Home / Environment / Trash to Power: Florida Plant Burns Garbage for Electricity
Trash to Power: Florida Plant Burns Garbage for Electricity
24 Oct
Summary
- The plant processes up to 3,000 tons of municipal waste daily.
- It converts waste heat into electricity using three boilers.
- The facility reduces landfill waste volume by up to 90%.
Palm Beach County, Florida, utilizes its Renewable Energy Facility 2 to convert municipal waste into electricity. Opened in July 2015, this facility can process up to 3,000 tons of trash each day.
Garbage is moved into one of three boilers, where burning it generates heat. This heat transforms water into steam, which then drives a turbine connected to an electricity generator. The facility has the capacity to produce up to 95 megawatts of gross electricity.
This waste-to-energy plant marked a significant development, being the first new facility of its kind in the US since 1995. It effectively reduces the volume of waste destined for landfills by up to 90%.
After combustion, remaining ash is processed to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The residual ash is then sent to a landfill. Pollution control equipment is employed to treat exhaust gases, minimizing harmful emissions.
