RDF: From Waste to Resource – The Italian Case

AbstractSRF – Solid recovered fuel - represents the evolution of RDF (refuse derived fuel) and can be the key to the revival of the energetic use of the portion of municipal and special waste which is not recycled as raw material. RDF is classified and defined by a series of technical standards issued by the European Community, which aims to facilitate the marketing of these fuels with particular reference to the production of electrical energy (and hence also thermal) and the manufacture of cement in replacement of traditional fossil fuels.In Italy about 30 million tons of municipal waste and nearly 130 million tons of other waste is produced. Excluding hazardous waste and the recycled portion, the remaining waste can be used for the production of RDF.Not less important for environmental purposes is the assessment of the content of renewable energy present in RDF in variable proportion (in relation to the waste of origin) and that certainly gives a significant contribution to achieving the objectives of the Directive 28/09.In Italy RDF has been transposed in national legislation since 2010 (D.lgs.205) and, subsequently developed for the provision of specific application of the procedure “End of Waste”.The memory aims to provide an update of the technical legislative framework of reference for this type of fuels and deal with scenarios of possible development