Tactical Biomass Refineries Head To Iraq
Posted on Mar 13, 08 10:18 AM PDT
Tactical biomass refineries is just a fancy name to describe a device that turns trash into electricity. A ton of trash offers up to 20 hours of power which is more than enough to light up a small village. This sounds interesting, but will transporting these 4-ton behemoths to Iraq actually result in a larger carbon footprint in total?
The novel machines were built by defense contractors and Purdue University scientists as part of the Army's push to reduce troops' diesel fuel use in Iraq, where convoys are frequently targeted by insurgents. Nate Mosier, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering who is overseeing the work at Purdue, said the refineries are unique in their ability to burn multiple fuels at once. They're also portable, designed to fit snugly into a standard shipping container. The trash-to-energy process begins when unfiltered garbage is fed into a chute, falling into a grinder that chews the trash into small pieces. Organic food waste heads to a bioreactor where an industrial fermenting process produces ethanol. In another chamber, plastic, cardboard and other trash items are heated to create low-grade propane or methane. Those gases and the ethanol are then combusted in the refinery's modified diesel engine, which powers a 60-kilowatt generator.
Your Comments
Comments will be published immediately if you use a Disqus, Facebook or Twitter account. Anonymous comments will be moderated.
Legacy Comments
By Ken , 14/03/08 4:52 AM (CommentID #556484)
An interesting concept, no doubt at a high price per kwh. However, if it can be twerked in Iraq, and made available to the U.S, does it have potential?
On the negative side I wonder about the pollution caused by burning plastics without an elaborate scrubber system. What 'waste produce' does it, itself, produce?
On the positive side it would seem to have potential for high waste producing sites, such as large hotels and apartment buildings. They might dispose of much of their trash, on site, yet still produce some of their own power, at the same time.
I also wonder how much of this is plastic water bottles, which would be burned rather than recycled. I've read something like 60% of recycled #1 & #2 coded plastics end up as carpeting.
Worth exploring, but eventually comes down to bangs for the bucks.
Featured Posts
Top Stories
Nvidia fighting Intel with...humor?
Brainwave Sofa knows what you are thinking
Windows 7 smashes Microsoft sales records
Motorola Droid Review
Dell Adamo XPS hands-on and final pricing
eStarling 802.11n Touchscreen Connected Frame
Bring TIM targets business meetings
Novation Launchpad unveiled
Microsoft Courier user interface in action
Advertisement
