The rapid accumulation of waste materials worldwide, coupled with the growing scarcity of landfill space, has led to a pressing environmental issue. In response, municipalities and companies are increasingly exploring alternatives to landfilling. One proven solution for managing post-recycling waste—materials with no market value or recovery potential—is thermal treatment to recover energy, commonly known as waste-to-energy (WTE).
On August 24, the Santiago Center organized a workshop focused on the best available WTE technologies for recovering energy and fuels from municipal solid waste, as well as industrial, agricultural, and forestry residues. The event featured presentations by Athanasios Bourtsalas, adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center and manager of Waste to Energy Research and Technology (WTERT-US), and Alex Godoy-Faúndez, Director of Universidad del Desarrollo’s Sustainability Research Center and Strategic Resource Management (CiSGER) and a research associate at Columbia’s Earth Engineering Center. The discussion was moderated by Gonzalo Rivas, President of Chile’s National Council of Innovation For Development (CNID).
Professor Bourtsalas shared insights on how China is adopting stricter waste management technologies, which align with the European Union’s standards under the frameworks of circular economy, industrial ecology, and climate change mitigation.
Professor Godoy presented data on Chile’s waste management landscape, highlighting disinformation as a key challenge. He emphasized Chile’s potential to implement innovative strategies, including co-treatment of non-recyclable and industrial waste. This approach could lead to the production of next-generation fuels like hydrogen, which could be used in public transport systems through dual combustion engines or as energy storage solutions.
For more details, you can download the presentations below:
Professor Bourtsalas's Presentation
Professor Godoy's Presentation
Guidebook for the application of waste to energy technologies in latin america and the caribbean
