To promote the use of solid recovered fuel (SRF), the EPA held the Turning Waste to Energy: Solid Recovered Fuel press conference on 27 November 2020. The EPA Deputy Minister Chih-hsiu Shen, Representative Mikko Antero Karppinen of Finland Trade Center, representatives of businesses, other government agencies, academia and research institutes attended the conference to demonstrate the determination for the promotion.
The EPA indicates that waste-to-fuel policies help utilize high calorific value waste and reduce the use of fossil fuel. Take power generation for example, when waste is burned in an incineration plant, the power generation efficiency is roughly 20%. However, when waste is converted to SRF and burned in a specialized furnace, the power generation efficiency can reach more than 30%, which is more energy and economically efficient.
SRF is produced from recycled plastic and biomass (such as waste paper and wood) and other kinds of non-hazardous and combustible materials. SRF has low environmental impacts, costs less, and can be used in high-efficiency boilers and combustion facilities. Compared to coal, SRF as a fuel can also reduce carbon emissions. Moreover, separating combustible waste and turning them into SRF reduces the burden of incinerators. Therefore, the EPA formulated the Solid Recovered Fuel Manufacturing Guidelines and Quality Standards to ensure the manufacturing quality of SRF. The EPA also set the Waste-to-Fuel Implementation Goals, with the amount of waste turned into fuel expected to reach 390,000 metric tons in 2021.
Currently, the SRF industry in Taiwan mainly consists of the paper manufacturing industry, textile industry and cement industry. Participants of the conference included experts from the Industrial Development Bureau, Green Energy and Environmental Research Laboratories of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan Bio-Energy Technology Development Association, and Professor Chiung-fen Chang of Tunghai University. Companies that have been involved in the promotion of SRF were also invited, including Yuen Foong Yu (YFY), Cheng Loong Corporation (CLC), Kuan Yuan Paper (KYP), Dakim Environmental Protection Enterprise, and Li Peng Enterprise.
The SRF industry in Taiwan currently includes source suppliers, manufactures, equipment providers (boilers/power plants), and bottom ash reuse organizations. Taiwan has established a supply and demand chain within the domestic SRF industry and created new business opportunities. Businesses involved include paper manufacturing companies, such as YFY, CLC and KYP, and textile companies such as Lealea Group, and cement companies such as Taiwan Cement. Some of these companies produce combustible waste with high calorific value in the operation process and have a demand for boilers, while others are conveniently equipped with cement kilns and readily reuse bottom ash. Aside from the companies that are self-supplied with SRF, there are also companies that professionally manufacture SRF. For example, Dakim Environmental Protection Enterprise uses waste treatment equipment manufactured by the Finnish company BMH Technology. Long-Shun Green Energy Technology, Wanji Technology, and Yong Mao Environmental Tech are also SRF manufacturers that have become source suppliers for companies such as Taiwan Cogeneration Corporation and Ta-Yuan Cogeneration Corporation.
To encourage domestic businesses to use SRF, the EPA is providing incentives for using renewable energy and reusing bottom ash. Through the conference, the EPA aims to inspire businesses to go green and work jointly with the government towards a circular economy to reduce environmental impacts from industrial development.