A different kind of export!

Britain will start exporting domestic waste converted into fuel pellets to mainland Europe as it struggles to recycle the growing amount of household waste.

The generation of domestic waste seems to have exceeded the capacity of the British municipalities to recycle them. With limited land the solution of landfills is also completely exhausted. Hence the decision to export waste pellets to neighboring countries like Germany and Holland!

Household waste is turned into dense fuel pellets through a series of conversion processes like densification, removal of water and pressing. The resulting pellets can be directly used to generate heat which can then be used directly for heating purposes or convert water into steam to run a steam turbine for power generation.

In developing countries these energy conversion processes have been in use for quite sometime, for instance dried cow dung cakes are used as fuel. While it is illegal to export waste to other countries, through this project the energy value of the resource would be upgraded to a level from which significant benefits can be exploited.

The problem is that burning this fuel source releases carbon emissions. Conversion process of waste to fuel will have to be modified so that net energy content is increased while the potential of carbon emissions decreases.

Of course a simple way to make use of waste is to turn it into manure for unfertile soils!