Pollution
 

With all the talk about saving our world from pollution, cars, etc. Why doesn't anyone stop all the burning? Seems like The Villages has some smoke daily.

Since we’re burning trash for energy we should be doing the same with the removal of trees

When burning trash for energy, minimal exhaust is sent into the air. It is cycled back into the system instead - which is how it becomes energy instead of exhaust.

When burning wood, some becomes heat, and the rest is all exhaust. If you can cycle the exhaust to become energy, then sure - go for it. If not, then it just adds to the air quality (or lack thereof).

Sure not you’re neighbors burning in there Chimenea or fire pit?

In both cases the products of combustion are mostly exhausted to the atmosphere
 

As stated in the Title, in both incineration and burning trees, the products of combustion are exhausted to the atmosphere.

The main difference is that in an incinerator the combustion creates an exhaust stream at high temperature. The heat recovery process produces an energy stream that can generate electricity. There are some pollutants that are removed by scrubbers but essentially all of the other combustion products are exhausted to the atmosphere.

Burning trees in a brush pile exhausts all products of combustion to the atmosphere. The combustion process is not complete and smoke and ash can be released. In addition, since combustion is not contained or controlled, there is no way to recover heat that can be converted into electric power.

If the brush pile material was sent to an incinerator, heat could be recovered and used to generate electric power. The economics most probably would not justify the investment in transportation and additional new incineration and power generation facilities.

I would guess that the income from the Incineration is mainly the disposal fee cost per ton of trash burnt with the sale of power a smaller part of the income.

The main economic difference is that open burning of brush at the construction site is permitted. Open burning of trash is not permitted, Trash must be sent to approved disposal sites at a far distance ( I believe in Georgia) since there were no available closer trash disposal facilities.

As stated in the Title, in both incineration and burning trees, the products of combustion are exhausted to the atmosphere.

The main difference is that in an incinerator the combustion creates an exhaust stream at high temperature. The heat recovery process produces an energy stream that can generate electricity. There are some pollutants that are removed by scrubbers but essentially all of the other combustion products are exhausted to the atmosphere.

Not exactly correct.

Lake | Covanta

Solid Waste Removal, metals etc. are not products of combustion
 

I am not sure what you are referring to when you say "not exactly correct". I addressed the products of combustion since Orange Blossom Baby stated that they were captured/reduced in the power generation equipment. This is not correct. The heat recovery only removes heat and turns it into steam which in turn powers a steam turbine to generate electric power. All of the combustion gases are then exhausted to the atmosphere at a lower temperature.
If you are referring to the removed non combusted solids, I did not refer to that. The non combusted materials, bottom ash, etc. from the incinerator are further processed in a separate group of equipment and some are recycled but nothing is removed in the power generation equipment other than some minor amounts of solids in the incinerator scrubber.

If I did not hit your point please tell me what was not correct. TIA

seems like there is smoke everyday
 

I have livedin theVillages for 17years and honestly have no memory of having smoke or anything else in the air

Agreed, I smell smoke on a daily basis. I feel it's neighbours who have an open pit fire. Really bad for the atmosphere, but especially for our lungs. Absolutely carcinogenic.Where I also live in Canada it's an illegal practice.

We’re we lived there was no burning aloud what so ever.I think TV controls it all,It would cost them more to either dump it in a land fill or rent or buy a large chipper and make mulch.

Are we talking about burning yard waste or just having a fire pit for ambiance and smores? Do people really have a problem with a little fire pit smoke? I love the smell of wood smoke from a fireplace or pit.

Smoke
 

Smoke is caused by any moisture contained in the burning wood. Imagine dry wood in central Florida. Is there any?

Burning
 

Could be a controlled burn to prevent major forest fires.

We have often had heavy smoke from land clearing traveling to our area. Less so now that the building has moved farther south. It is air pollution for sure. A wood chipper would be far better way for disposing of trees that builders can remove but we cannot. Big business rules. We do not.

An occasional fire pit here & there being used for an hour or two is no where near the same issue

I assume we all know burning brush, trees, and such is natural, as are the byproducts. Long before humans, things burned until fuel ran out or the rains came. "Pollution"? Burning tires, plastics, chemicals, etc., that aren't naturally occurring and the byproducts is different. As long as I don't live near a long-term burn pit, idc. Brush burning of cleared land for building (i.e. one-off burns), shrug.

This is controlled burning around The Villages, not a fire pit. When you are at Volusia you can see the burning in the distance. Some days The Villages is protected by the wind direction.

Why would they continue to push carbon emissions but allow this smoke that covers miles of pollution that effects hundreds of people? Seems very hypocritical.

Just Wait
 

Just wait till muck fire season rolls in. Mostly natural gas accumulation from decaying vegetation that burns underground caused by spontaneous combustion. Nothing man made, but don’t tell that to the extremists. They will just come around for another nutty idea.

Not sure what this post means, but trees are important for the environment, so I would NOT be in favor of tree removal in general. When necessary for building homes, I would then like to see trees planted - perhaps in golf courses.

Fires in Canada
 

Wow, I didn't know it was illegal for fires in Canada. When will they all be arrested? In Wisconsin (Upper Midwest) this past spring and summer we had breathing problems and hazardous condition warnings from all the Canadian wildfires. If you walked outside, you could see the smoke, smell the smoke, and even taste the smoke from the fires. Yes the fires were caused by poor management like the California fires, but hey, a law is a law.

Burning
 

Unfortunately when you are in a continuous building phase such as the Villages has been for 40 years clearing land and burning brush and debris is just part of the process. I doubt any smoke you may see is from anyone's yard or personal property.
The relocation of families and people from other states to Florida looks like it too will not be slowing down either so better get use to a little smoke now and again.

Nothing smells as nice as a wood burning campfire. I heated with wood when I lived in Vermont, and from October to May, the smell of the smoke coming from the chimney was so enjoyable and relaxing.

I asked a landscaper taking down a neighbors tree, who took away several trailers full of debris, what he did with all the yard waste. He said he has a huge pit on his property where he discards everything. About once per week, when the pit gets full, he burns everything. Think about all the landscapers working throughout the villages every day trimming shrubs, trees, etc… That’s a lot of vegetation that goes up in smoke. Occasionally we get a very strong smell of thick smoke where we live, usually it starts a couple hours after dark. That corresponds to when the landscapers get home from work and empty their trailers of debris and have to burn to make room for the next day’s haul. There is no doubt the smoke we encounter is not from a neighbors small fire ring.

Canadian wildfires? Canadian Wildland Fire Information System

No doubt that the heavy smell of burning wood is coming from construction sites. I have seen these fires. Most of the time, they burn them at night so no one knows where they are coming from but I do not think it matters because I have seen them burning during the day too. Burning wood produces particle pollution, a mixture of gases and fine particles. Smoke may smell good but is not good for you. These particles can get into your eyes and respiratory system, triggering asthma attacks. A risk for people who have copd and heart disease. Obviously, no one cares, after all, we are just a bunch of old people who are going to die anyway.

That is a good law.

Not everybody does because there are individual differences in tolerance for smoke.

People have different tolerances for smoke.

Enjoyable, relaxing, and who cares that it may be carcinogenic?

Enjoyable, relaxing, and carcinogenic.

Yeah I was just curious what the thread was about. Seems it's not about firepit/smoker issues. I'm guessing that all depends on the neighbors. I hope my neighbors like brisket and smoke because there will be 12 hours of smoke. :D

Older people VOTE and have money, so maybe people would pay attention if we had an old people's union?

That's the spirit we like, one of compromise and neighborly love.

I've lived in The Villages for several years (not as long as you though) and have only smelled smoke in the air once which lasted a couple of hours.

I knew someone would mention the forest fires. So you think those are legal? What does it have to do with what I said in my post? And surely you know US had MANY forest fires too this summer right? Or does your news only bitch about Canadian ones?

Wow, that explains it.

Correct. Much ado about nothing.

The Villages legally burns it all down!

I am assuming if you are smelling it, WELCOME to the "new center" of T V is in order.

Try residing in New Delhi during the winter when the locals burn manure patties for heat and the smoke is so thick they often divert airline flights due to the dense smog. The smell is so bad that you can smell it inside the plane when landing, if they allow it to land. We've come a long way since car exhaust fumes used to cause nausea when traveling through our cities.

Chances are that one fire probably outs out much less carbon emissions than your idol Al Gore flying his private jet to a global warming convention or Greta’s private yacht delivering her to her next protest.

Yes, because "older people" are really concerned about a bit of wood smoke, and their healthy lifestyle. That's why there aren't any fast food restaurants in or near the Villages. Nope, none at all. C'mon people, you can't live forever no matter what you do to protect yourself. Isn't living to 100 enough to shoot for? I would rather enjoy the smell of burning wood than the smell of sewage from the nearby treatment site when the breeze shifts in my direction. But, even that is only an occasional occurrence. :mornincoffee: