How to Size an Incinerator

A popular solution for waste management in many areas, incineration causes the combustion of trash to reduce its size for landfills and can even generate electricity from the released heat. However, it also releases dangerous toxins into the air -- causing a series of adverse effects on the environment and public health. This makes the building of incineration plants controversial in many communities. For most local governments, incineration is only a partial solution to the large and complex problem of waste management, making detailed strategic planning essential when sizing an incinerator.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine how much waste or trash you need to process in the facility. As incineration is seldom a complete solution in waste management, this amount will usually be a certain percentage of your total waste stream, with other techniques like recycling and direct land-filling comprising the rest of your strategy.

• 2

  Select an incineration technology. Most commercial incineration plants use rotary kilns -- a rotating cylinder that achieves extremely high temperatures -- along with a treatment system to reduce the amount of pollutants in discharged gasses. Make sure the kiln or central cylinder of your incinerator is large enough to accommodate the full volume of waste that needs treated -- whether all at once or over the course of the day, depending on your management plan.

• 3

  Determine the amount of energy you need to generate from your incinerator. If energy generation is part of your waste management strategy, consider how much you need to create and, depending on the energy efficiency of the model you use, how much waste you must incinerate to achieve that level.

• 4

  Calculate the amount of pollution your incinerator will generate. In the United States, waste incineration is regulated by federal and local laws regarding hazardous waste disposal, air pollution, surface water discharges and noise -- each establishing a limit for the amount of pollution that can be generated. Make sure your incinerator will function within these limits, which effectively limits the size of the facility.

• 5

  Consider your budget for incinerator construction and maintenance. While advanced technology can help you manage larger amounts of waste and stay within legal pollution limits, such technology can also be very expensive. In fact, your budget alone can limit the size of your incinerator.

• 6

  Determine the ideal size of your incinerator by taking all the previous considerations into account. Overall, you have two limits -- cost and environmental regulation. You also have two goals -- the amount of energy to generate and the volume of waste to treat. Technology can help you bridge the gap between your limits and goals, but can also come at a high financial cost. Select among existing models in your price range -- choosing one with the size and technology that comes closest to balancing your limits and goals.