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The Gasification Equipment converts waste to a usable synthesis gas, or Syngas.

It is the production of this syngas which makes gasification so different from incineration. In the gasification process, the waste is not a fuel, but a feedstock for a high temperature chemical conversion process.

Instead of producing just heat and electricity, as is done in a waste to energy plant using using incineration, the syngas produced by gasification can be turned into higher value commercial products such as transportation fuels, chemicals, fertilizers, and even substitute natural gas.

While gasification and incineration are both thermal processes, it is important to point out the advantages of gasification over incineration.

Incineration is simply a mass burn technology with heat recovery to produce steam and/or electricity. It has negative connotations because during the direct combustion of the waste, dangerous carcinogenic compounds such as dioxins and furans are formed, which are discharged into the atmosphere.

In contrast, gasification employs the conversion of waste into syngas, which can then be used for generating steam and/or electricity, for producing chemicals for high value products, or for producing liquid fuels.

One of the important advantages of the gasification is that the syngas can be cleaned of contaminants prior to its use, eliminating many of the types of after the fact (post combustion) emission control systems required in incineration plants.

The clean syngas can be used in reciprocating engines or turbines to generate electricity or further processed to produce hydrogen, substitute natural gas, chemicals, fertilizers or transportation fuel.