Thermal treatment

Using thermal treatment systems to manage waste material streams

The thermal treatment technologies for waste materials can take many forms. A typical technology is incineration with energy recovery. In thermal desorption liquid and solid waste fractions can be retrieved. Pyrolysis and gasification technologies use starved oxygen conditions to recover materials such as gas, liquid and by-products for further conversion and reuse. 

In some cases, such as with hazardous waste streams like medical waste, thermal treatment is the only safe option for treatment, from both an environmental and employee safety perspective.

Why and when

Traditionally, thermal treatment was viewed as an energy-intensive and environmentally harmful technology. However, with technical advancements, thermal treatment technologies have become much more sustainable and eco-friendlier. They are now seen as replacement waste treatment solutions for waste materials that may contain calorific value with gas and liquid fractions being captured and produced for alternative fuels.

We now see greater management processes being deployed for the treatment of various gaseous emissions which were previously seen as possible pollutants, with technologies being developed that can eliminate or minimise previous difficult to treat emissions.