[GreenYes] Re: Garbage to energy

["David Biddle" <Dbiddle@no.address>]

Title: Re: [GreenYes] Garbage to energy

On Radio Times here in Philly today, same thing. Two experts on biofuels talking about the problems with grain production concluding that the best source is waste material.

See April 24, 2008 first hour of the show: http://www.whyy.org/91FM/radiotimes.html

I got into this field through all my energy research on combustion and chemical conversion technologies surrounding waste and industrial byproducts back in the early 1980s. My conclusion then was that as long as oil prices stayed below $50 a barrel it was all a moot point. Fasten your seat belts. Today’s tissue grade may be tomorrow’s composite syn-fuel. Let the markets decide?

David
-- 
David Biddle, Executive Director
<http://www.gpcrc.com>
Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council
P.O. Box 4037
Philadelphia, PA 19118

215-247-3090 (desk)
215-432-8225 (cell)



on 4/24/08 2:55 PM, amy perlmutter at amy@no.address wrote:

> From oregon public broadcasting, http://news.opb.org/article/study-finds-garbage-fuel-best-fit-nw/
>
> Study Finds Garbage-To-Fuel Best Fit For NW
>
> By Tom Banse
>
> Olympia, WA  March 17, 2008 8:39 a.m.
>
> Northwest biodiesel and ethanol production is on the rise.  But most of the raw materials for our biofuels still come from far away.
>
> Midwestern corn and soybeans, for example, or canola oil from Canada.  A new study by the Pacific Northwest National Lab suggests the path to truly “homegrown” fuel might lead to the garbage dump.
>
>
> Six researchers at the National Lab in Richland, Washington investigated how a regional biofuels industry could sustain itself without resorting to imported feedstocks.
>
> Dennis Stiles: “We were a bit surprised to discover that the resource was a bit smaller than our intuition would have told us.”
>
> Lead study author Dennis Stiles says farmers have no incentive to switch to oilseeds right now given the current high prices for food crops.
>
> Dennis Stiles: “Municipal and industrial solid waste turns out to be one of the most prominent products available. It has the additional charm of already being collected and transported to central locations.”
>
> Stiles says pretty much everything in your garbage except the metal and glass can be chemically converted into liquid fuel.  He says the technology to do that exists, but needs further refinement.
>
> The study calculated that the Northwest could eventually meet 10 to 12 percent of its annual fuel demand from garbage we now throw out.