste-to-energy facility.
Keywords: Municipal solid waste, Incineration plant, Low air ratio combustion, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides,
Environmental enlightenment, Waste heat utilization facility, High-efficiency waste-to-energy plant

1. Introduction

Due to the aging of the existing incineration plant

(capacity: 435 tons/day), which began operation in 1992,
Ebara constructed a new stoker-type incineration plant
with a capacity of 381 tons/day (127 tons/day × 3 units)
on the neighboring site (Figure 1).
With its cutting-edge technology, the stoker-type
incineration plant has not only a greatly enhanced
power generation capability but also stricter emission
control values in consideration of the local environment.
Fig. 1　Funabashi Hokubu Incineration Plant
Along with the construction work of the new
incineration plant, a waste heat utilization facility
2. Overview and Features of the Incineration
(Funabashi Meguru Spa) was constructed on the
Plant
adjoining site to improve the health of the local
inhabitants. The aging incineration plant was The incineration plant is a state-of-the-art facility with
demolished, and the site is currently used as a cutting-edge stoker technology and a lower environmental
multipurpose ground and green space in preparation for burden. The generated electric power is used within the
the future construction of a new plant (Figure 2). plant and the waste heat utilization facility, and the
majority of the electric power is sold to the electric power
company. Heat is also supplied to facilities that can utilize
* Ebara Environmental Plant Co., Ltd.

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Delivery of High-Efficiency Waste-to-Energy Plant and Waste Heat Utilization Facility for Funabashi City – Contribution to Establish the Recycling-Oriented Society in the Local Community –

is humidified and cooled in the ash extractor. After that,

Layout drawing
the iron is separated from the bottom ash by the
Metering
Building 2 magnetic separator and the bottom ash is transferred to
Plant the ash pit, where it is stored.
Metering building
Regulating
pondage
Building 1
The exhaust gas is cooled to 170 ℃ in the boiler and
Administration
Building
Multipurpose
Vehicle
exit
the flue gas cooler. Then, activated carbon and slaked
ground
lime are injected, and the dust, acid gases, and dioxins
are adsorbed and removed by the bag filter. Nitrogen
oxides are decomposed at a high temperature and are
Funabashi Meguru Spa
(waste heat utilization facility)
removed by injecting ammonia water into the hot
Pedestrian entrance/exit portion of the boiler. Selective catalytic reduction unit is
Vehicle entrance
installed to remove even more nitrogen oxide.
Fig. 2　Overall layout of Funabashi Hokubu Incineration Plant
Stable combustion is maintained even at low air ratios
with an exhaust gas recirculation system, which branches
waste heat, such as for public baths and heated indoor the exhaust gas from the outlet of the bag filter and
swimming pools. The plant was constructed with careful blows it into the incinerator as agitation air.
consideration for the surrounding environment and The steam produced from the boiler is fed to the
economy and is community-friendly; all wastewater steam turbine and used for power generation (Figure 4).
produced inside the plant is recycled, and it uses a
wastewater closed system designed to prevent
wastewater from being discharged outside of the plant Steam turbine Power
High-pressure generator
Boiler steam receiver To the
and other environmental conservation equipment. grid
In-facility
The flow of the units of the incineration plant is First-stage extraction use
Economizer Turbine exhaust
shown in Figure 3. The collected household refuse
Second-stage Steam
Low-pressure
(general waste) is temporarily stored in the waste pit, steam receiver
extraction condenser
Feed water
then loaded into the charging hopper by the waste heater

Deaerator Condensate
crane, and fed into the incinerator by the refuse feeder. tank
Boiler feed Deaerator feed
The refuse is then incinerated in the incinerator at a water pump water pump

high temperature of 850 ℃ or over, and the bottom ash

Fig. 4　Flow of steam system

High-pressure Steam turbine

Flow of waste steam receiver power generator
Ｇ Bag Induced
Flow of flow gas filter draft fan
and air
Flow of ash Waste heat
Flow of steam Ammonia utilization facility
Boiler Selective
Flow of chemicals and Waste crane Cooling Activated carbon
subsidiary materials catalytic
water slaked lime reduction
Other unit
Charging Economizer
hopper
Waste Flue gas
loading Stack
cooler Collected dust
door and ash conveyor
Platform Ash crane
Weighing Incinerator
scale
Auxiliary Flue gas Fly ash treatment unit
combustion recirculation
burner fan
Waste pit Ash extractor
Magnetic
separator Landfilled,
Ash recycled in part
Forced draft Air conveyor
fan preheater
Ash Magnetic Treated
pit substance fly ash pit
pit
Fig. 3　Flow of units

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Table 1　Specifications of major units of Funabashi Hokubu

The steam turbine it uses is a two-stage condensing
Incineration Plant
extraction turbine, and the bleed steam in the first stage
Receiving and supply equipment
is fed to the low-pressure steam receiver and used for Waste pit Capacity: 10 000 m3
processes inside the plant, such as deaerator heating, or Waste pit crane Fully automatic crane × 2

to supply heat to the adjacent indoor heated swimming Combustion equipment

Full continuous type stoker incinerator
pool. The bleed steam in the second stage is fed to the Incinerator Treatment capacity:
feed water heater and used to heat the feed water in 127 t/d × 3 incinerators
Combustion gas cooling equipment
the boiler. The adoption of the two-stage condensing
Natural circulation type water tube boiler
extraction turbine increases the amount of steam to be Boiler Evaporation amount: 21.8 t/h × 3 boiler units
used for power generation and maximizes power Steam condition: 4 MPaG × 400 ℃

generation efficiency. Flue gas treatment equipment

Flue gas cooling Water injection method
The specifications of the major units of the Funabashi method

Hokubu Incineration Plant are shown in Table 1. Dust collection method Bag filter

Denitration method Selective non-catalytic reduction and

selective catalytic reduction units
3. Operating State
HCI/SOx removal method Dry method (slaked lime injection)
Measure against Activated carbon blow-in method
The exhaust gas concentrations measured in the dioxins and mercury
performance test are shown in Table 2. All exhaust gas Equipment utilizing waste heat
Steam turbine Two-stage condensing extraction type
concentrations are below the guaranteed values,
Power generator Three-phase alternating current
proving that the units have satisfactory performance. synchronous power generator 8 800 kW
Ash unloading equipment
The incineration plant combusts waste at a low air
Magnetic separation treatment after
ratio and high temperature through the exhaust gas Bottom ash humidification and cooling
Carrying out by pit and crane
recirculation system. If the air ratio is decreased to Chemical treatment, carrying out by pit
Fly ash and crane
incinerate municipal solid waste with uneven properties,
Wastewater treatment equipment
the peak of carbon monoxide (CO) generation is likely to Inorganic wastewater:
Recycled inside the plant after
occur. In contrast, the production of nitrogen oxides coagulating sedimentation + sand
Plant wastewater filtration treatment
(NOx) can be decreased by reducing the air ratio.
Organic wastewater: Treated by the
Maintaining low concentrations of both CO and NOx inorganic wastewater process after
biological treatment
requires an optimum air ratio, mixing and agitation in Discharged into the river after treatment
Domestic wastewater by a combined type private sewage
the secondary combustion chamber, and stable internal treatment system
temperature in the incinerator. The incineration plant Bulky waste treatment equipment
Combustible: Biaxial shredding type
meets these conditions through the exhaust gas Crushing Incombustible: Vertical type high-speed
recirculation system and further reduces the crusher
Electromagnetic type magnetic separator,
concentration of NOx by using a selective non-catalytic Separator aluminum separator, particle size
separator
reduction process in combination with the system.
As shown in Figure 5, the incineration plant operates
Table 2　 Performance test results
at an oxygen concentration of approximately 3.5 % (air
Guaranteed Performance test result
ratio: 1.25) at the outlet of the boiler, while the average Regulated substance
value No. 1 No. 2 No. 3
concentration of CO is kept at 5 ppm, and the occurrence Dust g/m3 (NTP)*1 0.007 <0.0006 <0.0006 <0.0006
of its peak is also controlled. To deal with NOx, ammonia Hydrogen chloride ppm*1 20 9.5 13 9.5
water is only injected into the boiler, and the Sulfur oxides ppm*1 15 7 7.9 4.6
Nitrogen oxides ppm*1 45 30 28 31
concentration of NOx is controlled to an average of 35
Carbon monoxide ppm*1*2 15 10 8 5
ppm without injecting ammonia water into the selective
Dioxins ngTEQ/m (NTP)
3 *1
0.05 0.00024 0.00035 0.00013
catalytic reduction tower. Mercury mg/m3 (NTP) 0.05 <0.0006 0.0017 <0.0007
*1 Value converted into dry-based O212%　 *2 4-hour average value

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NOx CO Boiler outlet O2

70 7
Concentrations of NOx and CO ppm12%O2

60 6

Concentration of oxygen %
50 5

40 4

30 3

20 2

10 1

0 0
7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00
Time

Fig. 5　 NOx and CO concentrations during operation

4. Other

4.1 Supply of heat and electric power to the waste

heat utilization facility
The incineration plant produces high-temperature
water with the combustion waste heat generated by
waste, and supplies heat to the adjacent waste heat
utilization facility as the heat source for the public
baths, indoor heated swimming pool, floor heating, and
air conditioning. All electric power consumed inside the
waste heat utilization facility is also provided by waste-
Fig. 6　Waste heat utilization facility
to-energy power generation.
It is estimated that the waste heat utilization facility
receives 110 000 visitors a year. It contains two large
public baths, two open-air baths, a heated swimming
pool used as a walking exercise pool, and hot tubs. It
also has areas for light exercise (i.e., yoga space, exercise
machines), for light meals, and for selling local
vegetables. The waste heat utilization facility stimulates
the local citizens to interact and improve their health.
(Figure 6 and Figure 7).
4.2 Facility for environmental enlightenment
The incineration plant expects more than 4 000 visitors a
Fig. 7　Heated swimming pool
year, including students from Funabashi City elementary
schools and nearby citizens. There are explanations
installed on the visitor’s walkway that explain the units the monitor in real time (Figure 8). Later on in the tour
of the incineration plant and their operating states so course, visitors are given a quiz (Figure 9) centered on
that visitors can easily understand. Visitors can view the environmental issues to improve their awareness of
actual operating state of the plant not only through the these issues. The quiz system has a face recognition
plant tour windows but also from the data displayed on function so multiple visitors can participate freely.

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Fig. 8　Explanation item (explanation of how waste is carried in)
Fig. 9　Explanation item (quiz section)
Visitors can take quizzes on sorting garbage or
reviewing what they learned in the tour, and the
system rewards those who gave the correct answers
by displaying their faces on the monitor. We expect
that children will actively participate in the quizzes.
4.3 Protecting the surrounding environment
During the construction work, we were considerate of
how not to change the surrounding environment or the
habitats of local animals and plants. For example, a
nesting box is installed on the premises of the new
plant for the common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) that
nested on the premises of the existing plant to be
demolished. In addition, an attempt was made to
transplant the rootstocks of the deforested tall trees
into the square of the waste heat utilization facility.
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Fig. 10　A common kestrel nesting (photographed in the nest
box installed on the stack)
The common kestrels had already begun to make a
nest during the construction work period and are
currently incubating eggs (Figure 10). The transplanted
rootstocks have budded.
5. Conclusion
The construction of the stoker-type incineration plant
was completed in April 2017, and it has been in good
operation since, contributing to Funabashi City’s waste
disposal services. It also supports the realization of a
low-carbon society by making full use of the greatly
enhanced power generation capability to supply
electric power to the areas outside of the plant.
In conclusion, we would like to sincerely thank to the
people of Funabashi City for all their advice and
guidance, and all who cooperated in the construction of
the incineration plant and the waste heat utilization
facility.
References
1) Akiyasu Okamoto et al.: For the Oyama Wide-Region Health
and Hygiene Union - Construction of the energy recovery
promotion facility “Chuo Incineration Center 70-Ton
Incinerator, ”Ebara Engineering Review, No. 253, pp. 39-43
(April 2017).
2) Takashi Imaizumi et al.: Basic Improvement Work of the
“Kameda Incineration Center” in Niigata City, Niigata
Prefecture, Ebara Engineering Review, No. 253, pp. 34-38
(April 2017).
Ebara Engineering Review No. 254（2017-10）