Heat from waste: RDF is the answer to the challenges of transformation

• Although Poland has advanced recycling and circular economy systems, there is still a significant stream of waste that can only be used as an energy source.
• In Poland, he still sees the need to use RDF-based technology to meet market needs for proper waste disposal.
• In times of energy crisis, such a solution becomes particularly important, and the use of RDF in heating plants can become an important element in building stable and sustainable energy sources.

"The technology of recovering energy from waste has been known around the world for a long time. Highly developed economies have been using solutions that constitute a significant source of renewable energy for years. This is an exceptionally effective way to utilize it – especially since the amount of waste generated increases with the rise in civilization. While Poland has advanced recycling and circular economy systems, there is still a significant stream of waste that can be used solely as an energy source," says Sławomir Kosiba, CEO of Fabryka Kotłów SEFAKO, a manufacturer of comprehensive technologies and installations for recovering energy from waste.

The company is implementing such investments in Europe and Poland, most recently in Rzeszów and Gorlice. SEFAKO can also modernize and adapt existing installations to operate on the new fuel, and in the event of a waste shortage, it can also ensure an adequate waste flow. The CEO of SEFAKO adds that while some countries around the world, such as China and Japan, already face waste shortages due to advanced waste disposal technology, Poland still sees a need for RDF-based technology to meet market needs for proper waste disposal.

Searching for cheap energy means searching for cheap fuel. And by having their own fuel, meaning waste, local governments have the entire business in one hand.

- adds Sławomir Kosiba .

"We see the potential for RDF investments especially in medium-sized cities that struggle with real waste management problems, for example, due to insufficient capacity of local installations. Waste is then transported to larger sorting plants in other cities and/or ends up in landfills. For these local governments, investing in complete waste-to-energy recovery installations could be a solution," continues Sławomir Kosiba.

"There are municipal heating plants in Poland that require urgent modernization because they are reaching the end of their useful life. They are typically coal- or gas-fired, and this poses a problem for local communities, as it is associated with high emissions, rising energy costs, and the risk of further price increases resulting from climate policy and fluctuating commodity prices. Meanwhile, generating energy from RDF fuel is an example of a proven waste management method that simultaneously reinforces the concept of a circular economy. It is produced from fractions that cannot be recycled and then used as a full-value energy resource," says Andrzej Stasiecki, Vice President of Mo-BRUK , a company specializing in waste processing.

In the times of energy crisis, such a solution is particularly important, and the use of RDF in heating plants can become an important element in building stable and sustainable energy sources.

- adds Andrzej Stasiecki, vice president of Mo-BRUK.

The average construction time for a comprehensive waste-to-energy recovery installation can be between two and three years. The investment not only ensures job retention but, above all, affordable energy and heating for residents. Such installations are consistent with efforts to achieve sustainable development goals and the EU's energy transition towards climate neutrality. This allows local governments to apply for financial support for such investments from programs such as the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) or the National Operational Programme for Innovative Energy.