Instead of going to a landfill, wood chips like those pictured above will be used to produce electricity in Kirkwood, MO. Photo: Wikipedia
A patented new technology that turns trash into electricity without creating air pollution will power homes and businesses in Kirkwood, Missouri by the end of the year. At that time, wood chips that may have been destined for the landfill will go instead to a local biomass gasification facility operated by renewable energy company Kirkwood Green, LLC where it will be converted into electricity for the town. Kirkwood Green's process for harvesting energy from wood chips involves a patented gasification technology that, unlike incineration, produces electricity without conventional high levels of air emissions. No new carbon is added to the atmosphere, and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions are so low they are comparable to emissions coming from standard household appliances. The only byproduct of the process is ash, a much sought-after plant fertilizer rich in minerals. While the Kirkwood project will use only wood chips as its fuel source, future projects will include carbon based materials such as corrugated paper, waste cooking oils, and other rubbish. Kirkwood, population 27,000, has agreed to purchase up to five megawatts of green power from Kirkwood Green – 17% of the town's total usage. It is the first municipality to take advantage of the new technology.
Our FLL team looked into Plasma Gasification for our project 2 years ago. It already uses trash (the urban variety) for energy production and leaves NO ash. check out Geoplasma in Atlanta GA -they are helping St. Lucy County FL install it! They are not the only company in the USA to produce a Plasm Gasification plant either.