Municipal Solid Waste
500 MILLION TONS ANNUALLY AND GROWING!
Both industrialized and developing nations produce vast amounts of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Among major industrialized countries, more than 500 million tons of MSW was generated annually by the mid-1990s.
In the United States, it grew 235% during the last 40 years.
In America, for example, many states are passing statutes limiting how much of the MSW stream can be buried in landfills.
Costs to consumers are rising. As a result, there is a critical need for new methods and technologies to manage and convert MSW.
Three primary types of waste disposal technologies exist: incineration/gasification, chemical decomposition, and landfill burying.
These technologies have substantial economic and environmental impact—including toxic ash, toxic water, and noxious air emissions. These lethal by-products are expensive to dispose of, not to mention the harm they cause to the environment.
Feedstock |
Tonnage |
Diesel gallons out*1) |
Feedstock t/gal per hour |
Minimum Yield |
Residual material out |
This chart contains only estimated reference values based on 1 ton of dry mass*2). Actual results can deviate substantially, as water contents is unpredictable. Results based on a CC500 unit as an example | |||||
Waste oil from vehicles | 100 gallons | 80 gallons | 165 gallons | 80% | 10% ashes, salt |
Waste organic oil |
100 gallons | 75 gallons | 176 gallons | 70% | 10% ashes, salt |
Plastic mixed waste | 1 US ton | 212 gallons | 0.63t dry mass | 80% | 10% ashes, salt |
Slaughter house waste | 1 US ton | 106 gallons | 2.5t dry mass | 40% | 42% CO2 + water |
Press Cake from Energy plants (canola, etc.) | 1 US ton | 106 gallons | 2.5t dry mass | 40% | 47% CO2 + water |
Hay, straw | 1 US ton | 92 gallons | 3.7t dry mass | 30% | 57% CO2 + water +3% ashes |
Wood chips | 1 US ton | 92 gallons | 3.7t dry mass | 30% | 57% CO2 + water + 3% ashes |
Bagasse | 1 US ton | 97 gallons | 3.1t dry mass | 35% | 50% CO2 + water + 5% ashes, salts |
Glycerine | 100 gallons | 19 gallons | 695 gallons | 19% | 70% CO2 + water +1% ashes |
Municipal Waste materials | 1 US ton | 138 gallons | 1.1t dry mass | 50% | unpredictable |
PET bottles | 1 US ton | 212 gallons | 0.63t dry mass | 80% | 10% ashes, salt |
Foil (market shopping bags) | 1 US ton | 212 gallons | 0.63t dry mass | 80% | 10% ashes, salt |
Paper - newsprint-cardboard | 1 US ton | 92 gallons | 3.7t dry mass | 30% | 57% CO2 + water +3% ashes |
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Fuel to run the unit | 10% of output | 13 gallons per hour | (for waste oil) | ||
Electricity to power the 8 motors, etc | 45kw x 8 = 360kw per hour | ||||
CC 500 = needs from 0.5 to 1.8 tons of feedstock, and produces approximately 132 gal per hour | |||||
CC 1000 = needs from 1 to 3.6 tons of feedstock, and produces approximately 264 gal per hour | |||||
CC 2000 = needs from 2 to 7.2 tons of feedstock, and produces approximately 528 gal per hour |