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WATTS FROM THE DUMP
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In the course of a year, the
average person in the United States produces nearly a ton
of waste, most of which piles up in landfills. As the
waste decomposes, it produces a gaseous mixture that --
if uncollected -- is typically just burned off. But
Spiegel's system captures and purifies this gas into
methane, which can then feed fuel cells to generate
electricity with virtually no air pollution. Northeast
Utilities, a power company in Berlin, CT, is testing the
system on a Groton, CT landfill. |
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Landfill Gas Purifier
Ronald Spiegel
Senior Research Engineer
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC
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SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING
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Wafting from incinerators
and power plants, metals emissions pique concern as
toxins. But to ensure that smokestacks comply strictly
with pollution laws would require monitoring emissions
continuously -- right in the smokestack itself. The MIT
technology can do that. Using microwaves to create a
plasma that highlights metals, the sensor can survive the
harsh smokestack environment and work reliably and
sensitively. |
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Microwave Plasma Sensor
Paul Woskov
Principal Research Engineer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
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COLD-WAR CLEANUP
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One legacy of the Cold War:
a stockpile of obsolete rocket fuel from leftover
missiles. Traditional methods of disposal, such as
incineration or burial, engender risks from pollution and
explosion. But Yen has perfected a safe, environmentally
sound method of decomposing the fuel. The trick?
Combining nontoxic solvents, ultrasound and a one-two
punch of white-rot fungi and anaerobic bacteria. Yen has
discussed the technique with aerospace contractors
interested in scaling the process up for large rockets. |
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Rocket-Fuel Disposal System
Teh Fu Yen
Professor of Environmental and Civil Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
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RUBBER REBORN
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This bioprocess for
recycling waste tire rubber addresses the safety and
health problems posed by some 2 billion tires stockpiled
in landfills. Few tires can be recycled, because the old
tire rubber is vulcanized, laced with tough sulfur-carbon
bonds. Romine's process attacks these bonds with
sulfur-eating microbes. The processed rubber can then
combine with virgin rubber during recycling. Romine is
working with Rouse Rubber Industries of Vicksburg, MS, to
build a plant capable of producing rubber for 3000 tires
a month. |
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Rubbercycle
Robert Romine
Senior Research Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA
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BLACK LIGHT, CLEAN WATER 
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This low-cost technology,
which uses ultraviolet light to disinfect contaminated
water, could aid third-world countries where
public-health funds are scarce and natural disasters can
sever purified-water supply pipes. The device can
disinfect water at a cost of 15 cents per person, per
year. Negotiations are in final stages to license the
technology for worldwide use to EEG, Inc., of California,
except in India, where rights are held by Urminus
Industries Ltd. of Bombay. |
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UV WaterWorks
Ashok Gadgil
Staff Scientist
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley, CA
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