Waste-To-Energy Facility
950 Market Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 336-4355
Public Tours: (616) 235-3210
Operating Hours:
Facility operates 24 hours per day,
365 days per year
Please note: This facility is open to commercial waste haulers only.
The facility is located on a nine (9) acre site in an area zoned for heavy industry, approximately 1.5 miles southwest of downtown Grand Rapids.
Household Waste Guide
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Background
The Waste-To-Energy (WTE) facility represents one of the major components in Kent County’s solid waste management system. The commercial operation began February 1, 1990, under a 20-year contract with Covanta Kent, Inc.
Each year approximately 180,000 tons of municipal solid waste is incinerated and energy is recovered. Approximately 25% of the volume of solid waste generated in the County is utilized to produce electricity and steam. Because of the WTE facility, the waste ash sent to the landfill is reduced 90% by volume and 77% by weight.
The County-owned WTE facility is the primary solid waste disposal facility for the cities of Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. Kent County has agreements with the cities as part of an integrated approach to solid waste management including waste reduction, recycling, a household hazardous waste program and landfilling.
Facility Operations
The WTE facility processes 625 tons of municipal solid waste daily and has incinerated more than 3 million tons of municipal solid waste as of May 2007. Over 1.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity have been sold to the power grid in downtown Grand Rapids; 1.35 million pounds of steam were exported to the Grand Rapids steam system when it was owned by the County; and nearly 94,000 tons of ferrous metal have been recycled.
The WTE facility accepts non-hazardous wastes from municipal and commercial operations, generating up to 16 megawatts of electricity.
The byproduct of incinerating trash is an inert ash which is roughly 10 percent of the original volume. Ash from the facility is disposed of in a separate monofill at the County’s South Kent Landfill. The ash monofill incorporates strict State mandated environmental standards including: a composite artificial/natural clay liner, leachate collection system and capping system.
Environmental Compliance
Kent County’s Waste-To-Energy facility has earned the distinction of becoming Michigan’s first municipal facility to be designated as a Clean Corporate Citizen (C3). With this recognition by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as the 121st member of the program, the WTE facility demonstrates its strong environmental performance and its commitment to continual environmental improvement.
The WTE facility operates under one of the toughest environmental permits in the State of Michigan. A Continuous Emissions Monitoring system insures proper operation within permit standards. In addition, an independent lab conducts separate stack emission tests every year in accordance with state standards and with state inspectors present.
The high furnace temperature (1,800-2,000°F) destroys the organic compounds that can cause ground water contamination in older, compromised landfill sites.
Air pollution control technology includes computerized combustion controls, acid gas scrubbers, carbon injection for control of mercury emissions, a SNCR system for control of nitrogen oxides and bag houses for control of heavy metals and particulates.
Waste-To-Energy Facility
| 1. Tipping Floor 2. Refuse Holding Pit 3. Grapple Feed Chute 4. Feed Chute 5. MARTIN Stoker Grate 6. Combustion Air Fan |
7. MARTIN Ash Discharger 8. Combustion Chamber 9. Radiant Zone (furnace) 10. Convection Zone 11. Superheater 12. Economizer |
13. Dry Gas Scrubber 14. Baghouse 15. Fly Ash Handling System 16. Induced Draft Air Fan 17. Stack |
