Introduction to Page
We are facing some very real issues with our waste, our energy and our future, so we are going to open up some thoughts for everyone's benefit. On this page, we are simply pointing out that continuing to swallow resources at this rate in the way we have is as I believe NOT POSSIBLE.
So this page will take some understanding and in some cases explain what all should know as far as some current efforts and some "unwanted" results of some of our environmental issues.
Knowledge is power and we need to question how and where it is used,
as we have others that live here that count on us.
We will have sections on energy, waste, and water. We hope that this information may cause the reader to look at what our population is doing and become
more involved as we share this one and only planet.
Waste to Energy
We should not approach the question of protecting Earth simply by looking for answers elsewhere on the planet for sources and supplies to produce the things we desire or the energy we need. We should instead look within ourselves and that which we do not need, a detailed look should be on the subject of Waste to Energy - A Zero Emission Process.
The Idea is simple, we take the thousands of tons of waste as our fuel source, let this be our answer and eliminate the need for distant fuel sources and materials.
Every Major city makes the fuel right here at our feet.
Municipal waste to Energy is not new on the idea of creating electrical energy and heat for Northern cities. Years ago Garbage incinerators were abundant and reduced the load on the landscape. However they were vary harmful to the Environment. Lets fast forward from pre 1975 to today and the fact that we can do this same idea with no Emissions and at the same time we produce the following results in the center of each major city where this can be applied.
- Reduce our Hazardous Waste Disposal Need by 25%
- Create Electrical Energy for Local Use
- Reduce our Landfill use by 75%
- Create a Re-Usable Product (Bio-Char)
- Create Waste Heat for local bushiness to use to heat buildings nearby.
The challenge of waste to energy conversion
Listen to our Top 10 chart
Despite seeming counterintuitive, waste from landfills that generate methane (CH4), when burned, will only generate CO2, a greenhouse gas with 56 times less global warming potential (GWP, IPCC).
The basic energy recovery process consists of burning waste to heat water for use as heating, or sending its steam to a turbine to obtain a negligible fraction of the energy that it cost to generate the waste. It is not efficient, but at least it is less polluting than the landfill site.
Innovations in the sustainable conversion of waste into energy
Although waste is not only burned. Relatively new innovations and processes like those below, have increased the efficiency of energy recovery systems:
- Thermal gasification. Technology that converts any carbon-based material into combustible gas.
- Waste pyrolysis. Heat degradation of a substance in the absence of oxygen without setting off combustion reactions. Gases, liquids and combustible solids are obtained.
- Anaerobic digestion of sludge. Usually seen in treatment plants, but also in landfills. It is a microbial fermentation that produces combustible biogas and digested sludge
- Landfill gas recovery. This process captures the gases generated in landfills for subsequent combustion.
The global system has generated a scenario in which burning waste to obtain combustible materials to burn later is a better option; although the focus should be on reducing waste and maximizing recycling.
Practical cases of cities that burn their rubbish
Analyzed by the percentage of municipal waste burned, Japan (75%), Denmark (67%), Belgium (48%), Switzerland (47%) and the United Kingdom (42%) are at the top of the list. But there are cities that stand out for the volume of waste processed or their contribution to the city’s mix.
- The Spittelau waste incineration plant in Vienna, burns 250,000 tons per year to generate 500 GWh of heat and 60 GWh of electricity.
- The Maishima Incineration Plant in Osaka, located on an artificial island ‘reclaimed’ from the sea, is a 32 MWp Its artistic design attracts 12,000 visitors each year.
- Hidden underground in the Parisian suburb, three miles from the Eiffel Tower, the Isséane Incineration Plant is capable of burning half a million tons per year.
- In Minneapolis, the Hennepin incineration plant processes 27% of the county’s waste.
- In Copenhagen, the Amager Bakke/Copenhill incineration plant hopes to be integrated into the metropolitan landscape while it burns 440,000 tons per year and heats 150,000 homes.
Energy recovery is used across the world by hundreds of cities. In Europe, around 500 plants of this sort emit around 52 million tons of CO2 each year. However, there is expected to be a drop in usage as new urban waste taxes come into force levied on what is generated.
In regions such as China, global leaders in energy recovery, and a country that continues to open new plants, they are trying to solve the original problem with a waste reduction policy, often resulting in planned stoppages. Resource Page
Should we Do This
Just because we can do something, does not mean we should do it. There are classic examples of processes that sound really cool and could be affective, however that does not mean that the technology applies in every application. This does not mean that the "Cool, Green, Latest" technology does not have long term potential for destroying our planet or unforeseen health effects. What technology has achieved in the last 300 years is but a blink in the eye of the lifetime of the Earth. More Here- Coming Soon
Energy Concerns and options
Traditional
Traditional
Traditional
I really question this current fuel process as a primary energy and material supply. What happens if the planet needs this lubricant and we remove to much of it.
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Green
Traditional
Traditional
I wish I was the marketing guy that came up with "Green". Please understand that wind, wave, solar are not green, they are
Alternative energy sources.
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Renewables
Traditional
Renewables
See the trees in the picture?, these are renewable, we can grow more and remove carbon from the clean the air too. This is why we use the term Alternative.
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Can we Talk About This like Normal People would
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles
Radiobob does not give a hoot in hell if you buy a Electric Car Willingly. You can drive whatever you want, but if you think that by buying one , that you might be saving the planet - Read This.
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Water
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles
Some of our water is drinkable, that means the rest of it is in the ocean, and if wee keep dumping stuff into that or change our environment too much, we won't have to worry about any thing else again.
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Energy
Electric Vehicles
Energy
We can solve some issues with technologies which produce energy. This does not mean eliminating the industry, it means rethinking how it interacts and reduces the dependence on things Oil.
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