Waste to Energy

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Comment by Jay Rosenberg on October 9, 2009 at 10:22pm

Whats gonna happen when we extract diesel, biofuels from Coal using either plasma gassification, or genetically engineered bugs.

Answer - The bigs get richer, until the tadpoles introduce renewable energy systems that are cheap. such as RET sannerwind@gmail.com

Comment by James Tracy on October 9, 2009 at 7:28pm

Howdy Jeff, I will agree with all you said, but we must start somewhere. Personally, I believe that fusion research took a wrong turn down a dead end theory long ago. The only way to really learn, is to do it. Books, theory, do not compare to hands on knowledge. Most engineers today rely on autocad simulations too much, they can not see it in thier heads like artists, and draw upon the canvass of the mind. I also know that the landfills in Alaska do not decompose very fast because the ground stays cold. We cannot afford not to be energy independent. Diversity in energy sources, and Research is Key!

Comment by JeffM on October 9, 2009 at 7:14pm

Karl, you get biofuels digest and American Windpower weekly?

Comment by JeffM on October 9, 2009 at 7:11pm

Great Post Karl, I think this economic morass is going to wake a few people from their slumber. Heck, Canada may just decide to use nuclear to develop the tar sands and export the excess power to the US.

Comment by JeffM on October 9, 2009 at 6:20pm

Hi James, Jeff here in Alaska, Did you know that the Obama administration has CANCELLED the US involvement in the closed cycle fission reactor consortium.

Renewable s have their place, but habitat destruction from renewable s such as these massive wind parks has a cost. I hope we as a country see that nuclear fission is a transition source until fusion is developed, which will happen in a decade or two. We spend so much negative energy on what to do we never get anything accomplished. The stimulus and bailout money should have gone straight into infrastructure. The banks are taking us all for a ride.

Comment by Karl Mayr on October 9, 2009 at 6:18pm

Hi Waste to Energy Supporters,

A "Support System" is a major force in any socitial improvement effort.

I refer to a $300M waste uranium recylcing facility nearing completion near Eunice, New Mexico. You may refer to Dr.Ned Elkins who is Carlsbad Operations Manager and WIPP Project Manager for Los Alamos National Laboratories.

He spoke at the recent "Re-Energize, America" conference at NMSU, and talked about recovering 98% of radioactive fuel rod materials using a European Recycling Process. I would Google "Nuclear Materials Enrichment Plant".

You are right James, it will take a lot of different approaches to Alternative Energy to make America the world leader in energy diversification. To think that we have not stanardized nuclear plant designs like the rest of the world show just how far the DOE operations are out of the Mainstream of Energy Leadership. Not ONE nuclear power plant has been built in twenty years.

Pickens Plan is challenging this complacent leadership. Just imagine what the DOE multi-billion dollar budget is, and what kind of "return of investment" we are getting back. It is a joke. Sorry, but it is time for a drastic attitude adjustment in government, but not sorry.

Karl Mayr of Tularosa, NM

Comment by James Tracy on October 9, 2009 at 5:29pm

If you have not watched this video, please do, and pass it on. Thanks

Comment by James Tracy on October 9, 2009 at 5:01pm

While I am very interested in doing work in that area. I firmly believe that we need to create jobs here, and now. 30 - $200mil trash plasmafication plants (using current tech, while adapting my work) will create new jobs in many different areas at once. Increase solar, wind, and geothermal sites, to diversify our power supplys. With trash plasmafication we can be more efficient, and selfsufficient. We need to put more backing into research into thorium light water fission reactors too. We have put our eggs in one basket for too long, which has had alot of adverse effects. If we clean up our emissions, dumps, and distill our water, how much impact would that have on our future.

Comment by Robert Schultz on October 8, 2009 at 12:16pm

Here's a big project for Plasma conversion of Uranium mining waste...

Work to remove uranium waste in Utah picking up
Mike Stark
The Associated Press - 10/7/2009
Aspen, CO Colorado

SALT LAKE CITY — The job of moving 16 million tons of radioactive waste from the shores of the Colorado River in southern Utah is picking up steam.

Since this spring, more than 330,000 tons of uranium tailings have been hauled away from a huge pile near Moab and deposited in disposal pits 30 miles to the north, according to the U.S Department of Energy.

Crews began running two trainloads a day in August, doubling the amount of waste shipped to Crescent Junction each day.

The pace will pick up even more next month with longer trains and bigger containers, Donald Metzler, the project's manager for DOE, said Wednesday.

The work is part of a $1 billion project to clear away a 130-acre heap of waste left behind after the closure of a uranium mill. Officials have long worried that flooding in the area could wash hazardous material into the Colorado River, which provides drinking water for millions of people downstream.

Crews began loading railroad cars in April and hauling the waste to a series of cells at Crescent Junction designed for long-term storage for hazardous waste.

With this summer's addition of a second trainload Monday through Friday, nearly 6,000 tons of tailings are being removed each day, Metzler said. The expansion was largely because of $108 million in federal stimulus funds announced for the project earlier this year.

Currently, each shipment includes 22 rail cars, each capable of holding four containers full of 32 tons of waste each.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091007/NEWS/910079989/-1/rss05&template=printart

Comment by Karl Mayr on October 7, 2009 at 5:32pm

Hi Robert,

1. I worked in a concrete lab, and around 1975, the construction industry introduced "fly ash", the coal dust from the particulant scrubbers at coal fired plants. Fly Ash is very common as a cement supplement.

2. I like the new algea process at "greenfuel.com". It is in commercial development and consumes 30% of CO2 from exhaust gases at coal and NG power plants to make the "fast growing algeas" for biofuel and biofeeds. The process is a year-round thing, and work better in sunny climates. See NG article October 2007 on biofuels.

3. Look at article and photos of the "world's top 10 Alternative Energy projects" for "things to come". June 4, 2009 issue of Scientific American, pictures are awesome!


Karl from Tularosa

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