VIDEO: EfW live webinar attracts strong audience figures

Delegates from organisations such as WRAP, NISP, the London Waste & Recycling Board, MITIE, Mott MacDonald and Atkins tuned in to hear more about how advanced thermal treatment technologies can help meet the Government’s renewable energy targets and zero waste aims.

The discussion was led by edieWaste editor Maxine Perella and Advanced Plasma Power CEO Rolf Stein and covered issues such as whether EfW can sit comfortably alongside the recovery of secondary materials and how potential conflict areas could be addressed.

The impact of DECC’s announcement on the potential reduction of Renewable Obligation subsidies going forward for energy recovery, and the Government’s role in creating the right market conditions in order to get new infrastructure off the ground were also examined.

Audience members were invited to take part in two polls, in which 89% felt that EfW had a valid role to play alongside recycling, and 49% felt that investor confidence was the biggest barrier to greater uptake of EfW technologies, followed by community buy-in (33%).

Stein then led a presentation on his company’s own Gasplasma process, outlining how the advanced conversion technology could be applied to process refuse-derived fuel to produce an energy-rich gas for efficient energy and heat generation.

A number of questions from audience members were fielded at the end of presentation. These included waste input criteria, end markets for the slag produced (Plasmarok), the potential for hydrogen recovery to be used as a vehicle view, and installation cost issues.

Maxine Perella