Work has begun on the plant, which should combine waste recycling and energy generation in Boa Esperança, Minas Gerais state. The project is experimental, but if it works, it could be a solution to the waste problem in many Brazilian cities.
The area occupied by this plant has almost eight thousand square meters and is right next to the city dump. There, the first energy generation plant will be built, using as fuel gas generated from the transformation of waste.
"A process that is carried out in a reactor at 850 degrees, where we will chemically remove the energy from the waste and transform it into a gas. This gas will enter a boiler, generate steam, and then electric power using a steam turbine", said the director of the company that created the technology, Luciano Infiesta.
Altogether, there are five stages in the process. Among them, crushing and storage of residue derivated fuel, which is the product of a processing line for the transformation of waste. After that, the material is converted into a gas and then subjected to high temperatures inside a boiler. In this process there is no fire and neither burning of the garbage.
The plant should be ready at the end of next year. Then, another phase begins: those responsible for the Furnas Plant will analyze whether the production of gas is viable and whether or not residue is generated.
"Within the calculations that have already been made, the expectation is that it will meet 25% of the municipality's electricity needs", said Furnas research and development manager, Nelson Araújo dos Santos.
With the plant ready, the team will use the operation as a research source. Contrary to what is determined by the national solid waste law, created in 2010, Boa Esperança is one of the many Brazilian cities that still has a dump instead of a landfill.
"The construction of a landfill is a very expensive procedure, it is difficult to be carried out from a technical point of view, and it needs proper monitoring", said the environment manager, Ana Raquel Silva.
The city of Boa Esperança has a production of around 40 tons of municipal solid waste daily. The plant's goal is to use all the volume generated and consume what has been accumulated over 15 years in the dump. The people that survives by collecting materials from the dump await the changes that will be made.
"They explained that instead of collecting waste in the dump, there will be jobs for our class", said collector Adilson Aparecido da Silva.
The team responsible for the construction and maintenance of the plant ensures that all 23 people who work at the dump will be incorporated into the plant's operation.
"He will be able to collect and separate the material in a much more humane area, there will be an organized cooperative, so that people can have continue with this income there", said the research manager from Furnas.
Fonte: https://g1.globo.com