Waste Management

[Jug]

One of the world's most critical problems is that of waste management, industrial and municipal. Being concerned with innovative energy resources, I consider a cellulosic energy technology to be the most promising, the turning of municipal and industrial waste into crude oil and various byproducts. Perhaps there are others here for whom waste management is a concern. Any suggestions most welcomed.

[Greg Bernhardt]

Originally posted by Jug
One of the world's most critical problems is that of waste management, industrial and municipal. Being concerned with innovative energy resources, I consider a cellulosic energy technology to be the most promising, the turning of municipal and industrial waste into crude oil and various byproducts. Perhaps there are others here for whom waste management is a concern. Any suggestions most welcomed.

I agree, Cellulosic Energy Crops are pretty neat. Is this being done anywhere? How many years off are we?

[Jug]

>>How many years off are we??>>

Greg, Hello! Not a matter of time but of determination. The technology itself already perfected some 20 years ago (UK - U of Manchester) and curtailed by the Crown. Good reasons, no doubt, but a reasoning for which I've lost patience. The current destruction by fire in California, which is an environmental issue, has determined me to pull the plug.

UMIST successfully engineered the technology and infrastructure of an anaerobic digestor under high pressure that outputs a high-energy crude oil comparable to North Sea oil drillings. The pilot plant produced 50,000 gallons/day and various byproducts, one of which is sulphur, removed in the process. A succeeding industrial size plant of 200,000 gallons/day was then perfected, but never reached the market. The raw material is municipal and industrial wastes, agricultural wastes and even raw sewage.

No way will we turn the Crown around or the US, which undoubtedly endorsed the cop-out, too much at stake as relevant to world stability. However, the technology and its formulae are known and I see no reason why it could not be developed at the community level on a community scale - at least in the US. We're working on it....

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by Jug
>>How many years off are we??>>

Greg, Hello! Not a matter of time but of determination. Not a matter of time or determination, but a matter of MONEY (and maybe thermodynamics). It certainly isn't economically viable and probably also uses more energy than it saves.

[Jug]

Originally posted by russ_watters
Not a matter of time or determination, but a matter of MONEY (and maybe thermodynamics). It certainly isn't economically viable and probably also uses more energy than it saves.

Yes, it is also a matter of MONEY, which equates with PRODUCTIVITY. That's what makes it all go 'round. But you are greatly mistaken as to viability of the technology. I know of no anaerobic/aerobic energy technology that is not viable....and environment friendly.