A little over a year ago, I blogged about the thermal depoloymerization process that turns any carbon based refuse into oil. Well, the first plant using that process is online, according to this press release. It’s only doing between 100 and 200 barrels of day, but that’s all material that would have entered the waste processing system and will now be serving as energy. I think this direction has enormous potential and provokes an extreme feeling of optimism in me. What I’d like to see is that when it runs at its peek output of 500 barrels, what is the time required to recoup the bulding of the plant itself? I’m dreaming of a future where every trash dump and waste treatment system runs through this, changing our energy system from extraction based to recovery based. It could be an energotopia.
4 thoughts on “Thermal Depolymerization”
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After initial enthusiasm, I’ve become very skeptical about the viability of TDP. There has been such a blackout of information on Changing World Technologis that I’m beginning to wonder if we’ve been scammed.
I understand your skepticism, I too wonder why you never hear anymore about this. It’s still out there and is definitely a proven technology. The latest twist on it is catalytic depolymerization that supposedly works better an safer due to lower heat and pressure requirements. see thermaldepolymerization.org. I recently inquired Texas A&M’s research lab on bio fuels and they confirmed that for the biomass produced per acre, TDP is far more efficient than trying to produce ethanol. I think it should be used at every garbage dump with sewage as the water source, and in addition use noxious plants like mountain cedar in texas and kudzu vine throughout the south as feedstock. Where the hell are the politicians on this? need to throw the bums out!! my other passion is Fairtax.
Hell every landfill should use it to reduce volume and stay open longer.
PS I live in Philadelphia. I’ve been to the pilot plant. It works great.