An Overview of Waste-to-Energy Incineration Integrated with Carbon Capture Utilization or Storage Retrofit Application

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the integration of Carbon Capture, Utilization, or Storage (CCUS) technologies with Waste-to-Energy (WtE) incineration plants in retrofit applications. It explains the operational principles of WtE incineration, including the generation of both biogenic and fossil CO2 emissions and the potential for CCUS technologies to mitigate these emissions. In addition, the paper covers the regulatory framework influencing the adoption of such technologies and highlights the recent Directive 2023/959 for the inclusion of WtE incinerators in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) by 2028. This measure could provide a significant impulse for the integration of CCUS in WtE incineration plants. Moreover, it discusses the use of CO2 captured, which could be used in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU), and offers a comparison of the CCUS projects that have already been implemented worldwide, with a focus on the Netherlands and Italy. It illustrates the Netherlands’ advantageous position due to its developed CO2 market and early CCUS adoption, compared to Italy’s emerging market and initial storage solutions.