The Lee County WTE Expansion Project: Building a New WTE Unit in the 21st Century

The Lee County Expansion Project is a 636 ton per day Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) in late stages of construction/startup, located in Ft. Myers, FL. The new unit complements the existing 1200 ton per day two-unit facility owned by the County and operated by Covanta Lee, Inc., which has been in service since 1994. The new unit is the first MWC permitted and constructed under the EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) since they were promulgated in the 1990’s. This paper will describe the basic contractual arrangements, permitting, design and construction features, and overall costs for the expansion project.

Evaluation of Methods and Protocols for Operation of a CERMS at a Municipal Waste Combustor

Regional Waste Systems (RWS) evaluated protocols and methods for operation of a continuous emission rate monitoring system (CERMS) for its municipal waste combustor (MWC) located in Portland, Maine. This continuous measurement of mass emissions (lb/hr) would be in addition to the existing continuous monitoring of the concentration (ppm) of NOx, SO2, and CO emissions using a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) as required of RWS and all other MWC facilities under federal and state rules. The study of CERMS protocols and methods identified the individual components required for a CERMS, evaluated existing methods of measuring MWC unit load and of ensuring “good combustion”, identified and evaluated the existing continuous monitoring regulatory requirements for MWCs and other major sources, evaluated the state of the practice for the use of CERMS, evaluated CERMS data quality, and identified and evaluated existing protocols for CERMS. Finally, a protocol was developed for trial operation of the CERMS considering the above evaluations.

A Carbon Injection System on a COHPAC-Equipped Waste-to-Energy Facility

The SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) is a processed refuse fuel (PRF) waste-to-energy plant serving much of Southeastern Massachusetts. Units 1 and 2 at the plant were designed with spray dryer absorbers (SDAs) and electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). A review of historical data from the plant indicated that in order to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) Rule (40 CFR Part 60, Subpart Cb), which is known as the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), improved emission performance would be required from the flue gas cleaning system on Units 1 and 2. A pilot test program was conducted which led to the installation of COHPAC, or COmpact Hybrid PArticulate Collector units (i.e. flue gas polishing devices) downstream of the ESPs on these two combustion trains. The COHPAC units were successfully started up in June, 2000. In addition to these modifications, it was determined that further control of mercury emissions would be required. A system to inject powdered activated carbon into the flue gas was added to the plant. This paper describes that carbon injection system. A comparison between test data obtained at SEMASS is made with predictions based upon the EPA testing at the Ogden Martin Systems of Stanislaus, Inc. Municipal Waste Combustor Facility near Crows Landing, California and the EPA testing at the Camden County Municipal Waste Combustor in Camden, New Jersey. These are waste-to-energy plants, the former utilizing an SDA and a baghouse while the latter contains an SDA followed by an ESP. In addition, the effect of carbon injection location upon mercury reduction was investigated. The results of that study are also included.

Ash Recycling: Partnering for Progress

For several US communities municipal waste combustor (MWC) ash recycling has been a commercial reality for almost a decade with over 1 million tons processed and beneficially used to date. Yet, despite the successes to date a recent report by the Integrated Waste Services Association shows less than 5% of the 7.5 million tons of ash generated in the US is recycled and beneficially used [1]. The technological, scientific and myriad of commercial successes categorically demonstrate the feasibility of ash recycling. The next step is for communities, regulatory agencies, transportation departments, and customers to partner with businesses to recycle their ash stream in an economically and environmentally sound manner. An example of this “partnering for progress” is the focus of this paper. The ash recycling partnership described in this paper was presented the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 1999. Proving that Partnering is a win-win situation for businesses, communities and the environment.

Shear and Deformation Characteristics of Municipal Waste Combustor Bottom Ash for Highway Applications

Municipal waste combustor (MWC) bottom ash from mass-burn (MB) and refuse-derived-fuel (RDF) facilities was evaluated for potential use as highway fill material. MWC bottom ash exhibits acceptable shear and deformation characteristics for many highway applications. RDF ash contains a lower metals percentage than MB ash. The specific gravity of both ashes was found to be a function of metals content. Moisturedensity relationships and unconfined compressive strengths were found to be a function of compaction energy and moisture content. Allowing compacted ash to age increased its unconfined compressive strength. Stress-strain characteristics of both ashes are similar to those of sands. Cohesion exists possibly because of pozzolonic reactions in the bottom ash. The angle of internal friction increased with compacted density. Elastic moduli are a function of density and confining pressure. RDF ash was found to be twice as stiff as MB ash. California bearing ratio results greater than 100 indicated that MB ash could be utilized as road base, and values between 25 and 95 indicated that RDF would be acceptable for use in subgrade and subbase. Bearing ratio results were highly dependent on moisture conditions. Both ashes exhibit little to no swell and should not cause field problems during saturation.