by Shane Henson — August 3, 2012—Everyday waste has the potential to be a valuable energy source that is not only clean, but abundant and affordable as well, according to the findings of a study conducted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and researchers at the University of Texas at Austin called Residue-Derived Solid Recovered Fuel for Use in Cement Kilns.
The study, completed by Michael Webber, PhD, and his team of university researchers, demonstrated that fuel engineered from non-recycled plastics and other materials could successfully power a cement kiln located in Texas. The research, as shown on a YouTube video, demonstrated that fuel engineered from waste could serve as valuable fuel for not only cement kilns, but potentially for other energy-intensive commercial and industrial operations.
Webber says his research reaffirms the benefits of recovering energy from waste. In the case of the fuel developed and used in the study, the energy content surpassed that of some forms of coal. And Dr. Webber’s team found that if only five percent of unusable materials from recycling facilities were diverted from landfills to energy recovery, it would generate enough energy to power approximately 700,000 American homes annually. At the same time, the reductions in carbon emissions as compared to coal would be equivalent to removing one millions cars from U.S. roads, and there would be significant reductions in sulfur emissions.
“In this case, one person’s trash truly is another person’s treasure. Americans send tons of waste to landfills each and every day, meaning that one of America’s most abundant and affordable sources of energy ends up buried in landfills,” said Cal Dooley, president and CEO of ACC. “It’s time we got smart and made energy recovery a central part of America’s energy strategy.”
ACC advocates for a comprehensive national energy strategy that maximizes all domestic energy resources, with a focus on robust and responsible production of domestic shale gas; improved residential, commercial and industrial energy efficiency; and expanded adoption of energy recovery programs. Each will help meet national energy security, economic and environmental goals while creating value for communities, the organization says.
