Waste Technology
All model systems for waste management in modern industrialised countries are dominated by the two aspects of management of material flow and closed-loop recycling.
The implementation of such systems requires the introduction of technologies that contribute towards the material- and energy-efficient production of goods. Once products have reached the end of their useful life, waste processing plants that provide for optimal waste reclamation are required to ensure that the waste material be recycled or used for energy recovery. For example, biogas obtained from organic waste, processed under anaerobic conditions, can be used to make industrial plants and even residential estates self-sufficient in energy.
A wide range of different waste processing plants for the sorting, pre-treatment, recycling and safe disposal of waste have been developed in Germany and these are now generally commercially available. They all help to ensure that a considerable proportion of waste is recycled, that finite reserves of raw materials are sustained and that disposal of waste in landfills is reduced.
Optoelectronic sorting systems, mechanical-biological and mechanical-physical processing plants and incineration centres providing district heat and power output are currently considered to represent cutting edge technology in the area of domestic waste disposal.
Research in recent years into landfill waste disposal has produced significant results that can now be used to make the dumping of waste and the landfill procedure more environmentally friendly.
Public interest in the technical developments in the methods of processing and disposal of waste that requires close monitoring (so-called special waste) has increased due to the fact the materials involved are toxic, a risk to health, flammable and/or explosive. Special chemical, physical and thermal waste treatment techniques have been developed to protect soil, water, climate and the health of humans and animals as far as possible against potential negative effects.
Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal (bvse)