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Research and Development

Cleaner Energy through Innovation

As a renewable energy world leader, Covanta Energy remains focused on researching advanced energy-from-waste (EfW) technologies aimed at improving our environmental performance and growing our business. Our current research and development strategy focuses on three major areas:

  • developing enhanced emission control systems to further drive down plant emissions
  • designing new systems to improve plant efficiency, operating performance, ash management, and economic competitiveness
  • monitoring and evaluating commercial viability of alternative EfW conversion technologies

Leading the Way

Covanta Energy is always focused on researching and developing new technologies that enhance what we do.In 2008, Covanta Energy focused on the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions at both existing and new EfW facilities. We reviewed the U.S. EPA’s annual inventory of emissions from all U.S. EfW facilities between 1990 and 2005 and discovered that while emissions of mercury, cadmium, and lead dropped by nearly 95 percent, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions dropped only 24 percent. It was apparent to us that there was room for progress. The reduction of NOx from 1990 to 2005 was adequate for compliance purposes, but inadequate for our goal of a significant total reduction beyond compliance. Today, Covanta is implementing one of two proprietary technologies it has developed to reduce NOx at certain facilities, thus reducing NOx to below compliance limits. As a result of this technology, Covanta has reduced NOx to the lowest concentration in the North American EfW industry. An independent peer-reviewed assessment concluded that typical lifecycle NOx emissions from EfW are already lower than typical coal, oil and natural gas facilities per unit of electrical generation. Implementation of our advanced technology will further reduce lifecycle NOx emissions of EfW relative to traditional generation.

CLEERGAS

For the past 25 years, Covanta Energy has led in the development of greener technologies for processing post-recycled municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate clean, renewable energy. Covanta Energy has formally announced its successful completion of commercial demonstration testing on a first-of-its-kind gasification technology, CLEERGAS® or Covanta Low Emission Energy Recovery Gasification. Covanta’s CLEERGAS system converts unprocessed, post-recycled MSW into a synthesis gas, or syngas, which is then processed for energy recovery with very low emissions. Click here to learn more about our low emission energy recovery gasification process.