Denmark’s garbage-turned-biofuel to power homes
July 20th, 2011 - 10:55 am ICT by IANSCopenhagen, July 20 (IANS) A Danish city is experimenting on turning household garbage and waste water into biofuel that can power homes and public transport, Xinhua reported.
“Our goal is to change the management of wastewater and household rubbish from a costly problem into a valuable resource for local energy production,” said Thomas Banke, mayor of Fredericia city on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula.
“Rubbish will be turned into gas, which will be sold and become an asset for the (city) council’s budget,” he said.
If the plan succeeds, Fredericia would become the first city in Denmark to turn its waste into a storable and portable biofuel that can eventually be used to run city buses and provide heat for homes.
The venture is a public-private initiative based on a new bio-refining process called REnescience. It was developed by Danish utilities company Dong Energy and enzyme maker Novozymes.
The process involves spinning and heating household rubbish and wastewater in a cylindrical tank, while enzymes that digest the organic components in the mixture are added, Dong Energy said on its website.
After 12 to 20 hours, a brown, combustible biofuel is left over, which can be then refined to produce biogas and bioethanol, heat and electricity.
About 800 kg of waste per hour could be treated and turned into biogas.
Any non-organic waste in the mixture, such as plastic, metal and glass, that are not digested by the enzymes, can be separated from the biofuel and recycled.
- Cow poo may soon power computers! - May 25, 2010
- Soon, human sewage to power thousands of homes - Jun 17, 2009
- Termites could act as low-cost biofuel refinery - Jul 06, 2011
- Could waste be a source of our energy requirements? - Feb 01, 2010
- Mexico City closes world's largest trash dump - Dec 20, 2011
- Mosquitoes produce proteins to fight stress from hot blood meals - Apr 26, 2011
- New biogas technology can save thousands of lives - Apr 26, 2010
- New microwave method recycles used motor oil into fuel - Mar 29, 2011
- Rubbish to provide green fuel for planes by 2014 - Feb 16, 2010
- Seaweed can be an unlimited source of biofuel - Jul 04, 2011
- Waste paper powers futuristic Sony battery - Dec 20, 2011
- Scientists find new way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria - Nov 23, 2010
- Scientists use microbial cultures to convert organic wastes to eco-friendly plastics - May 20, 2009
- US to invest $510 mn in advanced biofuels - Aug 17, 2011
- New technology desalinates water and produces electricity simultaneously - Dec 04, 2010
Tags: banke, city buses, city in denmark, costly problem, cylindrical tank, danish city, energy production, household garbage, household rubbish, jutland, jutland peninsula, local energy, organic components, organic waste, private initiative, refining process, utilities company, waste water, wastewater, xinhua