Speaking at the Waste and Power Forum 2006 in London, power company Scottish and Southern Energy said the lack of standards for RDF – sometimes known as solid recovered fuel (SRF) – is hindering the market for the material.
” So long as we understand how it works we need to get together and hash out some basic standards. “
– Samantha Fuller, Scottish & Southern Energy
However, the company's research and analysis manager Samantha Fuller said that “brave” energy and waste companies could solve the problem by working together.
Addressing delegates at the Barclays and Marsh Consultancy event, she said: “European CEN standards for solid recovered fuels are still under discussion with the various working groups, with earliest drafts due around 2007. What does that do for us in the market? This is where a lot of people are saying we are stuck.”
“Brave”
Ms Fuller suggested: “A lot of brave firms need to talk to each other and competitively agree. So long as we understand how it works we need to get together and hash out some basic standards.”
RDF or SRF is usually made from the treatment of mixed waste in mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plants or autoclave facilities. Essentially it represents the residues left over when recyclable materials are removed from residual waste and the material has been dried, with biodegradable material composted or digested.
Ms Fuller explained that a standard would help to encourage investment in the use of the recovered fuel, and push forward contracts with energy companies.
She said: “In the UK there are no standards but fuel is currently created and under contract for many tonnes more.”
An industry approach to developing the market for refuse-derived fuel also received support from the waste management sector, with Waste Recycling Group agreeing that the two sectors needed to work in partnership.
Paul Carey, business development director at WRG, said: “By and large power stations have not been enthusiastic about SRF. The best way forward is not to rely on government and move forward within industry.”
Investment
Ms Fuller said that Scottish and Southern Energy was interested in investing in RDF, to “jumpstart” the market, claiming the fuel was more sustainable than biomass which was “purpose grown”.
Recent interest in refuse-derived fuel has been seen with the Manchester Waste Disposal Authority's contract, which received “substantial” interest across the waste and energy sectors (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, Ms Fuller said that the Waste Incineration Directive was another obstacle which was making it difficult for energy companies to use refuse derived fuel. She said the Directive requires companies to convert their whole plants to meeting the Directive's emissions controls, rather than just the units actually burning waste as a fuel.
She said: “Power stations are composed of several units or sets. The declared SRF production in the UK is roughly 835,000 tonnes, which sounds like a vast amount but is a small portion of a whole power station. Therefore is it really economically sensible to convert an entire power station? Why can't WID be applied to units?”
Ms Fuller also called for power stations that burn biomass to qualify for Renewables Obligation Certificates, since they often take a small portion of waste.
She said: “These are subtle regulation questions which need to be asked and changed. SRF needs evolution forward. Let's get there slowly together.”
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