Production of Solid Recovered Fuel from the Rejected Fraction of Recyclable Materials from Waste Picker Cooperatives: A Case Study in Brazil

This study evaluated the feasibility of producing solid recovered fuel (SRF) from rejected waste from waste picker cooperatives (WPC). Three scenarios using different SRF and petroleum coke proportions in cement kilns were assessed. The samples of rejected waste from WPC were obtained in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil, and their physical and chemical characteristics were determined. Furthermore, the avoided atmospheric emissions by replacing conventional cement fuel with SRF and the costs to implement a SRF facility were estimated. According to the results, 60.29% of the waste from WPC could be used for energy recovery. Out of the materials eligible to produce SRF, 75.26% are made up of plastic packaging and paper. Concerning atmospheric emissions, replacing petroleum coke with SRF for direct feeding into the clinker kiln contributed to a reduction of 4.83%, 14.73%, and 13.37% in the atmospheric emissions for Scenario 1, Scenario 2, and Scenario 3, respectively. Furthermore, considering two hypothetical SRF industrial plants with capacities of 522 and 720 t/day, each ton of SRF produced would cost about USD 6.00, representing a decrease of 35 times in the costs when compared to petroleum coke. Therefore, SRF from the rejected fraction of WPC could be an alternative waste-to-energy approach.