EARTH: Trash-to-treasure

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.

More information:
www.earthmagazine.org/

Provided by American Geological Institute