Improving access to resources, 
while preserving
and replenishing those resources, 
is whatwe do at Veolia.
Each day, we recover non-recyclable 
municipal waste as a source
of economic and ecological energy.
In a circular economy approach, 
incineration of waste can provide municipalities
and industrials with electricity, 
heating and process steam.
Here’s how and why, at a glance.
Collected by dump trucks, the waste 
is delivered to the incineration plant,
where it is weighed, and then passed 
to the unloading dock.
It is then tipped into a pit that is sufficiently
big to provide continuous infeed for the plant.
Remotely operated, the grabs have a dual function:
they mix the waste to make it homogeneous
and they feed the combustion furnaces.
In the control room, the technicians control
the facilities’ operation
and the quality of the atmospheric discharge.
The waste is tipped into hoppers to supply
the furnaces, and then burnt
at a very high temperature.
The plant is maintained under negative pressure
to prevent any odors or offgas from escaping.
The clinker, the solid residue from incineration,
is removed by a conveyor belt and stored.
It will be recycled as earth-moving material
for sub-base roads.
The acids in the off gas are neutralized in
a reactor by injecting lime and sodium bicarbonate,
to which is added activated carbon 
to absorb the dioxins and heavy metals.
Bag filters retain the dust, salts 
and other solids, which will be sent
to a hazardous waste landfill.
The incineration of waste generates 
energy which will now be recovered.
The heat is captured by the water’s tubes
installed in the boiler walls.
The heated water, is converted into 
high pressure steam in a tank.
This steam, superheated in high temperature
exchangers, is sent to a cogeneration plant.
Cogeneration both produces electricity 
and recovers residual heat.
This steam drives a turbine which, coupled
to an alternator, generates electricity.
The electricity is fed into the public grid.
The residual heat, generally lost, 
is recovered here in a heat exchanger
to supply the local residents with heating or hot water.
By transforming non-recyclable waste into 
a source of renewable energy,  our circular
economy solutions reduce the volume 
of cities’ waste and their carbon emissions.
