Incineration Process - Research Paper Example

? INCINERATION PROCESS BEING ETHICALLY UNACCEPTED Incineration is among many other technologies that are in use for waste treatment and which involves the combustion of the organic constituents found in waste materials (Warhurst and Watson, 2006). By subjecting the waste products to high temperatures, incineration process converts the waste materials with organic constituents into heat, ash as well as into flue gas. The organic materials form ash after complete combustion, which solidify to form ash lamps or even gas particulates, which are easily carried away as gaseous constituents of the flue gas. Environmental conservation dictates that the gas must be subjected to treatment before being released into the atmosphere in order to reduce the pollution of the environmental through hazardous gaseous compounds contained in the gas. Despite, getting rid of the waste materials, incineration process generates a lot of heat, which is often used for production of electricity, which on the other side is very useful in a variety of ways. The processes involved in the incineration of waste materials have undergone through evolutionary stages with better and more improved mechanisms being adopted to address the issues of shortcomings of the process at large. Among other issues that have faced great attention in improving the processes involved in incineration are the cleaning and treatment of the gasses emitted as well as safe combustion control methods to ensure the safety of the human beings that are involved in the process. This has therefore led to adoption of favorable precautionary measures being designed and adopted both for the sake of operations at the incineration plant as well as for the sake of environmental concerns. Environmental ethics as used and applied within the sphere of human interactions regards with esteem the sovereignty of all life. Ethics refer to such activities that expose human beings and other living organisms such as animals and plants to hazardous conditions as unfavorable and this necessitates the design and adoption of other mechanisms of managing waste products, which would ensure the safety of all living organisms including the human beings (Brennan and Lo, 2008). Among notable improvements in the modern day incineration processes is the inclusion of separation stage, which had not been included in the traditional processes. The failure to remove the hazardous materials in the traditional practices exposed the workers to health risks as well as exposing the public to environmental risks. Moreover, the traditional practices failed to utilize the resultant heat for such uses as in generation of electricity. The methods were thus criticized of neglecting ethical concerns, which has great implication to entire life at large. Burning the trash has been advocated for in the methods used in waste-to-energy procedures of waste management practices. It has been used as one of the most effective method of producing renewable energy. It is a method that has been used in converting the residential, hazardous and commercial wastes into more friendly forms, which would be effective in conserving the environment as well as improving human life by reducing the hazards created by the waste materials. Waste food scraps, papers and plastics are among other wastes that are treated through incineration. The combustion of these products produces a lot of heat, which is used within many countries to produce electricity. However, it is worth noting that not all incineration plants adopted worldwide are used for electricity production. Among other benefits cited by the supporters of incineration as a method off addressing wastes are creation of employment, reducing the health risks that are associated with the organic waste materials, environmental conservation and the production of the electricity that can be used for other uses (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, 2012). Incineration process involves a relatively higher number of people who are involved in collecting the waste products and ferrying them to a common place, which is used as the combustion point. Besides those involved in collecting, the process of incineration involve other people who are engaged in the actual process of combustion of the waste products. The treatment as well as management of the incineration process is labor intensive and as a resource, the process is seen as a reliable source of employment to the citizens in countries practicing incineration. Waste products disposed uncontrollably often present a health hazard to the public by being a breeding ground for harmful animals and insects, which would in turn infect human beings with diseases and other health complications. It is worth noting that the process of collecting and combusting these waste products removes these breeding grounds for the insects and other harmful animals. Besides, combusting these materials convert them into other more useful products, which reduces the health risks of human beings. Moreover, burning the waste materials lowers the likelihood of environmental degradation with uncontrolled dumping of these waste products within the environment. Environmental degradation is composed of air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution among other ways. Littering of the environment anyhow leads to compromise of aesthetic beauty of the environment and poses health hazards even to other living organism such as the plants as well as animals. Decaying organic waste products are characterized by emitting foul smell, which leads to sir pollution. Moreover, the decomposition of these materials may release chemical compound into the soil as well as water sources, which would pose health risks to human beings and other living organisms using the water or the soil. Therefore, incineration would be a useful tool in managing waste products in order to overcome the above shortcomings associated with waste materials (Guo and Wang, 2008). Finally, incineration produces a lot of heat, which would be useful in production of electricity. The process in which heat produced while waste materials are burnt is effectively used in production of electricity is highly regarded within the countries engaged in incineration. Electricity produced through this process is useful in supplementing the electricity used and generated from other methods of generating electricity. However, the critics of the process reasons that the process of incineration is associated with higher risks and shortcomings as compared with the benefits cited. There have been pointed out numerous concerns about unfavorable outcomes associated with the process of waste to energy incineration process of waste management. To s tart with, people have cited their fear concerning the cleanness of the air disposed into the environment through the chimneys of these incinerators. Despite the treatment of the harmful gases that are resultant from the combustion of the waste materials, raising concerns still hold that the processes of treating the gases are not very effective and as such, the gases released into the environment pose contaminator threats to the air. Moreover, the end results of the combustion also produces ash which, according to analysts, it contains very high levels of metallic compounds as well as other harmful compounds which pose a risk to the human beings and other living things in the environment. Moreover, the ash by-products are blamed on causing land filling which is equally disastrous in the environment. Sophisticated energy control mechanisms and devises have been adopted within the modern day waste-to-energy facilities, which include electrostatic precipitators, scrubbers as well as fabric filters (Federal ministry for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, 2005). These fittings are responsible for removing heavy metals, acids and the fly ash as part of the emissions to the environment from the incinerators. The ashes from the incinerators result to contamination of underground water through land filling. This poses threat to human beings and the other living organisms dependent on this water for survival. Other complaints posed against the adoption and use of incinerations as a way of waste-to-energy management practice has been over the cost factor. The initial costs of establishing a modern incinerator plan has been postulated to range from hundred of million dollars (Eco-cycle organization, 2011). Moreover, periodic repair and improvement of these facilities involve enormous costs, which many economies are in a position to handle. Therefore, the critics of these methods of managing the waste reason that the const is very high compared to other methods that would equally be used for the purpose of managing waste materials. The cost implications of adopting combustion of waste materials as methods of managing the wastes has been seen to be far more expensive as compared to other methods applicable in managing wastes such as the recycling and land filling. Technological costs as well as the evolutionally environmental management policies in countries as well as across the globe pose the greatest challenge for the countries, which run the incinerators. The discussion of the shortcomings of the incineration as a mode of waste-to-energy method of managing the waste materials, have pointed out basic features, which compromise the efficiency of the method. Besides, the outcomes of the combustion produces materials, which are not insignificant and thus is contradictory in that despite behind used to address the wastes, the method equally result to wastes. The method is also deterrent to composting as well as recycling. The method cannot be equated to zero-waste methods of management of waste products and is not friendly to climate. Moreover, adoption of the combustion of waste materials is blamed on waste of energy through using high amounts of energy to burn the waste products besides being non-renewable. Besides, the level of job opportunities created through incineration is relatively fewer as compared to the job opportunities made by other methods of waste management such as reuse and composting (Zender Environmental Management Services, 2001). Various means have been adopted for producing energy all over the world. Among other means adopted are the use of waste material combustion (incineration) to produce energy. Besides using the heat-to-heat water for steaming, the heat is used to decompose the waste materials, which are the focus of the process of incineration. Ethical concerns about environment revolve around the issues of conservation of environment through embracing practices that are cognizant of the need to safeguard the environment. The environment refers to the outside surroundings of every living thing including the atmosphere, the soil, the water as well as the air. Ethics dictate that human activities should be responsible in maintaining habitable environment to all living things. Focus on incineration as a method of managing the waste materials reveals that in many ways, the environmental concern is compromised. The end result of subjecting the waste materials to high temperatures result to some favorable outcomes such as generation of electric energy as well as creation of employment. However, the release of highly corrosive gaseous products into the air has been largely blamed on causing global warming which in turn would result to other issues like unfavorable weather conditions (O’Donovan and Collins, 2011). On the other hand, the ash residues resultant from the combustion of these materials results to depositing of high metallic products in the soil and in water reservoirs. The ash residual blamed to comprise of high levels of metallic substances when leaked into the soil and underground water masses pose threat to all living organism dependent on the soil and water for survival. Putting out all activities such as fires and spillage of harmful products into the environment has been the subject of discussion over decades in determining the morally and ethically acceptable environmental practices. Contradictions arise in discussing the ethical issues with some activists assigning higher intrinsic value to human life as against other lives of other living organisms (Rolstone III, nd). However, despite the lack of a clear definition to the issues of ethics pertaining to these discussions, the supremacy of all life is undoubtedly critical in this paper’s discussion. All human activities, which include even the waste material managements, need to be ethically sound for the harmonious relationship of all living things to be realized. In conclusion, the process of incineration has outstanding ethical issues when it comes to environmental concerns. Combusting the waste materials lead to emission of other by-products such as the gaseous and harmful ash products. The emission of the harmful gases into the atmosphere is blamed to be unethical practices. This has led to the rise in costs of running incinerators through adopting expensive means of treating the gaseous products before releasing them into the atmosphere (Swedish waste management, 2006). Electrostatic precipitators, scrubbers as well as fabric filters are among such mechanisms that have been popularly used in treating the gaseous waste materials before they are disposed into the air. On the other hand, ethical concerns are equally leveled on land filling practices through disposal of the ash materials resultant from burning the organic materials. The land filling practices lead to deposition of harmful metallic compounds in to the soil and water resources, which equally pose risks to the life’s of all living organisms including the human life. These therefore are the basic issues emergent with respect to incineration and the environmental ethical concerns. References Brennan A. and Lo Y., (2008). Environmental Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http: http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/environmental-ethics.pdf Eco-cycle organization, (2011). Why incineration is bad for our economy, environment and community. Waste of energy. Retrieved from http: http://www.ecocycle.org/files/pdfs/WTE_wrong_for_environment_economy_community_by_Eco-Cycle.pdf Federal ministry for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, (2005). Waste Incineration — A Potential Danger? Bidding Farewell to Dioxin Spouting. Retrieved from http: http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/Waste_Incineration_A_Potential_Danger.pdf Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, (2012). Incinerators: Myths vs. Facts about “Waste to Energy” Retrieved from http: http://www.no-burn.org/downloads/Incinerator_Myths_vs_Facts%20Feb2012.pdf Guo X. and Wang H., (2008). An analysis on the competitive advantages of garbage incineration power plant. Communications of the IBIMA, 5, 126-132 O’Donovan E. and Collins M. L., (2011). An Economic Evaluation of Incineration as a Residual Municipal Solid Waste Management Option in Ireland. TEP Working Paper No. 1811. Retrieved from http: http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/2011/TEP1811.pdf Rolstone III H., (nd). Environmental Ethics: Values in and duties to the natural world. Reflecting on nature. Retrieved from http: http://www.ci.uri.edu/ciip/ciipleadership/docs/rolston.pdf Swedish waste management, (2006). Towards a greener future with Swedish waste-To-energy The world’s best example. Retrieved from http: http://www.avfallsverige.se/fileadmin/uploads/forbranning_eng.pdf Warhurst M. and Watson A., (2006). Incineration and climate change. Friends of the Earth, Dirty truths. Retrieved from http: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/dirty_truths.pdf Zender Environmental Management Services, (2001). Incenerating your garbage. Retrieved from http: http://www.zendergroup.org/docs/incinerators.pdf Read More