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NORSEP enables circular economy in landfills

The NORSEP process converts hazardous waste into commercially attractive products.

NORSEP AS

Landfills have been used for waste disposal in Europe since the end of the 19th century. But growing waste levels put pressure on landfills.

As the EU produces 2.5 billion metric tons of waste each year waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerators have become an increasingly popular method to reduce waste.

WtE incinerators can reduce waste by up to 90 per cent and recover useful energy as heat from the waste. However, they also produce by-products like fly ash, which is made up of fine particles containing up to 20 per cent toxic heavy metals.

Fighting fly ash

NORSEP has developed a process which can be implemented at WtE plants to reduce the problems of fly ash.

NORSEP converts hazardous waste fly ash from WtE plants into non-toxic residue and commercially attractive products. The NORSEP process treats fly ash by dissolving it in hydrochloric acid, filtering the undissolved fly ash, and destroying the organic toxins using heat treatment. The process is controlled by the patented NORSEP processing algorithm.

NORSEP process products can be used as raw materials for a range of purposes in various industries, including for making concrete and for zinc production.

NORSEP AS
NORSEP AS Image 2

Concrete benefits

The NORSEP solution reduces problems with fly ash, while at the same time enabling the use of waste as raw material for other industries. This way, the NORSEP solution reduces the need for landfills and hazardous waste transportation considerably. Turning one industry's by-product into another industry's raw material is circular economy in practice.

Market potential

In Europe alone, there are over 500 WtE plants that annually generate over 2 million metric tons of fly ash. Worldwide, there are over 2000 WtE plants.

Close contact with the WtE plants in Norway has shown the need for the NORSEP solution. The first full-scale NORSEP facility is to be installed in a WtE plant in Oslo, with production starting in July 2021.

NORSEP AS
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Clean water and sanitation

6. Clean water and sanitation

About the goal


NORSEP can contribute to water quality by minimising possibility for leaching of heavy metals from disposed fly ash to groundwater.

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure

About the goal


NORSEP can help industrial processes to adopt cleaner and more environmentally sound technologies for waste disposal.

Sustainable cities and communities

11. Sustainable cities and communities

About the goal


Managing local pollution from landfills helps to maintain healthy communities with well-functioning waste disposal systems.

Responsible consumption and production

12. Responsible consumption and production

About the goal


NORSEP helps to minimise the adverse impacts on human health and the environment from industrial waste.

Contact company

NORSEP AS

NORSEP AS

Hydrovegen 67, 3936 PORSGRUNN, Norway

Per Bakke

R&D Manager

+47 915 42 636

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