Project objectives

The overall objective of the LIFE COGENERATION PL project is to demonstrate the operation of an innovative technology form managing the energy fraction of municipal waste and sewage sludge. The technology consist of a unique gasification and highly efficient system for the production of electricity and heat (cogeneration).
Gasification is a method of producing gas by subjecting certain materials to high temperatures, without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen or air. This gas is then used as a fuel.

Project background

In Poland and many EU countries, volumes of solid waste and sewage sludge are increasing, and landfilling it’s the most common approach to waste management, accounting for 80% of waste disposal. Both energetic fraction of municipal solid waste and sewage sludge, however, have high energy recovery potential. According to the EU Directives 2006/12/EC or 1999/31/EC, municipal solid waste and sewage sludge should be minialised, re-used, recycled or incinerated with energy recovery – before disposal to landfill sites.

Many EU countries, such as Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium have made good progress in this area. Poland is about to introduce a ban on the storage of waste with caloric value above 6MJ/kg and the Polish National Waste Management Plan 2010 requires the complete phasing out of sewage sludge storage from 2013.

Implementation of this plan is difficult for small and medium sized municipalities, where the volume of waste and sewage sludge is too small to warrant the construction of waste incinerator. A potential solution is small-scale dispersed energy generation from local sources.