New Challenges in Clean Energy Technologies: Waste-to-Energy for Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

The Circular Economy (CE) is a business model that minimizes the consumption of raw materials and the generation of waste. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the level of energy use. It creates closed-loop processes in which waste is treated as raw materials in subsequent stages of production.

Such actions help to create a sustainable, low-emission, and competitive economy by implementing the ideas of eco-design and the 6R concept based on the following principles: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recover, Recycle, and Rethink (think about what you can do better). Introducing changes within the framework of CE not only benefits the natural environment, but also distinguishes the company in the market, reduces the costs of doing business, and impacts the quality of services provided.

The operation of the Circular Economy is relatively simple, but requires individual companies to wisely design their production processes. CE is an economy in which, by definition, waste does not occur. Each material is treated as a raw material for reuse. The idea of a circular economy is based, among other things, on the waste management hierarchy and the 6R principle. Its essence lies in designing production processes, services, and energy use in such a way as to eliminate or minimize waste as much as possible. As the name suggests, a closed loop means that raw materials, instead of being discarded, stored, or burned, should be recycled for reuse, and products should be used as many times as possible, such as in deposit systems.

Therefore, durable products that are easy to repair or reuse fit perfectly into a circular economy. Those that are no longer suitable for use should be subject to material recycling so that previously used raw materials are not wasted. It is also worth remembering that by-products from one production plant can be valuable raw materials for another; such synergies should be actively sought.

In a circular economy, energy should also be recovered as effectively as possible. An example of such actions could be the use of heat from cooling water in production plants, for instance, for heating purposes. However, the most significant aspect is Waste-to-Energy (WtE). The waste-to-energy industry employs several methods for waste processing. Municipal and industrial solid waste is processed into electricity and, sometimes, into heat for industrial processes and district heating systems. The primary method is, of course, incineration, but intermediate steps such as pyrolysis, gasification, and anaerobic digestion are sometimes used to convert waste into useful by-products which are then utilized to generate energy through turbines or other devices. This technology is gaining wide recognition worldwide as a greener and cleaner form of energy compared to traditional fossil fuel combustion, while also reducing waste production.

Topics of Interest for Publication Include, but Are Not Limited to:

1. Modern Technologies in Waste-to-Energy: Innovations and Challenges
2. Description of the Latest WtE Technologies, such as gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion.
3. Examples of Technology Implementation in different countries and their energy efficiency.
4. Technical Challenges, such as optimization of processing and emission management.
5. WtE and the Circular Economy: How to Effectively Manage Waste?
6. The Potential of Biomass and Bio-Waste in Clean Energy Production.
7. Electronic Waste and Its Potential in Energy Production.
8. The Role of Big Data in Waste Stream Analysis and Improved Recycling.
9. Coal-Fired Power Plants and the Circular Economy.
10. Waste Incinerators and the Circular Economy.
11. Waste Incinerators and Hazardous Waste: Technologies and Regulations for the Safe Transformation of Difficult Materials.
12. Elements and Raw Materials in Waste from Energy Systems.

Dr. Barbara Bielowicz
Guest Editor

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• fly ash
• waste incinerator
• biomass