ECONOMY er-sectors
Experts to discuss converting waste into energy
ISTANBUL - Daily News with wires | 11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM |
The economic benefits of converting waste into energy will be the topic of a symposium to be held Nov. 12 and 13 in Istanbul.
The economic benefits of converting waste into energy will be the topic of a symposium to be held Nov. 12 and 13 in Istanbul.
The International Waste to Energy Symposium, or IWES, to be organized by Sektörel Fuarcılık, an Istanbul-based event-planning firm, will focus on the economic contribution of waste-to-energy programs, given the increasing need for alternative resources amid fluctuations in cost and supply. The symposium, which will be opened by Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu, will also delve into investment opportunities.
Süleyman Bulak, chairman of Sektörel Fuarcılık, identified the mission of IWES as “raising awareness, finding solutions to regain wasted resources, offering profitable projects and leaving people with healthy living spaces.”
“The importance of alternative and sustainable energy is increasing with each passing day as fossil fuels face the threat of extinction in the near future. Fluctuations in the supply of primary fossil-originated energy resources all over the world and increasing energy costs prioritize the usage of alternative energy resources. In this context, converting waste into energy has become one of the most important issues of the sector,” the organizing firm said in a note.
“In Istanbul alone, four million tons of waste is collected annually. Converting 100,000 tons from this total into energy will yield 10 million Turkish Liras. In addition, the average amount of energy generated annually from solid waste in Istanbul is 4 million kilowatts.”
At the symposium, which will be attended by 11 companies and 54 specialists as well as local administrators, the challenge of financing and possible business models will also be tackled.
Developed economies, which prioritize diversifying their energy investments, can produce energy equal to 1 liter of diesel fuel from just 1 kilogram of plastic waste, the firm said.
[HH] Projects for waste management
Noting that waste constitutes an important energy resource, Bulak said that there are some facilities founded by the metropolitan municipalities to convert waste into energy. Two plants, a 17-megawatt operation on the European side and a 7-megawatt plant on the Anatolian side, will start providing energy for use in engines from methane gas, he said.
Noting that 25 million euros have been invested to date in the two power plants, Bulak said the 17 megawatt waste-energy plant has the capacity to heat 140,000 residences.
“There are efforts to increase the purchase guarantee for waste energy to 14.5 cents. This is a very important figure for Turkey,” said Bulak.
Converting waste into energy has environmental importance for Turkey and the world, he said. “It enables the elimination of wastes, prevents pollution, increases agricultural productivity and bolsters the economy.”
[HH] ITC eyes waste opportunities
Meanwhile, Invest Trading Consulting, or ITC, has purchased the landfill in the southern city of Adana, following acquisitions in Ankara’s Mamak and Sincan districts, reported Anatolia news agency.
Noting that the firm has established “the world’s most modern recycling facility” in the Ankara landfill, ITC Chairman Ali Kantur said that it plans to establish a $50 million recycling facility on the Adana landfill, which it has leased for 49 years.
The daily waste generation is 4,000 tons in Ankara and 1,500 tons in Adana, Kantur said. “Turkey’s daily waste production is approximately 70,000 tons. With respect to this figure, we have undertaken the management of 14 percent of Turkey’s waste. Should we obtain the landfills in Antalya and İzmir, the rate may reach 25 percent.”
Kantur noted that it is possible to utilize 40,000 tons of Turkey’s daily waste output, and added that 500 to 600 megawatts of energy could be produced annually from this waste. “This equals 2.5 percent of Turkey’s total electricity generation and a 5-percent reduction in the country’s natural gas imports,” he said, adding that the industry requests a revision of the renewable energy law in order to solve problems concerning waste.