Abstract

According to the 1999/31 EC Directive, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) should not be disposed for landfill from 2005. In this way, more environmental friendly waste management options are promoted towards the volume reduction and limitation of negative consequences. In this context, attention is focused on the utilisation of Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) derived from the waste treatment as coal substitute in large-scale power plants. Such activities are realized within an EU-funded project, in which the SRF co-combustion with brown coal is demonstrated in two units of 600 MWel at RWE's power plant in Germany. The thermal share of SRF in the overall thermal input is normally 2-3% and it is doubled for defined periods of time. NTUA-LSB in cooperation with IVD-University of Stuttgart is responsible for the boiler measurements and the characterization of boilers operational behaviour. Among the main activities are the technology transfer of co-combustion practice in the Balkan countries and the perspectives of its future application in the Greek region, with respect to the special characteristics of the Greek brown coal and MSW. Co-combustion tests of brown coal and SRF, that have been taken place up to now, have been successfully performed and the strict European emission limits are kept. The waste quantities in Greece that can be utilized are estimated in 200 000 tn/year while their utilization in existing thermal plants is expected to bring savings of 3% lignite use and avoidance of up to 200 000 tn CO2 per year.