Rolton Kilbride have been at pains throughout the entire application, refusal and inquiry process that the Keypoint installation will not be an 'incinerator' -despite opponents calling it that, and is in fact a 'gasification plant'
Both rely on putting household waste in at one end, and creating gas to generate electricity and having the raw material come out the other end transformed.
But incineration is burning waste to produce heat, which heats water into steam, then used to make electricity. The residue is ash.
The waste in a gasification plant is heated to much higher temperatures, but with less oxygen, meaning no combustion occurs. Gasses are released, mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which are burned to generate power. The residue is a glassy material.
Both processes are subject to the EU's waste incineration directive on emissions.
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