Driving Decarbonization: Producing RDF from Waste Feedstocks Using Commercial Equipment

Municipal solid waste (MSW) contains substantial amounts of organic biogenic materials including food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and wood. As this material decomposes in landfills, it produces potent greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide. Landfills represent the third largest source of human-generated methane emissions in the United States. Because methane has 28-36 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, landfill gas emissions have an outsized climate change impact. Beyond climate implications, sending biogenic materials like paper and food waste to landfills squanders valuable energy resources. These nutrient-rich streams could alternatively produce renewable energy through processes like anaerobic digestion. However, landfilling prevents such waste-to-energy utilization. Some countries in Europe incentivize biogenic waste diversion through subsidies and mandates for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production as an alternative to landfilling. RDF can serve as a replacement for fossil fuels in energy and fuel manufacturing. Therefore, adopting similar biogenic material diversion programs could provide environmental and economic advantages in the US. The number of landfills has declined to under 1,500 today due to increasingly strict regulations and over the next decade, more will face closure. With over 62,000 acres slated for decommissioning in the next decade, total expenses could exceed $30 billion. Rising landfill costs and logistical issues demonstrate the need for improved waste diversion efforts. To address these challenges, ERC has developed an energy-efficient non-thermal mechanical dewatering process to convert high-moisture organic waste into RDF using repurposed equipment like mills, cyclones, and filters. Phase I will focus on determining our modular systemĺs feasibility in reliably producing customized RDF across various feedstocks. ERCĺs diversion technology reduces landfill methane emissions while converting trash into feedstocks for heat, power, chemicals, and fuel, displacing fossil fuels. Overall, ERCĺs innovations aim to alleviate the systemic environmental, logistical, and cost issues plaguing landfills through affordable waste-to-energy solutions benefiting municipalities, businesses, and the climate alike.