Municipal Waste, Recycling, and Waste to Energy. Coby Skye

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1 Municipal Waste, Recycling, and Waste to Energy Coby Skye County of Los Angeles Department of Publ ic Works Environmental Programs Division May 18,

2 The County s Role in Waste Management Advise the Board of Supervisors on Solid Waste Issues Permit Solid Waste Facilities Coordinate Trash Collection For Unincorporated Areas Conduct long-term planning Implement Waste Reduction Programs 2

3 Key Legislative Mandates AB 939 (1989) Requires each County to identify a minimum of 15 years of estimated disposal capacity AB 32 (2006) Requires California to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 Waste sector is required to achieve net carbon neutral sector-wide AB 341 (2011) Requires commercial sector to recycle Adopted a Statewide 75% recycling goal by 2020 AB 1826 (2014) Requires commercial entities to recycle their organic waste (food, wood, green waste, contaminated paper) 3

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5 New Waste Management Paradigm 5

6 What are Conversion Technologies? Processes capable of converting postrecycled residual solid waste into useful products and chemicals, green fuels, and renewable energy May be thermal, chemical, or biological, but are not incinerators 6

7 Thermal Pyrolysis Thermal processing of waste in the absence of oxygen Produces syngas and bio-oil Leaves a solid residue called biochar Gasification Thermal processing of waste using heat in the near absence of oxygen Convert organic materials directly into syngas 7

8 Thermal Thermal depolymerization Use of heat, steam & pressure to break down complex organic molecules into simpler molecules Produces light crude oil Thermal technologies are robust and can generally handle a wide variety of feedstocks best for plastics 8

9 Incineration vs. Conversion Process Products Incineration Excess air provides for combustion Produces heat from combustion of waste Conversion Limits air or oxygen to provide for thermo/chemical reactions Provides mechanisms to create fuels, chemicals, and other products from the waste. The fuels can be cleaned and processed before being used for fuels or energy. Residuals Ash and flue gas Low emissions. Generally leave no ash residue -- thermal CTs may leave an inert ash residue that is not hazardous. 9

10 Biological Anaerobic digestion Bacterial breakdown of organic materials in the absence of oxygen Produces biogas and solid residual digestate Aerobic digestion Composting 10

11 Biological Fermentation Conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols using yeasts/ bacteria under anaerobic conditions Biodegradable feedstocks with higher moisture content are preferable for biological technologies best for organics and food waste 11

12 Chemical Acid hydrolysis Chemical decomposition of waste using acid and water to split chemical bonds Produces ethanol Cracking Complex organic molecules are broken down into simpler molecules by the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds Used to upgrade syngas and crude oil into fuel 12

13 Chemical Fischer-Tropsch Converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen derived from methane or biomass into liquid hydrocarbon fuels Chemical processes are most suitable for cellulosic and green waste 13

14 Mechanical, Processing, and/or Combination Autoclaving is the application of high pressure steam to sterilize and stabilize waste materials Shredding, grinding, wet sorting, sizing, separating, are also forms of processing technologies Almost all conversion technologies require feedstock to be pre-processed this is a critical step, and considered fuel prep Many technologies combine processes 14

15 Successful CTs throughout the World North America Enerkem Biofuels, Alberta Harvest Power, Florida 15

16 Successful CTs throughout the World Asia Interstate Waste Technologies, Japan Arrow Bio, Israel 16

17 Successful CTs throughout the World - Europe Entech, Poland Organic Waste Systems, Netherlands 17

18 Environmental Benefits Reduce dependence on landfilling and waste exportation Locally produce renewable energy and green fuels Increase recycling Reduce emissions 18

19 Additional Benefits Projects are green job creators Public-private partnerships reduce risk and save taxpayers money Conversion technologies can be cost competitive with other alternatives, such as waste-by-rail Localize ways to achieve zero waste without depending on international recycling market 19

20 Environmental Studies University of California Energy Biosciences Institute Large-scale conversion of plant sugars/cellulose to biofuels Increase concentration of fuel produced to reduce cost and increase demand UC Riverside for the BioEnergy Producer s Association Evaluation of Emissions from Thermal Conversion Technologies Processing Municipal Solid Waste and Biomass 20

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24 Environmental Studies 24

25 Environmental Studies 25

26 Comparative Analysis Comparative Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis white paper quantifies the benefits of alternative waste conversion technologies compared to traditional landfilling Results from the white paper support the use of conversion technologies as part of an integrated waste management approach 26

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29 Comparative Analysis The baseline scenario produces approximately net 1.64 million MTCO 2 e over 125 years The alternative scenario produces approximately net million MTCO 2 e over 125 years 29

30 The County s Role in Conversion Technology Evaluate and promote the development of conversion technologies Incorporate conversion technologies into solid waste management paradigm Support state and federal legislation Through landfill permit conditions provide funding and support for facility development 30

31 Advancement Toward CTs Conversion Technology Services Contract Technology Vendor Database Co-digestion at County Sanitation Districts WWTP Potential AD at County Jail Facility Partnership in supporting AD at Materials Recovery Facility in Riverside County 31

32 Joint Water Pollution Control Plant Carson, CA 32

33 Pitchess Detention Center Castaic, CA 33

34 CR&R Materials Recovery Facility Perris, CA 34

35 Challenges Lack of diversion credit for CT projects Difficult to finance without a dedicated waste stream Difficult to site and permit Legislative barriers 35

36 Solution and Our Plan Stakeholder engagement and collaboration with private industry Major changes in collection, operation, and infrastructure Pilot projects at County facilities Roadmap initiatives Sustainable funding sources and incentives Measuring progress and establishing targets Legislation 36

37 For more information Please visit the County s conversion technology website at and Public Work s website for waste management Subscribe to our conversion technology e-newsletter to receive latest updates on upcoming conferences and events Conversion technology news Information about the County of Los Angeles Southern California Conversion Technology Conference, taking place July 29 in Alhambra 37

38 Questions? Coby Skye, PE, MPA (626) For more information, visit