Comments on: World's First Trash-Powered Electric Garbage Truck http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/ What is the future of fuel? What's new? What's next? Since 2007, Gas 2 has covered a rapidly changing world coming to terms with its oil addiction. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:57:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Josh Nielsen http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-8640 Josh Nielsen Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:44:33 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-8640 I agree with BBAC, but I'd use an AEROBIC digester. According to a book I was reading, an aerobic compost system can completely remove any disease organisms even in human fecal matter, giving you a rich, black soil that feeds plants and doesn't get anybody sick. That way, anything that was once alive can be put right back into the farms. Then we can reuse or recycle everything else--plastic gets melted down and reused, metal does the same...and hey, local recycling centers could just gather the material, then send it off someplace else. Of course, that would be helped a lot if people just stop thinking of trash generation as a linear process. Buy food, eat food, throw out wrappers, poop out food, send poop down the rail--the cycle should be grow food, sell/buy food, eat food, poop out food, compost poop, fertilize soil, grow food, sell/buy food... However, I do also agree with Bryan. It's better to use the incinerator to produce electricity than to just run it. I'd just prefer taking it down. I agree with BBAC, but I’d use an AEROBIC digester. According to a book I was reading, an aerobic compost system can completely remove any disease organisms even in human fecal matter, giving you a rich, black soil that feeds plants and doesn’t get anybody sick. That way, anything that was once alive can be put right back into the farms. Then we can reuse or recycle everything else–plastic gets melted down and reused, metal does the same…and hey, local recycling centers could just gather the material, then send it off someplace else.

Of course, that would be helped a lot if people just stop thinking of trash generation as a linear process. Buy food, eat food, throw out wrappers, poop out food, send poop down the rail–the cycle should be grow food, sell/buy food, eat food, poop out food, compost poop, fertilize soil, grow food, sell/buy food…

However, I do also agree with Bryan. It’s better to use the incinerator to produce electricity than to just run it. I’d just prefer taking it down.

]]> By: Josh Nielsen http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-31074 Josh Nielsen Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:44:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-31074 I agree with BBAC, but I'd use an AEROBIC digester. According to a book I was reading, an aerobic compost system can completely remove any disease organisms even in human fecal matter, giving you a rich, black soil that feeds plants and doesn't get anybody sick. That way, anything that was once alive can be put right back into the farms. Then we can reuse or recycle everything else--plastic gets melted down and reused, metal does the same...and hey, local recycling centers could just gather the material, then send it off someplace else. Of course, that would be helped a lot if people just stop thinking of trash generation as a linear process. Buy food, eat food, throw out wrappers, poop out food, send poop down the rail--the cycle should be grow food, sell/buy food, eat food, poop out food, compost poop, fertilize soil, grow food, sell/buy food... However, I do also agree with Bryan. It's better to use the incinerator to produce electricity than to just run it. I'd just prefer taking it down. I agree with BBAC, but I’d use an AEROBIC digester. According to a book I was reading, an aerobic compost system can completely remove any disease organisms even in human fecal matter, giving you a rich, black soil that feeds plants and doesn’t get anybody sick. That way, anything that was once alive can be put right back into the farms. Then we can reuse or recycle everything else–plastic gets melted down and reused, metal does the same…and hey, local recycling centers could just gather the material, then send it off someplace else.

Of course, that would be helped a lot if people just stop thinking of trash generation as a linear process. Buy food, eat food, throw out wrappers, poop out food, send poop down the rail–the cycle should be grow food, sell/buy food, eat food, poop out food, compost poop, fertilize soil, grow food, sell/buy food…

However, I do also agree with Bryan. It’s better to use the incinerator to produce electricity than to just run it. I’d just prefer taking it down.

]]> By: BBAC http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-8639 BBAC Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:21:21 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-8639 Even with the "best" scrubbers and filters, incineration is a dirty and outdated technology. The fly ash which collected in the chimneys typically contains extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, dioxins and other highly toxic substances. The only substance more toxic to mammals than dioxins, is radioactive material such as plutonium. The same EFW result can be achived by replacing incinerators with anaerobic digesters which also produce a useful end-product; garden-ready compost instead of a toxic by-product that then has to be landfilled under special conditions (not illegally spread on allotments as with the Byker scandal in Newcastle). Anaerobic digestion is well proven as a technology and has been in use around the world for more than 20 years. New improved technology has also reduced the size of the composters dramatically - see: http://www.bioplex.co.uk for examples. Even with the “best” scrubbers and filters, incineration is a dirty and outdated technology. The fly ash which collected in the chimneys typically contains extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, dioxins and other highly toxic substances. The only substance more toxic to mammals than dioxins, is radioactive material such as plutonium.

The same EFW result can be achived by replacing incinerators with anaerobic digesters which also produce a useful end-product; garden-ready compost instead of a toxic by-product that then has to be landfilled under special conditions (not illegally spread on allotments as with the Byker scandal in Newcastle).

Anaerobic digestion is well proven as a technology and has been in use around the world for more than 20 years. New improved technology has also reduced the size of the composters dramatically – see: http://www.bioplex.co.uk for examples.

]]> By: BBAC http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-31073 BBAC Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:21:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-31073 Even with the "best" scrubbers and filters, incineration is a dirty and outdated technology. The fly ash which collected in the chimneys typically contains extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, dioxins and other highly toxic substances. The only substance more toxic to mammals than dioxins, is radioactive material such as plutonium. The same EFW result can be achived by replacing incinerators with anaerobic digesters which also produce a useful end-product; garden-ready compost instead of a toxic by-product that then has to be landfilled under special conditions (not illegally spread on allotments as with the Byker scandal in Newcastle). Anaerobic digestion is well proven as a technology and has been in use around the world for more than 20 years. New improved technology has also reduced the size of the composters dramatically - see: http://www.bioplex.co.uk for examples. Even with the “best” scrubbers and filters, incineration is a dirty and outdated technology. The fly ash which collected in the chimneys typically contains extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, dioxins and other highly toxic substances. The only substance more toxic to mammals than dioxins, is radioactive material such as plutonium.

The same EFW result can be achived by replacing incinerators with anaerobic digesters which also produce a useful end-product; garden-ready compost instead of a toxic by-product that then has to be landfilled under special conditions (not illegally spread on allotments as with the Byker scandal in Newcastle).

Anaerobic digestion is well proven as a technology and has been in use around the world for more than 20 years. New improved technology has also reduced the size of the composters dramatically – see: http://www.bioplex.co.uk for examples.

]]> By: Brian Gorski http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-8638 Brian Gorski Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:02:17 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-8638 If the trash would have been incinerated anyway, then I say they're actually getting triple use out of it. 1.) The Garbage truck is no longer spewing fumes from the tailpipe since it's charged by this 2.) 10 Megawatt get pumped back in to the grid 3.) The trash gets reduced. Now since they're not spewing fumes in to the air, and they're not using coal to generate the electricity, and the waste may have been incinerated anyway, I call it a hat-trick Is this where I call out "Yahtzee!?" :) If the trash would have been incinerated anyway, then I say they’re actually getting triple use out of it.

1.) The Garbage truck is no longer spewing fumes from the tailpipe since it’s charged by this

2.) 10 Megawatt get pumped back in to the grid

3.) The trash gets reduced.

Now since they’re not spewing fumes in to the air, and they’re not using coal to generate the electricity, and the waste may have been incinerated anyway, I call it a hat-trick

Is this where I call out “Yahtzee!?” :)

]]> By: Brian Gorski http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-31072 Brian Gorski Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-31072 If the trash would have been incinerated anyway, then I say they're actually getting triple use out of it. 1.) The Garbage truck is no longer spewing fumes from the tailpipe since it's charged by this 2.) 10 Megawatt get pumped back in to the grid 3.) The trash gets reduced. Now since they're not spewing fumes in to the air, and they're not using coal to generate the electricity, and the waste may have been incinerated anyway, I call it a hat-trick Is this where I call out "Yahtzee!?" :) If the trash would have been incinerated anyway, then I say they’re actually getting triple use out of it.

1.) The Garbage truck is no longer spewing fumes from the tailpipe since it’s charged by this

2.) 10 Megawatt get pumped back in to the grid

3.) The trash gets reduced.

Now since they’re not spewing fumes in to the air, and they’re not using coal to generate the electricity, and the waste may have been incinerated anyway, I call it a hat-trick

Is this where I call out “Yahtzee!?” :)

]]> By: michaelBryant http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-8637 michaelBryant Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:29:42 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-8637 I think turning trash to fuel by the F.T. process is better. IF going burn it A gasification process is the cleanest way to go. I think turning trash to fuel by the F.T. process is better. IF going burn it A gasification process is the cleanest way to go.

]]> By: michaelBryant http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-31071 michaelBryant Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:29:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-31071 I think turning trash to fuel by the F.T. process is better. IF going burn it A gasification process is the cleanest way to go. I think turning trash to fuel by the F.T. process is better. IF going burn it A gasification process is the cleanest way to go.

]]> By: Stan Wellaway http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-8636 Stan Wellaway Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:58:11 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-8636 As I understand it, 96% of the trash collected by this truck gets taken out of the mix and recycled. Only the remainder is burned, and the incinerator is fitted with the very latest scrubbers and filters to clean up its emissions. Incidentally, Smith have been making electric vehicles for about 90 years, in which time they've quietly shipped tens of thousands of them. Take a look at the Case Studies page on their website http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com to see some of the various uses to which the latest few hundred have been put. As I understand it, 96% of the trash collected by this truck gets taken out of the mix and recycled. Only the remainder is burned, and the incinerator is fitted with the very latest scrubbers and filters to clean up its emissions.

Incidentally, Smith have been making electric vehicles for about 90 years, in which time they’ve quietly shipped tens of thousands of them. Take a look at the Case Studies page on their website http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com to see some of the various uses to which the latest few hundred have been put.

]]> By: Stan Wellaway http://gas2.org/2009/02/23/worlds-first-trash-powered-electric-garbage-truck/#comment-31070 Stan Wellaway Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:58:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=1808#comment-31070 As I understand it, 96% of the trash collected by this truck gets taken out of the mix and recycled. Only the remainder is burned, and the incinerator is fitted with the very latest scrubbers and filters to clean up its emissions. Incidentally, Smith have been making electric vehicles for about 90 years, in which time they've quietly shipped tens of thousands of them. Take a look at the Case Studies page on their website http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com to see some of the various uses to which the latest few hundred have been put. As I understand it, 96% of the trash collected by this truck gets taken out of the mix and recycled. Only the remainder is burned, and the incinerator is fitted with the very latest scrubbers and filters to clean up its emissions.

Incidentally, Smith have been making electric vehicles for about 90 years, in which time they’ve quietly shipped tens of thousands of them. Take a look at the Case Studies page on their website http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com to see some of the various uses to which the latest few hundred have been put.

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