I agree in principle, tekochip. Many of these alternative fuel facilities are being planned to take advantage of "waste" energy of various kinds produced onsite. But whether the fuel being produce can be used to power the site depends on the value of it as sold vs its value to power the plant. Often, as in pyrolysis, there are several products, one of which is sold for a profit, and others--such as escaped steam or some residues--that can be used inhouse to power the plant, or that can be sold externally as other forms of fuel.
The article mentions that the oil was used as fuel for the incinerator but didn't give any details about how much energy was recovered vs. how much energy is used. Wouldn't it be great if it was self-sustaining.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, bobjengr. I agree---sometimes all it takes to get an industry moving is one major player making the effort to show others it's possible.
I think with Dow Chemical and Klean Industries coming forward with this joint effort, other companies will realize that recycling is a great approach to aiding our environment and keeping the planet "green". Both have excellent track records using this proven technology. The fact there is a positive economic element to recycling should prove that an ROI is possible if enough development is done in finding the right processes. I certainly applaud their efforts.
Gorski, many of the systems designed with these technologies--gasification, pyrolysis--are devised to capture and reuse the various forms of "waste" energy (steam, gases, etc.) to power the plant itself, or to sell that "waste" energy to other plants nearby making other things, such as cement kilns. Obviously, this requires locating infrastructure with such uses in mind. The vast majority of plastic-to-fuel energy recovery methods have been designed specifically to be profitable enterprises.
While this sounds like a grreat way to eliminate a lot of plasice waste, what does it require in terms of energy input? I am thinking of ethanol. It cost more to make than it returns in lower energy fuel. Will Dow become teh new ADM?
While this sounds like a grreat way to eliminate a lot of plasice waste, what does it require in terms of energy input? I am thinking of ethanol. It cost more to make than it returns in lower energy fuel. Will Dow become teh new ADM?
And, what about the burn off from the fuel when it's used? Most of the pollution we produce is from using fuel, in cars, factories, etc. This process is a good step forward but what about the next step?
Just read that bridge story...yes that is pretty impressive! I am really enjoying your stories about this topic, look forward to more. It's an important space to cover not just technologically, but also ecologically and, on some levels, ethically.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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