Doubt over waste processing technology

An independent assessment has shown that only half of waste treatment solutions available on the market have been ‘proven’ effective.
Juniper consultancy firm examined 300 processes from the UK and other countries in order to identify potential bidders for contracts in public and private sectors. But the report found that only 168 treatments could be classed as either ‘fully proven’ or ‘proven,’ while the rest of them received lower ratings of ‘demonstrated’ or ‘conceptual.’
Dr Kevin Whiting, technical director at Juniper said that reducing “nervousness” around the use of new waste processing technologies was key to industry accepting them in the future. “By conducting this analysis and making available these independent ratings we hope to build greater confidence within the industry by identifying who has established a track record and which processes are contenders for procurement shortlists."
The report looked at several categories of waste solutions including plasma processes and anaerobic digestion technologies.
Although plasma technology is largely unproven, it is receiving significant attention as an alternative to incineration. Japan is currently developing a method of using gas and electricity with a plasma torch to heat waste to 10,000 degrees Celsius. This melts the waste in to a slag, which is easier to recycle and can be used to produce roadfill.

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