Climate and size correction in European Union’s Waste Framework Directive and R1 energy efficiency criteria

Abstract

This article presents an analysis on the use of the R1 formula to determine the recovery status of some energy from waste plants. Detailed R1 computations are provided to demonstrate the application of R1 guidelines in incineration and gasification facilities. Climate and size correction methods are proposed in consideration of the disadvantage faced by smaller-sized energy from waste plants or those located in warmer regions in meeting the set threshold. A key highlight is the case-based application of climate and size correction factors to three case study plants in scaling the R1 value in consideration of external variants. The proposed size and climate correction factors are compared with the climate correction factor defined in the Waste Framework Directive of the European Union. The application of the proposed correction factors lead to conservative R1 scaling when compared with the application of the Waste Framework Directive climate correction factor. The introduction of the size correction factor addresses an important gap in the current Waste Framework Directive.