Comments on: Qu: Can we make our rubbish into fuel? http://whataboutchina.co.uk/2008/08/29/qu-can-we-make-our-rubbish-into-fuel/ Answers to this and other awkward questions about climate change Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:22:34 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Tracey Smith http://whataboutchina.co.uk/2008/08/29/qu-can-we-make-our-rubbish-into-fuel/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Tracey Smith Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:54:11 +0000 http://whataboutchina.co.uk/?p=87#comment-160 Evening all - the issue of mining energy from landfill sites, or converting energy from burned waste in hi-tec plants is one that will keep all the bigwigs busy for years. I'm more concerned with getting everyday folks to see the resource they have under their noses and getting them to convert that into another form of energy - 'black gold' or compost that they can grow a few fruits and vegetables in! Food waste remains an enormous contributor to landfill, despite the best efforts of great campaigns like Love Food Hate Waste and many more. Perhaps the energies of the powers that be might be better invested in helping to encourage and convert the general public across to a bit of simple composting. This could be aided by consistent financial concessions for purchasing bins, with statutory bins built on all new housing developments and serious investment in community allotment schemes to begin with, not to mention getting neighbouring boroughs and councils to share their resources and let more green and food waste in via the doorstep collection schemes. If people get to grips with a little sustainable living, many of our eco-problems could well be kicked into touch. Rubbishly yours, Tracey Smith Author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas www.BookOfRubbishIdeas.co.uk Evening all – the issue of mining energy from landfill sites, or converting energy from burned waste in hi-tec plants is one that will keep all the bigwigs busy for years.

I’m more concerned with getting everyday folks to see the resource they have under their noses and getting them to convert that into another form of energy – ‘black gold’ or compost that they can grow a few fruits and vegetables in!

Food waste remains an enormous contributor to landfill, despite the best efforts of great campaigns like Love Food Hate Waste and many more.

Perhaps the energies of the powers that be might be better invested in helping to encourage and convert the general public across to a bit of simple composting. This could be aided by consistent financial concessions for purchasing bins, with statutory bins built on all new housing developments and serious investment in community allotment schemes to begin with, not to mention getting neighbouring boroughs and councils to share their resources and let more green and food waste in via the doorstep collection schemes.

If people get to grips with a little sustainable living, many of our eco-problems could well be kicked into touch.

Rubbishly yours,
Tracey Smith

Author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas
http://www.BookOfRubbishIdeas.co.uk

]]> By: Simon Evill http://whataboutchina.co.uk/2008/08/29/qu-can-we-make-our-rubbish-into-fuel/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Simon Evill Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:25:29 +0000 http://whataboutchina.co.uk/?p=87#comment-123 Very interesting indeed. Particularly encouraging as materials in landfill will have an increasing commercial value in the future compared with the price of raw materials, not to mention the environmental benefits, which are numerous. A number of organisations are creeping into this area. Have a look also at the U.S Army's 'Tactical Biorefinery' http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=978 , which digests organic and non-organic waste into ethanol, methane and propane. Absolutely ingenious! Very useful for the disaster relief situations, as well as military operations. Surely this technology can be used commercially to create useable fuels from landfill. There is also a microwave technology that coverts plastics into oil and rubber tyres into diesel. One such innovator is Global Resource Corporation (GRC), whose 'Hawk 10' machine can recover oil and gases from a variety of waste materials, oil sands and shales. However, the cleverest part is that gases produced in the conversion process are used to fuel the machine, in a closed loop system of sustainable energy use. See: http://www.globalresourcecorp.com/ Not sure how this might or might not affect the advancement of renewables? Very interesting indeed.

Particularly encouraging as materials in landfill will have an increasing commercial value in the future compared with the price of raw materials, not to mention the environmental benefits, which are numerous. A number of organisations are creeping into this area.

Have a look also at the U.S Army’s ‘Tactical Biorefinery’ http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=978 , which digests organic and non-organic waste into ethanol, methane and propane. Absolutely ingenious!

Very useful for the disaster relief situations, as well as military operations.
Surely this technology can be used commercially to create useable fuels from landfill.

There is also a microwave technology that coverts plastics into oil and rubber tyres into diesel. One such innovator is Global Resource Corporation (GRC), whose ‘Hawk 10′ machine can recover oil and gases from a variety of waste materials, oil sands and shales. However, the cleverest part is that gases produced in the conversion process are used to fuel the machine, in a closed loop system of sustainable energy use. See: http://www.globalresourcecorp.com/

Not sure how this might or might not affect the advancement of renewables?

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