02-15-2011, 10:20 AM
quote:Hawaii doe not have the resource ability to create a composting operation capable of handling all the vegetation that can be composted. Technically everything from weeds to trees, newspapers to wood containers can be composted, but does an operation exist or been proposed that can handle it. Add in the cross contaminated factor (let's say wood pallets soaked with spilled motor oils, or used pizza boxes with residual food products) what happens to them? They usually end up in the landfill.
Originally posted by rasman
"...and of course vegetation beyond the composting ability."???????
I'm not sure what you mean by this statement Bob.
If Hawaii was to begin a program of just composting invasive plants and weeds, how soon would they be overwhelmed? Although the ability to compost everything is available, is there a desire and capability?
quote:Maybe some clarification is in order. The plant is not burning anything. It’s basically placing all this stuff in a microwave oven and heating it up in different stages. As it heats up, various combustible gasses will be emitted that are captured and used as fuel in power generation or converted to SNG, something the Big Island lacks. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to bring that natural gas stove with you and not have to convert it to propane?
Originally posted by rasman
Methane is one of the "hottest" so called greenhouse gases. Its toll on the atmosphere is only balanced out by the photosynthesis of the vegetation it should be fertilizing. To burn large amounts of green-waste versus returning it to the soil is a backwards move which will only ad to the warming of our atmosphere, solar flares or not!
Also, as material heats up it changes from one thing to another. Products with petroleum, animal fat, and vegetable oils will release those items, which also is captured and used for fuels. Take the use pizza box. The cardboard contains oils, gasses and products that can be used as fuel and the residual food also can become fuels. Cardboard can produce combustible gasses if heated and harvested.
quote:I agree with the land use. Most of the land will either be fallow or it will be developed for other than agricultural food use. Food crops are expensive to grow and if a company can make $250 an acre growing food crops, $750 an acre growing industrial crops, or $10,000 and acre on development, which do we honestly think will happen?
Originally posted by rasman
I do understand silverpenny10's concerns about using potential food production land for growing industrial fuels, but this is not the case here, as pointed out, this is abandoned and potentially contaminated ex-sugar cane land.
My concerns are however, the use of huge microwaves as heating devices as well as the manner in which the crops/land will be cared for. Will they be adding more poisons to the soil and water? How will they control weeds, etc?
Although I deal very little with Hawaii, the assignments I do have are taking agricultural and conservation zoned land and turning it into industrial, commercial, resort or high density residential land.
Regarding the microwaves, The microwave energy is double shielded. There will be little microwave energy outside the vessel and none outside the structure. It will have less impact on the environment than someone BBQing some steaks on a fire. Most universities already have these gasification type units in their labs. It’s not new technology, it’s just a new way of using it for a purpose that has come of age.
The majority of the products being used will most likely be what many consider waste. A whole new industry can pop up over this. If they can find a way to harvest fuel and clean biomass from used disposable diapers, imagine the private business opportunities to collect and transporting to the facility. Now imagine what wouldn’t be going in the landfill. Maybe yard waste can be sold instead of just discarding or burning on one’s land. Demolition projects could have a market for the old building material. Tires would have a retail value. Plastic bags?, yes they will also have a destination beyond the landfill.
We can find fault with many things, but the potential for good so far outweighs the bad that ignorant statements by some that this is a horrible thing, well it doesn’t say much about the local people’s intelligence.