Hawaii
Energy Policy Forum > 2002
Articles
Converting Biowaste Into Energy
April 26, 2002
Arca Max Science News
Scientists at the University of California-Riverside are
developing a way of converting so-called wet waste -- such
as sewage sludge and grass clippings -- into synthetic diesel
fuel and electricity. They hope it potentially could reduce
the need for landfill space and provide a cost-effective
alternative to increasingly restricted land application.
Colin Hackett, manager of the Alternative Fuels and Renewable
Energy Program at UCR said he hopes to have a scale model
of the new process up and running this month. Wet waste is
difficult to use as a fuel source because technologies require
it be dried before converting in to fuel. By adapting the
hydro-gasification conversion process originally developed
to produce clean-burning gases from coal researchers say
they hope to be able to convert water and carbonaceous waste
feeds into clean burning fuels and electricity. The process
uses high temperature and pressure to produce gases that
can be used for fuel synthesis or electrical power generation.
Leftovers from the process -- fine, inert debris or ash --
could be mixed into such products as asphalt or other construction
materials, Hackett said.
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