Alexandria, VA – One man's trash is quickly becoming society's new treasure. In the August issue of EARTH Magazine, we explore how materials that were once considered garbage are now being recognized for their true potential as valuable energy resources capable of solving multiple problems at once. If successful, these "waste-to-energy" options could serve as a silver bullet – displacing fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing the amount of trash that winds up in already teeming landfills.
Although several of these options have existed for many years, harnessing energy from solid waste is practiced very sparingly in the United States. Now a research team out of the University of Texas is attempting to make one type of waste-derived fuel – solid recovered fuels (SRFs) – a more appealing alternative energy option in the U.S. Will SRFs eventually overtake coal as a primary energy source? Or will the long road ahead snuff out this potential contender? Read the story and find out.
Hungry for more? Make sure to check out the August issue of EARTH Magazine for more exciting geoscience news! Produce hydrogen from sunlight and sunblock; discover a new T. Rex relative; and learn how the early Earth was bombarded by comets and asteroids for much longer than previously thought.
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.