Comments on: Portable, trash-powered generator ready for deployment

Purdue scientists build eco-friendly generator for military; device is fueled by waste, including paper, plastic, cardboard and food.
Photo: Trash transformer

[count0--2008]

Save this story, everywhere you can...

'Cause this sucker is bound to disappear. Electricity from garbage? Power instead of landfills? Forget it. Too many large entities would lose too much money.

[tlcoles]

Not likely

This is a military-initiated request, so it makes it unlikely to disappear. One can assume, too, that its rise in an academic environment (rather than from an independent inventor) also increases its chance of survival.

But, hey, I have my naive moments.

[msg63d]

trash to steam

In the U.S. of A. there are quite a number of trash incinerators that produce electricity, but they are not mobile. Several years ago when I was doing repair work on some of them, so many had sprouted up in the eastern part of the US that companies had started mining old landfills to feed them. 90% reduction in bulk going to the landfill, and the better plants also recover recyclable materials.

[warrenmca]

Hmmm

"the first prototype producing about 90 percent more energy than it consumes"

Hmmm...

[jjaser]

finally....

perpetual motion

[Commander_Spock]

WOW!

Maybe the deployment of these "gizmos" might just help turn the tide on the bad guys in the "war" zones: imagine a "Portable, trash-powered generator" to provide combat units with unlimited power for medical equipment usage in cases where the choppers can come under heavy fire and risk being shot down - they can be treated in-house - less travel risks, less risk to supply lines/routes...

[lesfilip]

Commander_Spock is a talkbot, not human

Have a nice day!

[Commander_Spock]

Just Where...

... do these "Portable, trash-powered" generators get built, if it is in Iraq - then less "unemployment" lines to be targeted! Could Pres. Chavez, the One-Laptop-Per child guy... be in trouble here too, along with big oil! Guess the wars will soon be over faster that we know it!

[SiXiam]

Back To The Future

Changing World Technologies already has something that does exactly what these scientists have claimed to develop...

http://www.changingworldtech.com/

Also anyone remember how Doc put that Bannanna into the Delorean? Don't really understand how it made the 1.21 gigawatts, but hey it was just a movie...

[Dr. B]

Mr. Fusion, Sr.

I'm guessing that putting in random items from your garbage into
your car and getting 1.21 gw is still a bit off yet.
This is probably just Mr. Fusions dad. Or his grandpappy.

[EricDaEvilGenius]

Law of conservation of energy?

"Also, they note that the system is efficient, with the first prototype producing about 90 percent more energy than it consumes." I thought that energy couldn't be created or destroyed? If so how does this thing produce 90% MORE energy than it consumes?

[OscarWeb]

Not exactly

The energy that it gets out of trash is greater than the energy used to extract it. Obviously you want a system that produces more energy than it uses, or else it is inefficient.

[clavboy]

Conservation of energy

Mass is converted into energy in this case.

[ahickey]

I wonder how much each one costs

Depending on the cost per unit and the energy it actually produces this could make a great community generator. Think about not putting your waste in a bin, but a feeder system that drives one of these generators.

Reduction in landfills and extra energy without the use of oil.

[urbanvoyeur]

energy in bond

Organic compound contain highly energeic bonds. You can transform this energy into more useful forms (diesel, methane, ethanol, octane) using living organism (yeast & bacteria)or catalysts (metals, enzymes, etc).

In each case the conditions (temp, humid, acidity, etc) must be just right. The initial energy helps set up the conditions and small amount is used to maintain them.

No laws of physics are broken.

[11awkeye]

is it available?

very much interesting in the product....
does it available to buy now?