Turning smelly organic waste into hydrogen and organic fertilizer

There are thousands of municipal waste dumps using anaerobic digestion to produce bio-gas from organic waste. This can be used for road transport, electricity generation or heating. However, the sludge that is left over represents a major challenge in terms of disposal and cost.

A new process is now emerging that will convert the bio-gas to hydrogen and have carbon as a byproduct. In addition, the process will dry the sludge and add carbon to it, resulting in bagged, dry organic fertilizer laced with carbon particles. These have the ability to neutralize harmful chemicals and metals.

The Vortair sludge processing system makes it possible to turn the sludge into a dry powder which can be stored, transported and traded at commercial terms.
The process converts sewage and biogas sludge into a fine dry powder in a matter of seconds, removing 98% of the contained water. The low pressure vortex ‘shakes’ the water from the input feed material and creates multiple hotspots resulting in a drying mechanism that is a mix of thermal and mechanical processes. Energy savings over conventional thermal drying are considerable, making it economically viable where conventional drying would not be.
The company behind this is Agroplas, a Norwegian company. (www.agroplas.no). It holds the promise of turning waste into profitable products whilst making it carbon negative.
This is a dream example of how the threat posed by global warming has stimulated inventive minds to find a solution that demonstrates that we can turn a problem into an opportunity.

Value

The word VALUE is very interesting. Think about it. Is it not the essence of everything? It has many flavours. Financial. Artistic. Aesthetic. Social. Spiritual.

It can be destroyed - degraded - augmented - preserved - incremented.

Our attitude and behaviour in relation to it determines the human condition.

The cumulative effects of human behaviour on everything is yet another aspect of globalization. Think about that too.

The Norwegian Climate Scene

Apologies to anyone unable to decipher the Norwegian code, but the attached link is a very useful summary of the debate and activities on the Norwegian front:

http://www.rorg.no/Artikler/2126.html

Honest Journalism

«There is no such thing as a free press, you know it and I know it. There is not one of you who would dare to write his honest opinion. The business of a journalist is to destroy truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, fall at the feet of mammon, and sell himself for his daily bread. We are tools, vessels of rich men behind the scenes, we are jumping jacks. They pull the strings – we dance. Our talents, our possibilities, and our lives are the properties of these men. We are intellectual prostitutes.»

John Swainton, New York Times Editor in his farewell speech to the staff.

The Elephant in the Room

This evening saw the first public meeting arranged by the Norwegian Climate Network. It will gather good people and organizations in a common effort to inform, inspire and equip all concerned to do whatever it takes to reduce emissions in Norway. Norway is spending big money to mitigate elsewhere. That is fine, but we must also reduce our own climate gas emissions.

Our politicians, referred to as Red-Green Coalition, are neither red nor green. They have the same colour as crude oil. Our Prime Minister is more frightened of the political fall-out from doing what the situation requires and inspired by the critical necessity of doing it. The situation requires leadership. We have not got it. The Norwegian Climate Network will hopefully help to galvanize people into inspiring each other and our leaders to do the right thing.

Electric Propulsion

The increasing focus on the climate challenge is spawning amazing ingenuity on a global scale.

I just came across a Ford F-150 prototype looking like a real macho hunk:

Hi-Pa Drive™ F-150
What’s been taken out of this Ford F-150 hinges on what’s been put in. The engine, drive train, gear box and all the related parts have been replaced with the game-changing Hi-Pa Drive™ system. The four electric in-wheel motors that power the fully-electric Hi-Pa Drive F-150 will deliver more than 600 horsepower as well as more torque than the 320 horsepower V-8 engine it replaced. Hi-Pa Drive is helping car designers eliminate oil dependency, carbon emissions and costs, while adding more power, room, performance and design options.

The people making the electric motor can be found here:

http://www.hipadrive.com/index.html

French Taste

 

I wanted to share this interior with my readers. My brother-in-law Albert captured this equisite interior in a B&B we all stayed in for a wedding in Normandie.

The area has a lovely landscape and a very leisurely pace.

The B&B is close to:
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