Like many countries, Australia is dealing with a waste crisis. Despite extensive recycling measures, the amount of waste still being sent to landfills across the country is growing every year and is being exacerbated by recent laws banning the export of waste. As a result, this problem requires an effective and sustainable solution.

Waste-to-Energy technologies offer the best hope to governments and businesses for tackling the waste problem while also helping with the energy crisis. There are several technologies in development, but Synergen Met have already developed an innovative and practical solution to turn unwanted trash into valuable energy.

What is Waste to Energy?

Waste-to-Energy (W2E) can refer to any process that recovers energy or useable fuels from the treatment of waste materials that would otherwise have gone to a landfill.

While this includes conventional incineration, modern W2E treatment practices are more environmentally friendly and efficient, capable of producing more electric power than direct combustion.

Why use Waste to Energy?

By addressing two critical concerns of the modern era, Waste-to-Energy processes have clear benefits to adopters. These include:

Reducing landfill waste

Landfills take up valuable space and can be environmental and safety hazards. The majority of waste that goes to landfills is suitable for W2E processing, which can reduce landfill volumes by 90% or more.

Efficient energy generation

Around 1 ton of waste can produce between 550 and 700-kilowatt hours of electricity through W2E, enough to power a home for a month. This is more than can be produced through traditional combustion methods, and without harmful emissions.

Reducing greenhouse emissions

Waste-to-Energy systems have been developed with environmental sustainability in mind, avoiding the production of methane and carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Local W2E facilities also reduce pollution from transporting waste to remote landfills.

The growth of Waste to Energy

Waste-to-Energy processes have been faster to catch on in some parts of the world than others – particularly in forward-looking European countries and Japan and Singapore, where landfill sites are scarce.

Sweden was an early success story of how effective W2E can be on a large scale. More than half of the nation's waste is converted into energy that provides heating to 1,000,000 homes and electricity to 250,000, with less than 1% of waste ending up in landfill.

Interest in Waste-to-Energy in Australia has grown considerably in recent years, particularly following the 2020 Waste Strategy Response by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that named W2E a viable method of managing waste and helping Australia to achieve a circular economy. This has seen the federal and state governments developing policies and funding initiatives.

Synergen Met Limited (ASX:SH2)

Synergen Met Limited (ASX:SH2) is a thermal plasma technology specialist using proprietary applications to create sustainable solutions to contemporary environmental challenges, including the waste and energy crises.

Following a successful pilot program in early 2020, Synergen Met is currently developing a Waste-to-Energy project based on plasma gasification that will cost 50% less than traditional incineration for double the energy output.

Founded in 2008, the Australian-owned and operated business is made up of a team of scientific minds with more than 80 years of collective experience working within the global resources industry. Through their technology applications, they are committed to continuous betterment of the global environment to support future generations.

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