In a world with a growing population and consumption there is a pressing need to use our resources in the best possible way. This involves reducing the generation of waste, ensuring high-quality recycling and using residual waste for efficient and clean energy generation.
Ramboll is a globally renowned consultant within waste management in general (read more about our resource and waste management services here) and Energy from Waste in particular. This position has been obtained through a long list of successfully completed projects where Ramboll has been responsible for the planning, engineering, procurement and contract management of waste management facilities. Our services include the full range of technical advisory / owner’s engineering / EPCM services which are required to plan, manage and implement a project, inter alia:
- Waste strategy development
- Technology assessments (including gasification, pyrolysis etc.)
- Feasibility studies / business case preparation
- Technical due diligence of projects and technologies
- Site assessment
- Conceptual design and layout
- Risk and opportunity assessment
- Project structuring and procurement planning
- Value engineering
- Preparation of technical specifications and tender documents
- Evaluation of proposals, negotiations and contract closure
- Contract management
- Supervision and inspection during design, construction and commissioning
- Site management and HSE
Our clients include a range of clients working under different organisational structures – from public to PPPs – among them are: Waste management companies (public or private), regional/local governments, developers, central government, banks, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) etc.
Waste to energy facilities
A robust thermal waste-to-energy facility is the cornerstone of most modern waste management systems. A waste-to-energy facility may generate a range of energy outputs: electricity, district heating, steam for industrial processes, desalinated seawater or district cooling. In this way, residual waste – i.e. waste that cannot be recycled in an economic or environmentally beneficial way – can become a resource by turning it into energy for the benefit of people, businesses, countries and the environment.
A waste-to-energy facility can therefore be a valuable local source of secure, stable and climate-friendly energy. It will substitute fossil fuels and contribute to national energy self-sufficiency and will in many cases fully eliminate the need for landfilling.
World-class waste-to-energy consultancy
Ramboll is recognised as one of the world’s leading waste-to-energy engineering consultant.
In Ramboll we have worked on waste-to-energy projects in 45 countries, providing consulting services for 155 new units and retrofits, with a combined operational capacity of more than 12 million tonnes a year.
We have 60 dedicated waste-to-energy project managers and specialists with in-depth knowledge of processes, technologies, suppliers and facility operation. In addition, we have 1,500 experts capable of supporting within associated aspects of waste-to-energy projects including: power engineering, civil works, waste and energy planning, district heating, district cooling, desalination, EIA and authority liaison.
Our knowledge and experience of how to best plan, procure and manage the implementation of waste-to-energy projects, in combination with our detailed technical knowledge of the involved mechanical and electrical equipment, underpins our strong position in the market.
We assist our clients through all phases of the project – from idea to operation – and the combination of our experience and expertise means that we can provide no-learning-curve client support at every step of the project.
We assist the future facility owners and operators in the planning, design and procurement of facilities. Subsequently, we supervise and manage the implementation of the projects on behalf of our clients. We can assist in the establishment of waste-to-energy facilities under different contracting structures. On EPC contracts we act as the Owner’s Engineer. On facilities procured using several contracts we act as EPCM (Engineering Procurement Contract Management) consultant. On PPPs we provide technical and project management support to public waste management authorities in the planning, procurement and implementation of the transactions. On operational facilities we provide asset management advisory services tailor made for waste-to-energy facilities.
We also offer the software program, BIOMA, with which it is possible to determine the fossil CO2 emission based on existing measurements. In addition, BIOMA can be used for the supervision of the plant process.
Read more about BIOMA here.
Anaerobic digestion of waste
Where communities have opted for the segregation of organic waste from businesses or households, the establishment of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) will normally be part of the waste management system. In recent years, organic waste has furthermore become a very important raw material for boosting biogas production from both manure and sewage sludge. Biogas can be used locally for the generation of electricity and heat or it can be upgraded for injection into the natural gas network and/or utilised as a transport fuel.
In Ramboll we have many years of experience from successful implementation of anaerobic digestion projects based on a range of inputs like organic waste, manure or sewage sludge , and our technical experts are well experienced in handling the specific challenges that arise when using organic waste for the production of biogas.
Read more about our anaerobic digestion/biogas services here.
Pre-treatment and material recovery facilities
Countries, communities and companies strive to use resources in the best possible way. Sorting at source and/or in Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) are means of achieving this goal through increased recycling. The key challenges are to generate products which are truly valuable, and to be able to deal with the variations in the received input stream and health and safety issues.
Many projects include a material recovery facility as part of an integrated solution. At Ramboll, we know the challenges a material recovery facility has to tackle in order to be a stable and high performing facility that delivers recyclable products of the right quality.
