NEW YORK, May 17, 2011 – The Covanta Alexandria/Arlington
waste-to-energy facility in Alexandria, Va., and the Arnold O. Chantland recovery
resource plant in Ames, Iowa, have been cited by ASME for achievement in environmental
and safety performance.
The plants, which generate energy from the combustion of municipal waste,
are recipients of the 2011 Facility Recognition Award presented by ASME’s
Materials and Energy Recovery Division (MER). The awards were announced yesterday
at the 19th Annual North American Waste-to-Energy Conference (NAWTEC 19) in
Lancaster, Pa.
In addition to environmental and safety performance, the awards recognize
technological innovation and the contribution of the facilities to citywide
integrated waste management programs.
Covanta Alexandria/Arlington, which received top honors in the combustion
category, processes 975 tons of municipal solid waste each day, servicing
300,000 area residents. Consisting of three boilers and two steam turbine
generators, among other equipment, the facility is capable of generating 23
megawatts of energy, which is converted to electricity and sold to Dominion
Virginia Power Co.
Opened in 1988, Coventa Alexandria/Arlington promotes job safety analysis
and sponsors a mercury collection program.
The Arnold O. Chantland facility, the winner in the material recovery category,
recently has been upgraded with new components to improve waste processing,
including a system that recovers 92 percent of non-ferrous metals prior to
feeding the waste into the boilers. Recovery of ferrous materials is accomplished
with a new drum electromagnet and multiple magnetic head pulleys.
Arnold O. Chantland also includes a new dust collection system to improve
air quality in work spaces of the plant. The facility has handled one million
tons of municipal solid waste since beginning operations in 1975.
The ASME Materials and Energy Recovery Division, formally known as the Solid
Waste Processing Division, is comprised of engineers involved in thermal conversion,
resource recovery, recycling, energy recovery, and related areas. MER fosters
research and development that advances the practice of sustainable waste management
in the U.S. and abroad and improve processes for maximum recovery of materials
and energy from solid wastes.
The ASME MER Division is a co-sponsor of NAWTEC 19 and is supporting association
with the Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council (WTERT) at Columbia
University.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world
challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration,
knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines,
while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards,
publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development
programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer
world.