Introduce Four Major Raw Materials for RDF Alternative Fuel!
Driven by the global energy transition, RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) has emerged as a popular alternative to fossil fuels, thanks to its resource recovery and low-carbon attributes.
This article delves into four major categories of raw materials—municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste, agricultural and forestry residues, and lightweight materials from decoration waste—analyzing their generation volumes, pre-processing challenges, calorific value performance, and application scenarios.
Let’s uncover why these materials stand out among various waste sources!
1. Municipal Solid Waste
Pre-processing Challenges: The process involves multiple steps, including shredding, magnetic separation, wind shifter, and sorting, to remove impurities like metals and glass. This complexity results in higher costs.
High Calorific Value: In countries with advanced waste sorting systems, the high plastic content can yield a calorific value of 4,000-5,500 kcal/kg.
Application Scenarios: Primarily used in power plants, cement kiln co-processing, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems.
For instance, Harden's municipal solid waste RDF preparation system can process waste into RDF fuel with uniform particle sizes of several millimeters, which is suitable for replacing traditional coal in coal-fired power plants.
2. Industrial Solid Waste
Source and Scale: Industrial solid waste, including textile scraps, leather, used tires, and synthetic plastics, exceeds 3 billion tons annually, with a high proportion of combustible materials.
Pre-processing Challenges: While the composition is relatively homogeneous, making sorting easier, the shredding equipment must meet high standards for fine shredding and large-scale production efficiency.
Calorific Value: Used tires (TDF) have a calorific value of up to 8,000 kcal/kg, while textile RDF reaches around 4,500 kcal/kg, significantly higher than typical municipal waste, making it a mainstream choice for RDF production.
Application Scenarios: Harden's industrial solid waste RDF preparation system employs processes like fine shredding, wind shifter, and magnetic separation to convert textile and leather waste into high-calorific RDF fuel, helping cement plants reduce coal consumption and costs.
3. Agricultural and Forestry Residues
Pre-processing Challenges: Straw and similar materials tend to entangle, requiring advanced shredding and screening equipment. High moisture content can also increase energy consumption during processing.
Calorific Value: Biomass alternative fuels can achieve a calorific value of 4,000 kcal/kg, with relatively stable performance and lower variability during combustion in kilns.
Application Scenarios: Directly applicable in cement kilns and power boilers for heat and electricity generation, or converted into methanol through "gasification + catalytic synthesis," offering both emission reduction and resource recycling benefits.
4. Lightweight Materials from Decoration Waste
Pre-processing Challenges: The heterogeneous composition of decoration waste makes sorting crucial. After shredding, magnetic separation, wind shifter, and trommel screening are required to separate sand, metals, and other impurities.
Calorific Value: Lightweight materials can achieve a calorific value of 3,500-4,800 kcal/kg, with lower raw material costs compared to other solid wastes.
Application Scenarios: Harden's decoration waste RDF preparation system focuses on the high proportion of combustible lightweight materials, exploring new resource recovery pathways. The resulting RDF fuel offers improved particle size uniformity and homogenization, with lower heat loss during combustion, making it more suitable for various coal-fired industrial kilns.
5. Key Considerations in Raw Material Selection
Harden Machinery Ltd., with over a decade of experience in the solid waste industry, emphasizes that the calorific value and pre-processing costs of different raw materials directly impact the economic and environmental benefits of RDF.
Advanced RDF preparation systems can effectively enhance RDF combustion performance.
High-Value Options: High-calorific waste like plastics and rubber tires are "golden raw materials" for RDF, but ash and sulfur content must be controlled.
Conventional Choices: Industrial solid waste such as textile and leather scraps, with high calorific value and low pre-processing difficulty, can directly replace coal and other fossil fuels.
Low-Value Combinations: Lower-calorific materials like municipal solid waste and decoration waste may require blending with high-calorific waste to improve combustion performance, though this could increase costs.
The "Golden Value" Behind the Rise of RDF Alternative Fuels:
✅ Volume Reduction: Reduces waste volume by 60-80%, alleviating urban waste pressure.
✅ Low-Carbon Benefits: Replaces coal, reducing CO₂emissions per unit of calorific value by 40%.
✅ Economic Viability: Costs only 60% of coal, with an annual market size exceeding 50 billion yuan.
Despite its immense potential, RDF faces challenges such as high pre-processing costs and inconsistent calorific value.
However, with the advancement and widespread adoption of more intelligent and efficient RDF processing equipment, the potential of solid waste as a resource will be further unlocked, allowing these "misdirected resources" to unleash even greater energy.
