This year is planned to start construction of several incinerators in Russia: four companies to appear in the Moscow region, one – in Tatarstan. In the Crimea, according to the Minister of Construction and Housing Michael I, from 2017 to 2019 will erect five such plants, the same open and landfills in the country. Environmental groups are protesting against the burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) and claim that such a method of liquidation may harm the environment. However, experts do not support ekoaktivistov. The fact that the country can form the culture of separate waste collection and what new methods of solid waste disposal are used today – the material RT.
Garbage landscape
1 January Year of Environment has started in Russia. To improve the ecological situation in the country must first get rid of the garbage dumps, which are expanding from year to year for many kilometers. The problem is noticeable not only the expert community – on the results of the recently conducted opinion poll Russians called the accumulation of household waste the most dangerous environmental factor. This answer was given by 44% of respondents.
In early January of this year, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Crimea Gennady Nara said that the regional waste disposal plant will be. Provisional agreement on the construction was reached during the talks between the representatives of the regional authorities and the company “PT-Invest” (a subsidiary of the State Corporation “Rostec”). For Peninsula issue of garbage disposal is acute – a region always experiences an additional load during the tourist season. On the necessity of the construction of the incinerator in the Crimea in September last year, said the Russian president’s special representative for environmental management, environment and transport, Sergei Ivanov.
On Friday, February 10, the Federal Minister of Construction and Housing Mikhail Men announced plans to build incinerators in Crimea immediately for three years.
Seriously problems destruction nobody has previously waste, garbage disposal was carried out by the deposit (warehouse) in landfills – this practice is widespread in most regions.
As of November, he announced that Sergei Ivanov, on the territory of Russia has accumulated about 100 billion tons of waste.
The total area of landfills is more than 500 square kilometers, including the illegal dumps that represent the greatest danger. Today Escrow alternative methods utilized in Russian only about 5% of MSW.
According to Greenpeace, six incinerators operating in the country.
At the same time, the total damage caused by the bad environment reaches 15% of GDP in Russia.
In December 2016 the Government presented the project “Clean Country”, which aims – to create an effective system of processing and recycling of waste. According to Dmitry Medvedev, in the course of the project is planned construction of five objects of thermal waste treatment, one plant will be built in Tatarstan and four more – in the Moscow region.
The implementation of the construction of incinerators project in Russia will participate Swiss-Japanese company Hitachi Zosen Inova. Concern has already built about 600 companies for waste disposal in the world. On average, the plant with two incinerator lines capable of utilizing up to 400 ths. Tons of hazardous waste per year. An integral part of this process is the generation of energy.
As noted in an interview to “Komsomolskaya Pravda” Sergei Ivanov, modern incinerators dispose of solid waste enterprise with zero emissions into the atmosphere, purification degree reaches 90-95%.
“Green” protest
Government plans for the construction of incinerators, as expected, stirred up green. So, in January, representatives of several environmental NGOs have announced the formation of a coalition which will oppose the construction of plants for the thermal disposal of solid waste. In this association includes Greenpeace in Russia, the movement of “separate collection” and others. According to activists, waste incineration inevitably lead to the release into the atmosphere of hazardous substances such as dioxins, especially as the country burned garbage is not sorted beforehand.
For example, in Germany, operated by about 90 factories for thermal recycling of household waste. And despite the fact that the country is strongly influenced by green, which even managed to get the authorities’ refusal from the use of nuclear power.
While the main method of disposal of solid waste in Russia is burning in furnaces layered on the grate. This technology will be used in new plants, the construction of which is scheduled only. The justification provided in 2012 by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, said that such a method of recycling not only the most cost-effective in comparison with others, but does not harm the ecology (assuming the use of modern filters). The document reports that such a garbage disposal method does not assume its pre-treatment, and this is an important factor for the stability of the reaction. In order to carry out a full post-combustion in grate furnaces using natural gas: it allows to achieve the required temperature.
In addition, alternative technologies are being introduced and thermal waste – pyrolysis (decomposition by heat without oxygen) and plasma pyrolysis. The latter method involves heating the waste to temperatures of about 2000 ° C in the plasma torch, resulting in waste to decompose the atomic state, turning into pyrolysis gas and safe for the environment glassy slag. Gas can be used for chemical synthesis, as well as an energy carrier. Such methods are more environmentally friendly than simply burning on the grate, but is not widely used because of the complexity of the process. However, at the National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” has created a complex for recycling of solid waste by means of high-temperature plasma technology.
The main thing – control
Does fear ekoaktivistov JUSTIFICATION?
According to experts with whom talked to the RT, incinerators do not pose a risk to the environment – but only on condition of strict compliance with all technological standards and the use of modern equipment.
As explained by RT senior researcher Faculty of Chemistry, Moscow State University Yuri Krutyakov, dioxin can be formed directly in the combustion of solid waste, which contain chlorine components (primarily PVC plastic), if the combustion temperature is lower than 850-1100 ° C. In addition, the possible formation of dioxins during insufficiently rapid cooling of hot flue gas, into which the waste is incinerated.
That is why a key role in the environmental safety of incinerator plays modern gas purification system, the cost of which can reach up to 60-70% of the cost of the whole complex of MSW incineration.
Many incinerators introduce quenching system – is an instant cooling of the gas. Thus, the temperature range in which most likely the formation of dioxins in part is avoided. After the gas passes through the cooling system, it enters the gas cleaning system, consisting of a large number of different devices.
“In that case, if strictly followed all the production regulations, including timely maintenance and replacement of parts of the system of gas purification, maintained strict requirements for the organization of sanitary protection zones, we can say that incinerators are relatively safe in terms of emissions, – said RT Yuri Krutyakov . – Today, in view of the current stalemate with the disposal of solid waste in the metropolitan real alternative to incineration of waste does not exist, although the development of improved recovery techniques is conducted. ”
If there is no proper control by the supervisory authorities, the leadership of these companies is often a temptation to save on replacement filters. Therefore, inspection and environmental monitoring in this area should be carried out frequently and unplanned – it will ensure that incineration does not inflict damage to the environment.
According to the expert, it is imperative to apply Western technology is not outdated, and most modern waste incineration. The terms of reference for suppliers to be formulated stringent environmental requirements for the composition of the flue (exhaust) gases, in this case, the risk of air pollution is minimized.
It should be noted that representatives ekoaktivistov community often speak not only about the dangers of emissions that occur during thermal disposal of garbage, but also toxic ash remaining after incineration of solid waste. At the same time, the network can find a lot of publications in which the authors suggest the use of such waste in construction.
“As for the ash remaining after combustion of solid waste, there are different opinions. Many scientific studies have shown that in the ash are impurities of heavy metals and other hazardous elements that may carry environmental risks to the environment. It must be disposed of and to prevent the re-use – except when osteklovki that makes such insoluble waste, “- said Krutyakov.
Note that this ash in most cases is not used today, and is buried in special landfills.
Question of culture
As an alternative to incineration of solid waste in some way often proposed the establishment of separate waste collection and recycling. However, creating a culture of separate waste collection, as well as the creation of the necessary infrastructure requires time.
Russia is making the first steps in this direction, and to produce tangible results may take years and even decades. During this time, in the absence of dumping waste incineration facilities can grow to quite unacceptable proportions that will entail serious consequences for the environment.
Of course, no one can deny the need for the introduction of separate waste collection, including for a “clean” burning, but to present it as the only alternative to date, it is not necessary. Especially since not all of the volume of waste to be recycled, and the remaining trash still need to somehow destroy.
“The technology of waste incineration, used in Russia, is quite acceptable. Much depends on the quality of waste sorting, unfortunately, we have not yet formed a culture of separate waste collection, but it is necessary to be afraid of waste incineration is not, – said in an interview with RT deputy chairman of the All-Russia Society for Nature Conservation Valentin Grakovich. – The Company shall have access to information on the work of incinerators information. Screaming that incinerators do not need – it is simply illiterate. The problem is just that they are slowly being built in Russia. ” The expert added that some environmental activists are protesting for the sake of protest, not proschityvaya consequences.
“That suggests Greenpeace, – a road to nowhere. Biosphere will not forgive us if we wait for the moment when they start mass-sort garbage in Russia. We have more 20 years has not come out on the separate collection of waste. In the same Swiss came to this about 50 years “, – said Grakovich.