According to data from the European agency EUROSTAT, 13 of the 28 countries in the EU are still dumping more than 50% of their solid urban waste. These are mainly the member states situated in the south and east of the continent. Spain is seventh last in this list, with a dumping level of 251kg per person per year.

Faced with this reality, researchers from the Higher Technical School of Engineering (Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria - ETSI) of the University of Seville have proposed a system which is capable of converting waste in a more controlled manner, and, basically, in two stages: first, the solid is converted to gas in reducing conditions (that is, with the presence of little oxygen), and then the generated gas is burnt very efficiently in specifically optimised equipment.

"The great environmental advantage of this method as opposed to incineration is that in reducing conditions the generation of toxic substances is minimised. The energetic efficiency of the process is, on the other hand, similar to incineration".

The environmental advantage of gasification, therefore, would be to avoid the emission of the equivalent of up to 300 kg of CO2 per ton of solid urban waste treated, while the economic impact would be to increase the rate of management of solid urban waste.

The transformation of the current system of solid urban waste management would mean the fomenting, also, of the sustainable industrial activity necessary for complying with the objectives of the struggle against climate change to which Europe has committed.

Today, Finland has continually experienced this type of industrial activity since 1998, and there have been pilot programmes in Germany, Norway and, above all, the United Kingdom, where the rate of solid urban waste management is significantly higher than in the other countries, "which clearly indicates the interest in promoting energy recovery as a method for managing the fraction of solid urban waste which cannot be recycled".

Research paper

Related Links
University of Seville
Bio Fuel Technology and Application News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

New catalyst turns ammonia into an innovative clean fuel
Kumamoto, Japan (SPX) Apr 30, 2018
Taking measures against climate change and converting into societies that use significant amounts of renewable energy for power are two of the most important issues common to developed countries today. One promising technology in those efforts uses hydrogen (H2) as a renewable energy source. Although it is a primary candidate for clean secondary energy, large amounts of H2 must be converted into liquid form, which is a difficult process, for easier storage and transportation. Among the possible fo ... read more