Waste not waste

Schwarzenegger may be gone but California continues to trudge heavily on the green energy path. Now it is the turn of human waste to generate energy!

California produced 661,000 dry metric tons of biosolids in 2009, according to the energy commission. Referred to as 'biosolids', these can also include a sludge of heavy metals and other toxins left over from wastewater treatment. While in some cases biosolids can be used as fertilizer for crops, they most often have to be disposed of in landfills.

"Existing options for using biosolids are limited (mainly land application and alternative daily cover in landfills) and face increasing environmental challenges that could eliminate those options," the energy commission noted. "Current disposal practices often involve hauling biosolids long distances, which consumes transportation fuels, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and increases ratepayers' costs for wastewater treatment."

A company now plans to use "steam/carbon dioxide reforming" technology to vaporize liquid residues and gasify the organic solid portion of biosolids in an airlock chamber. The company will pump in steam and carbon dioxide to create a hydrogen-rich gas that could be used in fuel cells to generate electricity.

This is a new experiment, worth watching! Plenty of source material everywhere.