Feasibility Of Waste Gasification Technologies In The Usa

Governments across the globe have adopted different programs to deal with increasing amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW) including recycling, waste prevention programs, and waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies, such as gasification. Deciding on a specific WTE technology involves an understanding of a complex blend of factors including location, haul distance, regulations, capital costs, feedstock availability, tipping fees, taxes, electricity price, and incentives which do not necessarily denote a linear behaviour. Therefore, the business feasibility of gasification technologies is still unclear. This paper includes the development of a model that combines the aforementioned factors in the context of a potential gasification plant in the USA. The model successfully concluded that location is the most sensitive factor for most of the cases. Authors include a geographical analysis which may be used, in combination with the model, to decide on regional energy options and new business opportunities.