From Trash Becomes Fuel Future

Is the fuel can be produced from the bark of fruit, grain, straw or wood waste? Hopefully, agricultural and forestry waste products are abundant, in the future could replace petroleum.

Biomass is actually available on every street corner. Pieces limb can be processed into 'pellets' fuel. Falling leaves are processed into fertilizer. But worldwide tons of organic waste thrown away. For example, palm oil residue after oil is pressed out.

"Only the seeds are used. Others discarded. And every 5 years throughout the palm trees thrown away," said Stefan Schöll, plant manager thermochemical PYTEC company in Hamburg.

"Unfortunately," he continued. Agricultural and forestry waste products that can be pressed when through a special process. The result pyrolysis oil, which can be further processed into fuels.

Development of machine capabilities

Now the company in Hamburg's central perfected a way to use pyrolysis oil directly at the power plant and thermal energy, or in locations that do not have biomass.

Together with American engine plant, Caterpillar, the researchers developed a pyrolysis oil-fueled engines earlier.

"We were able to develop a powerful engine work 1000 hours. Within one year, the fuel injection system must be changed 8 times. We want to find new materials that are durable as the normal diesel engine operation," said Schöll.

Large processing

From waste to fuel the future. It has also become one of the research focus HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

Cooking, plastics, heavy oils - all so processed fuel oil in the laboratory. Many of the ingredients, which can replace petroleum as a fuel for long-term sustainable.

"Globally, the fuel needs to reach 100 Exajoule," said Thomas Willner, professor HAW Hamburg. "If this number can not be maintained and increased in countries such as India and China, we have a chance to sustainable biomass, to meet this need."

Still need a solution to cope with the swelling demand of developing countries. The new method actually has great potential. Just waiting for the development of biomass plant which can process efficiently on a large scale.