The evolution of waste-to-energy incineration: A review

From the simple water wall incinerators of the late 19th century, the concept of waste-to-energy incineration has evolved dramatically. Initially, waste treatment had no energy recovery objective at all. To date, state of the art facilities exist and are coupled with not only mechanisms to recover heat and energy in combined heat and power plants, but sophisticated mechanisms to clean flue gas, utilize wastewater, and assimilate diverse streams of waste with high efficiency. This paper reviews the evolution of waste-to-energy incineration with the prime objective of evaluating progress made in solving problems, past and present concerns and future prospects in the industry. The review shows that waste-to-energy incineration has played a significant role in reducing the global waste problem and by maximizing its potential today, much more can be achieved. Nevertheless, the root problem notably the growing waste volume in today's society has not been fully addressed. An understanding of this evolution capacitates players in the waste-to-energy industry to better understand problems and formulate practical solutions which will steer waste to energy incineration towards more growth in the interim and devise lasting solutions for the distant future.