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Today you will hear …
- Brief history of dealing with waste - Hierarchy of solid waste management- Our lifestyle and sustainability- Take another look at plastics- Plastic-derived fuel project at PSU- What you can do for our future
“When the trash accumulates it should be hauled to some out-of-the-way place, such as a gully, or buried.”
1940s
+ Littering+ Open burning
+ Illegal roadside dumping
or Energy Recovery,Energy from Wastes,Waste to Energy
William Rathje and other archeologists say all civilizations have undergone a predictable pattern of existence.
The Mayans, the Incans, the Romans…they all have progressed through three-phases.
Rathje notes society starts with,
“their Florescent Period, when they begin a dramatic rise;their Classic Period, when they reach a pinnacle; andtheir Decadent Period, when they decline and finally colllapse.
All of the great cultures have followed this simple trajectory.”
The energy infrastructure established hundreds of years ago, today has made society lazy and wasteful.
Let’s reflect.
Relative to fossil fuel consumption and waste generation, our lifestyle is NOT sustainable.
We must veer from strictly economics and transition to…
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Let’s look at 5 examples of worldwide waste plastic issues called to my attention over the past few months.
Mozambique plastic bed netting details:- 0.5 kg per net, 3-5 year life- Pyrethrum pesticide impregnated- Mat’l: Polyethylene & polyester- 130,000,000 in use- 250,000,000 expected- Recycled market: 80,000 metric T/yr.
Problem: “What do we do with all thiswaste plastic?”
John Deere plastic wrapping details:- 4.5-5 kg wrap per bale- Mat’l: Polyethylene- Thousands of bales per ginner- 1,000 ginners in USA alone
Problem: “What do we do with all thiswaste plastic?”
Metallized Packaging Films- Metals bonded to non-metals- Metals are aluminum, stainless steel,
chromium, copper and others- Metal film is 20 microns thick- Only film not recovered by pickers
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
TRADITIONAL NEW
CHANGES IN PLASTIC USE IN RETAIL SECTOR
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Households
Primary Collection
Roadside Bins Transfer Points
Dumps & Landfills
Secondary Collection
Merchants
Brokers Recycling Industry
Streets
Cabadiwalas
Rag pickers
Rag pickersRag pickers
Waste Route
Recyclables Route
Waste and recycling management system in India
From: Improving Solid Waste Management in India; Report by The World Bank, Da Zhu, et al
41
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The “informal” sector of rag pickers in India
42
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Sort and retrieve anything of value
43
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Retrieval occurs even in small quantities
44
Simply Sustain LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Plastic pouring spouts are extracted with knives!
45
Berry Plastics- Largest producer of ag film in world- 16,000,000 kg / yr. in this GA plant- Mat’ls: PET, LLDPE blends, EVOH- Investigating customer recycling program
Problem: “What do we do with all this waste plastic?”
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
The Mare Verde ProjectTurning the Tide Against Marine Pollution
(source: NOAA) (source: Dimitar Dilkoff)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 51
A technological and educational initiative
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
How much debris is in the ocean?
• 100 million metric tons, 25 million tons added each year• Between 60-80% of all litter is plastic, sometimes 95%• 14 billion tons of total garbage
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 52
Great Garbage Patch (source: Flyaddicts) Plastic sea (source: coastal wiki)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Debris size range:
• Everything from drift nets to micro-pellets• Plastic bags, bottles, fishing line
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 53
Ghost net (source: 20tv) Plastic soup (source: Charles Moore)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
There are 5 marine debris gyres
Mainly high concentrations of tiny shredded plastics and chemical sludge that have spun together by oceanic currents
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 54
(source: Permaculture Research Institute)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Dolphins, seals and sharks starve and choke in ghost nets
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 55
(source: NOAA)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Sea turtles mistake bags for jellyfish
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 56
(source: Greenhouse Carbon Neutral Fdn.)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Midway Atoll called the “Albatross Graveyards”
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 57
(source: Chris Jordan)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
“Nurdles” get in the digestive tracts of birds & fish
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 58
(source: Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
There is now 6 times more plastic debristhan plankton in the North Pacific Gyre
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 59
(source: Australian Institute of Marine Science
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Debris releases toxic chemicals such as DDT and PCBs that are linked to kidney/liver problems, cancer and
other diseases that enter our food chain
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 60
(source: Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Plastic bags damage coral by suffocationand blocking sunlight
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 61
(source: EPA)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Creek in Manila, Philippines
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 62
(source: Francis R. Malasig)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Somewhere in North America
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 63
(source: Photobucket)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Hawaiian Islands Beaches
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 64
(source: NOAA / AP) (source: EPA.GOV)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Yamuna River, India
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 65
(source: Manan Vastsyayana )
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Vacha Dam, Bulgaria
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 66
(source: Dimitar Dilkoff)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Citarum River, Indonesia
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 67
(source: photobucket)
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions
Again, what is the Mare Verde project?
A) Destroy marine debris with clean burning technology, or… B) Convert it into an alternative fuel source, and… C) Promote a public awareness campaign through existing initiatives
© 2010 Green Ray Marine Solutions 68
Total plastic (all kinds)produced in USA: 50 billion kg.*
Total agricultural plasticused in USA:0.5 billion kg. **
* Krebs, ACC 2007** Amidon Recycling, 2006
How extensive is the problem?
Also, we’ve targeted many wasted household products:#2 HDPE (buckets, tubs, toys)#4 LDPE (plastic sheeting, tubing)#5 PP (bottle lids & labels, tubs, cases)#6 PS (utensils, plates, clamshells, cups)
Heating value,Material MJ/kg (Btu/lb)Fuel Oil 48.6 (20,900)Liquified natural gas 46.6 (19,970)Polyethylene (pots, tubs, sheeting) 46.3 (19,900)Polypropylene (rope, lids, tubs) 46.2 (19,850)Cross-linked PE (PEX tubing) 46.0 (19,780)Gasoline 44.6 (19,200)Polystyrene (inserts, Styrofoam) 41.4 (17,800)PA Kittanning coal 32.3 (13,900)Wyoming coal 22.3 (9,600)Wood 19.3 (8,300)Newspaper 18.6 (8,000)Textiles 16.0 (6,900)Municipal waste (dry) 16.2 (7,000)Yard waste 7.0 (3,000)Food waste 6.0 (2,600)
…why not capture the high heat content of plastic?
Plastofuel® extrusion conceptis simple…
• Forces rigid & film plastic through a heated die• Electric band heaters melt only a thin jacket• Locks dirt & plastic pieces inside
Benefits of the process
Works with common thermoplasticsLow energy input (1/10th that of pellets)Ability to stockpile seasonal supplies#3, #4 - #7 have little valueMarket for recycling rejects
Benefits of burning Plastofuel®
Densified for easy storage, transport and metering
Clean burning when co-fired with other fuels
1100°C temperatures eliminate black smoke
Dirt and debris managed with ash
Combustion testing
Conducted at Penn State’s Energy Institute
A stoker simulatorwas used
Emissions resultswere favorable
Specifics of our research
Avg. melt thickness 1.5 mm1:100 energy balance225 kg / hour throughputDie temp 155-200 ° C
So there you have it – a process to efficiently make a high-energy fuel …Plastofuel®
Now, let’s peek at the 2nd technology* to cleanly burnplastic pellets
*Note this technology cannot feed large Plastofuel®but someday will
Eco Clean Burner concept
Sustains combustion at 1100 oC
Hot water boiler system Fueled on pellets or
granules
Emissions testing
2005: Clean pellets tested with great results
2007: Dirty mulch film tested with great results up to 17% dirt!
Today, demo site near Pittsburgh
Test in production greenhousesAssure system is failsafe (UL testing) Verify fuel supply system
What’s next?
Our design and research ideas include…
– Commercializing the Plastofuel® machine
– Modifying feed device for Korean burner to accept large pieces / Plastofuel ®
– Pilot testing Plastofuel ® combustion in large greenhouse or power producer setting
– Commercializing the burner nationwide
What I hope you have learned:
- mankind has been dealing with wastes forever - some practices are worse than others- there is a widening disconnect with Earth- here are some worldwide concerns with plastics- how our plastic research is trying to help- you (as an engineer) have an obligation
In summary…