Co-combustion of shredder residues and municipal solid waste in a Swedish municipal solid waste incinerator

Abstract

Incinerating automotive shredder residue (ASR) in order to increase the recovery from end of life vehicles (ELVs) is an attractive option when recycling this material. In this study, incineration combined with energy recovery, was investigated. The incineration experiments, where 20% shredder residue (SR) was burnt with conventional municipal solid waste (MSW), were conducted in a full-scale MSW horizontal grate incinerator. Measurements were made before, during and after the incineration. The results showed some minor increases in the emission levels of raw gases sampled after an electrostatic filter, but almost no significant differences when sampled after a wet scrubber. An increased level of ‘nontoxic’ metals was detected within the bottom ash. It was concluded that refined SR, in small quantities, is suitable to add to MSW.