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1131 McArthur Hi-way Lucao District, Dagupan City
S.Y. 2020-2021
Case Study
Artificial Intelligence: Conversion of Waste into Energy and the Transportation of Ashes
to Ecological Off-Shore Landfill
Submitted to:
STS Instructor
Submitted by:
Researchers
I. Introduction
Human neglect has led to a large part of the depletion of our biodiversity.
Waste has been the primary cause of environmental degradation. Solid waste
management remains a key challenge in the Philippines, especially in urban areas
such as Metro Manila. The key problems of the country's waste management have
been insufficient waste disposal, inadequate waste storage, and lack of disposal
facilities. There are electricity issues in some parts of the Philippines. Did they ever
longer need; stuff that we throw out or throw away. An Example of waste is leftover
food, but the most common waste is plastic and, sadly, most of our waste has not
been recycled because they are manufactured to be disposed of. Every day, people
are throwing staggering amounts of waste and the amount is still increasing. In
recent years, the amount of waste thrown away by people in cities across the world
has doubled, and it is expected that waste will rise further in the future. Faced with
the adversity of waste, we were thinking, "What are we going to do with all the
waste?” Humans, on the other hand, have resorted to landfills or incinerators to
prevent an increasing number of wastes. In recent decades, landfills in the
Philippines have become an enticing alternative. Waste is collected in the provinces
space and can cause a variety of illnesses due to smoke and smell. This is what
mitigation equipment such as flue gas cleaning. Incineration is a waste disposal
procedure involving the combustion of organic compounds found in waste materials.
Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatments are often referred to as
“thermal treatment”. Incineration converts waste into ash, gas, and heat. The heat
generated by the incineration process can be used to generate electricity. Incineration
has also now been the disposal of wastes such as clinical wastes and certain
hazardous wastes where pathogens and toxins reside. The First Waste Incinerators
Meanwhile, solid waste incineration was introduced in the United States in the late
19th century at Governor’s Island in New York (Mattison, 2000). Back then, these
Incinerators were a common option in many cities. A major cause for the expansion
of incineration was close-in disposal sites being displaced as cities expanded. This
resulted in longer distances to more distant locations. Due to a lack of transfer
another method was needed. Incineration fulfilled the need and became a common
waste.
of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the primary waste
of energy recovery. Waste-to-Energy Incineration is a safe method of thermal
treatment technology that has developed over the years in combination with air
pollution control measures. The key advantages of this incineration are the reduction
in volume and disease control (typical incinerators produce smoke that can cause
diseases), and the practical handling of waste disposal in large or populated cities.
WTE incineration also provides the benefit of using waste as a source of electricity.
fossil fuel energy and reduces the methane produced by landfills if used as an
alternative to landfilling. Waste to Energy (WTE) technology is an energy recycling
electricity, heat, or steam (Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd, 2020). In that case, the
amount of waste or garbage in a country that is perceived to be detrimental to the
environment can be reduced to the degree that the latter part of it can produce
something useful. The goal and purpose of WTE technology are to provide a highly
valued source of renewable energy and reduce waste by 90%, which can have a
positive impact on the environment as well as on the health of each person (Lim et
al., n.d.). At present, some countries, in particular Singapore, in which they have
relatively little land for landfill use of WTE technology. Ashes that come out after the
conversion process will be transported to landfills to reduce methane and carbon
dioxide emissions from landfill sites that defer global warming (Lim et al., n.d.).
projected to rise to nearly 400 million by 2030, requiring substantial investment to
Waste-Energy Incineration Technology (WTE) can be a great aid in solving this
provide an alternative source of energy. Waste energy generation addresses the
problems of the world. And even as energy demand rises, the Philippines can now
with the help of waste-to-energy technology. We may claim that this technology is
environmentally friendly because it aims to build a clean environment and renewable
Problem Statement
Waste is one of the major problems in the world because if the waste is not
cleaned properly, then it will destroy the environment. To prevent this kind of
problem, Singapore proposed a plan to make better use of the waste for the greater
good by the conversion of waste into energy. Doing so will not only clean the
environment but also, it can generate energy to make their lives more convenient in
several ways.
Problem Details
To be more precise or detailed, in the Philippines, the waste is not properly
handled, which is why the waste caused environmental pollution in the Philippines,
which rendered the country vulnerable to flash floods. Aside from that, the Filipinos
lack discipline when it comes to waste management, and the worst part is that the
Philippine government does not apply the concept of turning waste into energy.
Instead, they put the waste in a certain landfill area and they rely mostly on fossil
a consequence of burning their waste. In Manila and other places in the Philippines,
there are Filipinos who own a junk shop, where they make money from scrap
materials and there are some Filipinos out there who bring their scrap materials to
the junk shop in exchange for money. This waste problem can affect the Filipinos by
diseases and could destroy the environment. 20% of waste can be seen floating in
the river (Vila, 2018). In order to lessen the percentage or to prevent the percentage
the proper disposal of the waste and to learn the discipline of waste disposal by
Recommendation
Waste to energy technology is a technology that burns waste in the presence
of oxygen at 850°C and above (Liu et al., 2020). It is a reliable form of thermal
treatment technology that evolved over the years. This technology is an energy
energy. It can minimize and reduce the waste problems of a certain country by up to
90% and provides an alternative, highly valued source of energy that can be used in
different places. Aside from that, it is also ecologically green because it helps to
create a safe environment and renewable energy. After the process of conversion,
ash will be sent to landfills that reduce methane and carbon dioxide deferring global
waste disposal facilities, by turning waste into energy in realistic forms such as
Roadmap
II – Background of the study
Waste to Energy incineration is the method of direct-controlled incineration of
simple processes for the recycling of heat and energy and more complex mechanisms
technology that has developed considerably over the years, along with
Features
Waste incineration has started due to the need to control outbreaks of
disease and reduce the growing amount of waste that resulted from continuous
population growth in towns and cities, large or populated cities as it can be localized
● From a sanitary point of view, incineration is the most efficient way of treating
both raw wastes that can rot and waste that can cause infection and disease.
● This form of incineration also often lowers carbon emissions by offsetting the
need for fossil fuel oil and reduces the methane generated from landfills if
Japan will usually turn 20% to 25% of energy, and sometimes even more, into
● After a set amount of energy is extracted from the overall amount of energy
generated for self-consumption, the remaining energy can be transmitted to
Creation
of the Waste to Energy incineration plant. Based on the decision-maker guide
published by the World Bank, the guideline of the International Solid Waste
Association on Waste to Energy incineration in low and medium-income countries,
GIZ’s Waste-to-Energy Options for Municipal Solid Waste Management, and JICA’s
1. Financial aspects
2. Institutional aspects
3. Technological aspects
4. Governance capability
Country
as a result of the implementation of national subsidy systems such as FIT schemes
in Japan, Singapore, China, and Thailand, whereby energy generated from the waste
Statistical Data/Evidence
At the very beginning, the coverage boundary, target population, and available
Municipal Solid Waste volume must be estimated to assess the scale of a Waste to
Energy incineration plant as this is a crucial aspect to be addressed in the planning
● The amount of MSW generated, calculated as the amount of waste
generated per person per day, is commonly agreed to be approximately 1
● In developed countries, the amount of Municipal Solid Waste often
exceeds 1 kg/person/day; in the United States, this figure is over 2
kg/person/day, and in Japan, it is slightly below 1 kg/person/day. In
but the amount tends to be higher in larger cities where it can exceed 1
kg/person/ day.
Municipal Solid Waste generation in Southeast Asian countries
(thousand tonnes
per year)
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
landfilling, controlling
option and,
fossil fuel
Implications can be used or sold costs are expensive. Revenue
preventing the
generation of waste.
2. Power generation
gas.
compared to electricity.
Social 1. Waste to Energy 1. Residents often object
economy.
III – Case Analysis
Waste collection
Waste from the household, industrial, and institutional property is gathered
regularly to protect the environment and the welfare of the population. It is also
essential that waste is collected correctly and effectively by the municipal waste
collector and transferred to waste disposal companies to sort the garbage into
recyclable columns.
In Singapore majority of households live in Housing and Development Board
(HDB) that are provided by individual refuse chutes (IRC) usually located in the
kitchen or centralized chutes for refuse (CCR) located at each floor along the common
corridor (ANGLOINFO LTD, n.d.). In most districts, each HDB block is provided with
large recycling bins into which mixed recycling can be thrown. Color-coded bags are
also provided for door-to-door collection, which occurs between 07:30 and 19:00 on
the designated day (ANGLOINFO LTD, n.d.). In some areas, one recycling bank is
provided for five HDB blocks and a door-to-door collection takes place once every
white goods, is by private arrangement with the local PWC or other waste disposal
In the Philippines, garbage collection is common particularly in cities such as
Manila. This waste is collected by the Department of Public Service, city
administrator, and engineering office or by private haulers. Informal waste sectors
such as itinerant waste buyers, jumpers at pick-up trucks, garbage crews, and small
and illegal junk shops are also involved in waste collection. These wastes are
waste is used as fertilizer in rural areas and nonbiodegradable waste typically burns.
In urban areas, this waste collected is being dumped in one site which causes bad
smells. For us to properly dispose of our garbage, we can adapt the ways of
Destroying our environment means destroying ourselves. Humans are the ones
generating too much trash which is hard to deal with. The improper waste
management, lack of environmental education, and carelessness are what the people
the environment is swallowed by trash. Even a single throw of plastic adds up. People
people are being affected. Human health comes one at risk especially skin irritation,
Air pollution follows that trashes causing harmful substances gives utterance and
collected, they are discarded in far places like dams and beaches. All of these
reasons explain how trash is truly dangerous to humans and the environment that is
needed to be fixed.
Waste to Energy (WTE) or energy from waste technology is an energy system
that converts non-renewable waste into an alternative source of renewable energy.
This technology helps to reduce environmental and health damages while generating
energy. Some countries such as Singapore, U.S., Japan, and China build WTE to
are then led to the reception area where their refuse is unloaded into the
refuse bunkers. The emptied trucks are weighed again before leaving the
2. The pressure in the refuse bunkers is kept below atmospheric pressure to
3. The plant has high capacity rotary bulky waste crushers integrated with the
refuse reception hall so that refuse trucks can discharge their loads directly
into the crushers. A bulky waste pit, which is a temporary storage facility,
allows peak intake of bulky waste to be stored and crushed during off-peak
hours.
4. The Advanced combustion control systems regulate the refuse feeding and
precipitator to clean the flue gas. The cleaned flue gas then passes through
the two 150cm tall chimneys that maximize the flue gas dispersion into the
atmosphere.
6. The ash and slag from the incineration process are transported via vibrating
conveyors to the ash pits. Ferrous scrap metal is picked up by
other materials. The ash and slag will be loaded onto the trucks and will be
7. The heat from combustion is used to generate steam in boilers. The steam
consume 20% of the electricity it produces and the rest 80% can be sold. The
exhaust from the turbines is cooled by air condenser fans. The condensate is
8. Modern equipment equipped with advanced technologies is used in this WtE
incineration process. The control and monitoring of these processes are done
not only increases the efficiency of operations but will also allow more
equipment to be utilized and monitored simultaneously. The Central Control
The Conversion of Waste to Energy uses an incineration process to burn
energy to produce heat and create steam. Then that steam turns a steam turbine
that generates electricity. However, if you burn things such as coal, you'll know that
the product of burning it is ash. In general, the residual incineration ash is 10% of the
volume of the input and around 30% of its weight (Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd,
2020). Thus, WTE incineration, while a sustainable way for energy source and
reduces waste-to-landfill conversion and fossil-fuel utilization, it does not generate a
Incinerator Bottom (IBA) and the Air Pollution Control Residues (APC) or known as Fly
Ash (Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd, 2020). These two kinds of ashes are collected at
different points in the Incineration process and are disposed of and used in different
ways.
IBA is the ash that forms at the bottom of an incinerator. IBA typically consist of
valuable glass, porcelain, and metal components that can be recycled and reused. It
also contains bulk fill, asphalt, cement bound materials, and lightweight blocks that
can be used in construction. IBA contains useful materials that's why it often
a landfill.
APC residue, which is also known as Fly Ash, is the ash from the fumes of the
processed effectively to prevent polluting the environment. A clean APC residual
steam, after all the processing, should only consist of carbon dioxide and water
vapor.
Overall, IBA and APC processing are valuable because they reduce
environmental contamination.
Bridging the Problem and the Technology
The Philippines faces environmental challenges and issues as it acts as one
of the fastest-growing countries in Asia. Improper waste disposal is one of the
biggest environmental issues or challenges faced by the country and it can cause
tremendous problems that affect not only the environment but also the health of a
certain individual. The Philippines has among the highest trash collection rates in
Southeast Asia yet it's the world's 3rd biggest source of plastic leaking into the
ocean (Ranada, 2015). Predictably, the Philippines generates more solid waste as
the population rises, living standards are enhanced, and urban and rural areas are
being developed. The Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO) reports that the
country’s waste generation steadily increased from 37,427.46 tons per day in 2012
to 40,087.45 tons in 2016 (Mawis, 2019). Also, it is said that solid wastes produced
by Philippine cities are expected to increase by 165 percent to 77,776 tons by 2025.
only for humans but in all kinds of living organisms that depend on the environment.
The Waste to Energy (WTE) Technology can be a great solution for the said
environmental issue faced by the country as it can significantly reduce the quantity
and volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) in just a second and transform it into
useful energy like electricity, heat or steam that benefit a certain country.
Increased access to electricity contributes to betterment in many aspects like
with their loved ones mostly by digital means, and remote work has become the new
normal for many. The willingness of doctors and other health workers to treat infected
individuals or even a certain population is also based on the assumption that medical
uninterrupted, and reliable electricity. Electricity is one of the many resources that
On the assumption that the current pandemic will prolong, using the waste to
energy technology can benefit the country. In today’s pandemic, there is a lot of
waste accumulated in every household each day and it continues to increase day by
day given the fact that almost all individuals stay only in one place. By using the
waste to energy technology, the waste collected can be transformed into energy like
electricity which is very beneficial to every individual nowadays. They don’t need to
worry about paying their electricity bill because the incineration of paper waste yields
9,824 kilowatt-hours per ton, the incineration of soda bottle waste produces 7,216
kilowatt-hours per ton, and the incineration of aluminum cans consumes 62,512,216
Conclusion
Waste is one of the most disturbing global issues. There are around 2.12
billion tons of waste being dumped on the planet every year (Tons of waste dumped,
n.d.). The increasing volume of waste has a massive environmental and health
impact. Improper handling of human waste has resulted in a wide variety of risks to
Waste is something that is thrown away because it is no longer useful.
Environmental damage is the biggest concern caused by waste. Climate change, air
pollution, water contamination, and the leakage of toxic gasses from landfills, to
name a few. The burning of garbage is very clear in all areas of the world. When
wastes are being burned, gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane are
being released. These toxic gases contaminate and pollute the air we breathe. Air
pollution causes respiratory issues, health problems, the formation of acid rain, and
the depletion of the ozone layer, which is the protection of Earth from the ultraviolet
rays. Leachate or “katas ng basura” is a black substance formed when the landfill
degrades and rain rinses around the waste. Leachate contaminates the bodies of
water because it contains various harmful chemicals and poses a serious threat to
humans. The waste into energy conversion is one essential way to minimize dumped
waste. It helps to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and generate steam
If there is no clear plan and cooperation of people, the transformation we
professionals are the most needed at this time. The solution would succeed if we all
work together. Believe that the world is a better and safer place to live than it was
yesterday.
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