Thermal Depolymerization!??

Northwind~ · 03-14-2007, 06:14 PM

I just read this very interesting article about an exciting new process that can reduce pretty much any carbon-based material (including raw sewage, plastics, slaughterhouse byproducts etc. etc.) into water and basic valuable resources including light oil, fertilizers, minerals etc. Honestly I haven't heard of this until recently, but it is a very exciting prospect that could potentially solve some of our largest problems.

Here is a link:

http://discovermagazine.com/2003/may/featoil

kevin1 · 03-15-2007, 06:33 AM

Sounds good, but until it can turn a profit it will not get off of the ground. About 15 years ago I was reading about a fella who had come up with a pyrolisis process that could turn the 10M surplus tires that this country alone generates annually back into their original components, all reusable. Disposing of those tires has become a monumental headache since they aren't currently recyclable to any realistic degree and are damned near indestructible.The problem? The equipment couldn't even break even on operating costs, much less make a profit, so no company wanted to invest in it, although it still could have worked for municipal entities for simple disposal at a slight cost to the taxpayer. What happens to those tires now? They get chopped up to suplement asphault production or fire kilns for the cement industry, both of which pollute rather heavily. Greed can kill the best ideas with surprisingly little effort.

Red Lion · 03-15-2007, 06:56 AM

It does read like a great idea, but those currently making the big $ from current oil sources will make sure that we remain status quo until the current supply is nearly exhausted or they have things set-up to take advantage of any alternative source. This is an example of an issue where I wish we as a country could and actually would make the right decision for all asap, and not put off in the sake of profits.

cr422 · 03-15-2007, 07:29 AM

Sounds promising even if it won't turn a profit. Could be handled by a municipal utility as long as the subsidydoesn't put an unreasonableburden on taxpayers.

I'm a little suspicious of Discover mag though. Used to subscribe and liked it but quit when they became an obvious shill for the global warming crowd. The environmental fanatics will grab on to anything no matterhow impractical if it looks like it will "Save the Evironment."

Red Lion · 03-15-2007, 09:23 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: cr422

I'm a little suspicious of Discover mag though. Used to subscribe and liked it but quit when they became an obvious shill for the global warming crowd. The environmental fanatics will grab on to anything no matterhow impractical if it looks like it will "Save the Evironment."

Northwind~ · 03-15-2007, 12:41 PM

The thing is, the operating costs for this process are very small, since the gas it produces during the process is reused as an energy source to power the process, as well as the water is circulated through the process. Honestly, I feel this is a huge advancement. It is proven to work, and ConAgra has invested in a full scale industrial model to process slaughterhouse wastes into valuable resources. If a massive corporation like ConAgra has made such a huge investment in this, there has to be something there.They are still working out the quirks and fixing some faultyconstructionat the moment, as are common problems with all major innovations. But think of the problems this would solve. Waste management? Heck, we can convert pretty much any waste product into energy sources and raw materials. Global warming? The oil produced by this process would not contribute since for the most part the carbon has already been in cycle. Energy? If we could pruduce energy sources out of even a fraction of our waste products, it would be a great advancement. Drilling company interests? Drilling companies would also be able to invest in the technology to further refine waste products from standard refining processes. I'll still remain optimistic about this one. It seems like a truly amazing innovation.

cr422 · 03-15-2007, 02:05 PM

I don't see the doomsday scenario that a lot of folks see as traditional energy sources become increasingly expensive. I have long maintained that, as soon as it becomes profitable to do so, human ingenuity combined with the profit motive will develop new ways of powering our civilization. This looks like it could be a step in that direction.

Briman · 03-15-2007, 10:35 PM

A steaming load of bullcrap.

This isn't a new technology, its been known for probably over a century that if you heat a polymer high enough it will 'crack' or depolymerize. The oil industry uses this already to make fuels with the addition of a catalyst to break down oil in a process known as catalytic cracking. The molecules that are used as feed stock are failry simple and homogeneous compared to 'turkey guts'
http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining5.htm