There are many waste to energy technologies, but how many of these are cost effective? Waste to energy technology includes combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, fermentation, and esterification. Some of these technologies are very cost effective, while others may not be as much so. Some use thermal processing, others use chemical processing, and still others use biochemical processing. Municipal waste to electricity can help meet the energy needs of American homes, while biofuels created from waste can be used to power your vehicles. Waste is abundant in the US, and waste to energy programs take discarded organic materials and use waste to energy technologies to turn this trash into electricity, heat, and fuel. Combustion is the burning of waste, to create energy in the form of heat, which can be used to make steam that is then turned into electricity. This type of waste to energy plant can use any type of burnable waste to create electricity, but care needs to be used to minimize the amount of toxins and pollutants in the smoke that is released.

Gasification and pyrolysis are some of the most effective waste to energy technologies available currently. These two technologies can be performed together to maximize the cost effectiveness. Pyrolysis needs an outside heat source, and this is supplied by the gasification process, making both processes together self sustaining. This reduces the cost of the process, making them both more cost effective. Waste to energy in this manner can create several forms of energy. Anaerobic digestion is another possibility with waste to energy technology that is available today. The waste is put in specially constructed digesters, and no oxygen is allowed in. This allows the waste to break down much faster, releasing greenhouse gases including large amounts of methane. This process can also create heat from the large amounts of microbial activity as the biomass is decomposing.

Waste to energy technology includes fermentation, which can take biomass and create ethanol, using waste cellulosic or organic material. In the fermentation process, the sugar in the waste is changed to carbon dioxide and alcohol, in the same general process that is used to make wine. Normally fermentation occurs with no air present. Esterification can also be done using waste to energy technologies, and the result of this process is biodiesel. The cost effectiveness of esterification will depend on the feedstock being used, and all the other relevant factors such as transportation distance, amount of oil present in the feedstocks, and others.

All waste to energy technology can be developed to be cost effective. This is crucial because most Americans will not pay a lot more just to use a green energy source. This means that any methods used must be cost effective or it will not succeed. All of the factors involved need to be examined, and it is important to set up any waste to energy plant in a location that meets all the needs. The waste must be available, although this would not be a problem in any area usually, plus the labor, resources, and infrastructure must be present as well. Otherwise the cost of creating the energy from waste is too high, and will not be used. Using cost cutting measures, and placing the waste to energy plant in the right location, can bring down the energy cost significantly. Waste to energy technology can be extremely cost effective and efficient when implemented correctly.