How can reliable valve solutions support the sustainable conversion of waste into energy?

Fortunately, the understanding that we must sustain our environment for future generations – and that it will take much more effort – is growing globally. One indication of this growing ambition is the increasing number of projects that no longer deposit waste into the sea, and, instead, aspire to derive the greatest possible benefit from it. But even after the best waste sorting and recycling, a large part of waste remains.

In order to reduce the amount of environmentally harmful waste and to optimize protection with the greatest possible benefit, different technologies have been developed for Waste-to-Energy plants over the past several decades. The technologies help to extract the potential energy from the waste and, at the same time, maximize the reduction of harmful emissions from different waste treatment processes.

The development of these environmentally friendly technologies for waste incineration, waste gasification, and the treatment and conditioning of flue gases is continuing steadily. However, there is still a lot of room for development – especially in the gasification or incineration of residues and in flue-gas purification.

Valve solutions for the sustainable treatment of waste

Ensuring efficiency, sustainability, and low operating costs are key issues when operating a Waste-to-Energy, Energy-from-Waste, or Biomass-to-Energy plant. Compliance with environmental regulations and process requirements is becoming increasingly challenging. The conversion of raw material to energy, from municipal waste (MSW) to industrial waste or biomass (BtE), requires valves that can keep up.

Valmet offers a wide valve portfolio for all types of Waste-to-Energy plant units: dryers, incinerators, gasifiers, steam production units, turbine islands, and flue-gas purification units. Our advanced valve technologies are designed to meet the requirements of the incineration and gasification processes as well as flue-gas cleaning and conditioning.

Control valves for the Waste-to-Energy industry

Our Neles™ control valves – consisting of a control valve, an actuator, and a positioner, as well as sizing software Nelprof™ – offer the most efficient control in process systems at Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants, all from a single-source manufacturer. Optimally dimensioned valve units are selected on an application-oriented basis, ensuring advanced and efficient operation with the lowest possible environmental impact.

ESD valves for the Waste-to-Energy industry

Another important issue in Waste-to-Energy plants is ensuring the safe operation of the plant by means of valves. Safety is also directly linked to the environmental aspect of operations. Safety valve failure can not only endanger humans and cause unexpected costs for the plant, but it can also create immediate and long-term environmental damage.

Our safety valve technology development is based on decades of experience. The development, manufacturing, and delivery of all the relevant components for an ESD valve from a single source offers the best possible safety for the customer. Our SIL certified ESD/ESV valves with their own pneumatic actuators and the partial stroke device Neles™ ValvGuard™ have been proven in safety-relevant systems in various industries for years.

For burner safety at furnaces or gasifiers, we offer a wide range of safety shut-off valves approved by third-party authorities and compliant with EN161, AGA, CSA, or FM standards.

Your partner for reliable and fully compliant valves

Our valve designs provide a superior seat and outer tightness, even in challenging operating conditions and heavy-duty applications. In handling fuel gases or toxic dirty media, our rotary and globe valves comply with stringent fugitive emissions regulations, including ISO15848, TA-luft, and the Clean Air Act. The wide range of materials, coatings, and seating systems are very well suited for the use in media found in most Waste-to-Energy applications.

Valmet is your partner for reliable valves that comply with regulations, even under the toughest conditions. Whether you need reliable, certified burner management valves, or accurate steam control and SIL3 loop capable trip valves, or valves for controlling hot, dirty toxic gases and catalysts, our experts have the experience to find the right valve for each application. The solutions we provide are fully compliant with applicable regulations.

The text has been updated in April 2022, due to the company name change to Valmet.