Making Energy from Organic Waste

From organic material, we can derive a lot of things even if it has been classified as rubbish because when we talk about organic, we are thinking an endless supply of material that can be converted to energy through several methods that will be outlined here for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZgtmd1kko&t=3s

Renewing these materials to make energy is a really good way of making the best of the waste that fill sour landfills nowadays.

There are methods like:

• Thermal conversion
• Biochemical conversion
• Thermochemical conversion
• Electrochemical conversion

This is how these methods work

1. Thermal Conversion– here, you will experience the thermal degradation of waste at high temperatures. There will be a complete oxidation of the material and you will end up with steam, ash and flue gas.
2. Biochemical Conversion– this is the anaerobic fermentation process where the material is subjected to the action of microbes that will generate gas and alcohol and also high quantities of methane.
3. Thermo-chemical Conversion– this is the heat-induced way of making the material decompose to produce quantities of heat, fuel oil and gas. It is used mostly for material that contains a lot of non-biodegradable material and little moisture. The products can then be used to create more stuff.
4. Electrochemical Conversion– this is the microbial fuel cells method that refers to the decomposing of organic matter in the influence of the microbes as a charge conducting medium. This will make use of the oxidation of the material to make electricity and bio-hydrogen.

Landfills

The biogas is created by the fermentation of the organic matter that is found in landfills. The biogas that results from this can be used to generate energy. The gas that we get from this process is mostly methane gas and it has a very wide range of uses.

There are gas vents, pipelines, and vanes that will be used to collect the gas and direct it to the proper places. By using better technology, all the gas that is made here can be redirected completely with maximum production.

Biomass Renewable Energy

Biomass includes all the organic shavings from the various human activities like the pruning of hedges and the vegetable waste from homes and residential area. These are combined together and with the high content of nutrients, they can be used in compost heaps and biomass production for a fertilizer that is organic, effective, and renewable.

The material that is left after the composting has occurred and the only thing remaining is the wood-like material. These can also be converted into more energy like heat and a replacement for fossil fuels.

Combustion

This is where they burn the material producing large quantities of hot air, steam, and water. The steam is very powerful and can be redirected to the turbines to provide electric energy. The burning takes place at about 800⁰ c, therefore, freeing the heat energy, the inert gases, and the ash is formed in the process.

Gasification

This is the part where the chemical decomposition happens through pyrolisis. The matter is heated to the point where the molecules break down to form a gas with even smaller molecules. This is called syngas.

It comprises of different kinds of gases and they can all be burned in engines and generators that will produce electricity.

In Conclusion

The material that we have been wasting and leaving to just lie around is an untapped goldmine that should be exploited properly to make sure that we make use of everything that we can and with time, we can change the fuel industry with savvy methods that help with agriculture, fuel problems and provide employment.