Covanta Holding Corporation has commenced construction of its first Total Ash Processing System (TAPS), with operational start-up expected in the second half of 2019. Located in Fairless Hills, Pa., adjacent to Covanta's existing metals processing facility, the first TAPS plant is designed to process more than 400,000 tons of ash from multiple Covanta energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities, recovering previously untapped value from these waste streams.
TAPS is a technology that separates the combined ash from EfW facilities into its component parts. This enables increased recovery of small metal fractions and the recovery of aggregate for reuse as construction material, reducing the volume of ash requiring landfill disposal by as much as 65 percent, according to Covanta.
"We have long viewed ash reuse as a major opportunity to enhance our EfW plant operations while simultaneously opening new markets," said Covanta President and CEO Stephen J. Jones in a statement. "TAPS has tremendous potential to increase the sustainability and economics of our facilities, while generating an attractive return on capital invested in the system. I am excited about this first project and look forward to its success, which we see paving the way for additional TAPS facilities to complement our EfW portfolio."