Sunday, May 10, 2009

Waste to worth!

A comment from the Democrat candidate for the 2009 gubernatorial elections in Virginia caught my eye when I was browsing through few articles to get ideas for my blog. Terry McAuliffe words were, "We can turn not only chicken waste, but all agricultural waste into renewable energy." Even though this may sound almost crass, it makes a truckload of sense. It makes one think about actually how important it is to start thinking about changing wastes into something worthy. A little seriously, that is. It's been said that this technology is going to help nations become energy independent, if not completely, atleast upto an extent. It has to be acknowledged that various amazing techniques are being developed on this front. Thermal methods which are the least popular (apparently) due to their carbon emissions, are being replaced by other environment friendly methods like the ones employing wet sewage sludge, pyrolysis with limited air supply (gasification) etc. The general public tends to have a prejudiced opinion against incineration plants, but it is true that these WtE  (Waste to Energy) plants are four times more regulated then a normal coal power plant. It has been said that EPA makes rules so stringent for this industry that it may as well be called one of the cleanest.

Though the WtE approach may not help in covering a huge part of the nation's energy needs or goals, it sure would be one of those initiatives that would help in a longer run. Let's hope it does!

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