Glossary and abbreviations

A fuel made wholly or partially from industrial byproducts obtained as a result of transforming plant or animal material.

Produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. It contains a high proportion of methane (50%) and thus has a high calorific and energy potential. In our industries, gas is produced in landfills, methane production units and the sludge digesters of wastewater treatment plants. It must be collected to prevent pollution and environmental damage, specifically odors and heightened greenhouse effect. Biogas can be recovered and used as a renewable energy in place of fossil fuel.

Bioreaction accelerates the production of landfill gas by recovering leachate and reincorporating it into the waste mass. Adding moisture and nutrients to the bacteria at work in the mass accelerates the breakdown process, facilitating the recovery of methane usable for energy.
Collecting and recovering methane offers both environmental and economic advantages: it reduces methane's greenhouse effect and is a significant source of energy.

Bottom ash is the slag and solid residue left after waste combustion and recovered from the bottom of furnaces. A distinction is made between municipal waste bottom ash and hazardous waste bottom ash. Current regulations divide the former into three categories: recyclable, treatable and storable. "Recyclable" bottom ash that meets specific technical requirements can be used to build roads. Special industrial waste bottom ash is treated in landfills or recycled in some cases.

Waste from household activities that, because of its volume or weight, is not included in the usual collection system, but needs special handling. For the most part, bulky waste is only an occasional occurrence. It includes:

• used household appliances
• debris
• construction and demolition waste
• green household waste.