Previous researchers show that, if the right policies are put in place, the waste-to-energy process can play a significant role in carbon reductions especially in heat and transport as they are ragging far much behind. They also show that the use of biogas will grow extensively in the next thirty years.
In a residential setting with a rental apartment, one of the challenges that the residents face is how to dispose the wastes from their households. These wastes range from agricultural waste, food wastes, energy crops and sewage which can be used to produce 200TWh or more of biomethane (Wirth, Markard, Truffer, & Rohracher, 2013). These wastes contain carbon which is converted to biogas a compound consisting methane and carbon dioxide.
The owner of the apartment can channel all these wastes into a biogas plant the heated at high degrees Celsius and later pumped into a digester to produce biogas. The biomass after staying in the digester for a minimum of two weeks can be used as fertilizer which greatly helps to reduce greenhouse gases. The biogas can then be piped to the households and used for domestic purposes at a fee. The biogas can also be used to produce electricity to be used for lighting by the residents also at a charge. The stakeholders in this project will be the landlord and the tenants whereby they will both reap benefits.
Ethiopia transformed one of its largest dumpsites into a waste to energy plant where it burns the wastes and the heat used to boil water into steam evaporate steam is used to propel high-speed turbines that are connected to electricity generators or used to power a machine. The first steam turbines were invented by a British engineer who used it to power a motorboat famously known as Turbinia. The plant has significantly helped in waste management and adding power energy to the power grid. Majority of African countries have very large dump-sites which can be changed to energy plants if they embrace this technology. This could help in electricity distribution as most of these countries experience power rationing.
Some of the best shares to buy in the stocks market right now are those in the waste to energy market as this market is proliferating and is expected to grow more shortly. This growth is as a result of the intensive campaigns by governments and other public organizations to adopt environment-friendly and sustainable means of disposing of wastes. Majority of these waste to energy plants operating are in Europe, especially in Germany, France, and the UK. The European Union has made an effort to ensure all gas emissions from landfills are minimized leading to the rapid growth of stocks in their waste to energy market.
There still are fears that trash cannot be used as fuel and the toxins that might be released into the earth due to burning improperly burning trash. We would like to elevate such fears as well as improve the process by including sustainable processes. We would like to make a business model which will be viable for growing economies because waste management is a global problem not a local problem. The spread of diseases as well as pollution that is caused due to improper waste management. It is also important to gauge the implications of such new implementable sustainable processes.
In conclusion, such a project will not only contribute intensively on sustainable management of wastes but also offer a sustainable source of heat for domestic purposes. The biogas can also be upgraded to natural gas and used to propel locomotives. Governments and private organizations should set up these plants to help in the management of wastes, investment opportunities to investors and at the same time provide employment opportunities to citizens.
References
Rajendran, K., Aslanzadeh, S., & Taherzadeh, M. J. (2012). Household biogas digesters—A review. Energies, 5(8), 2911-2942.
Wirth, S., Markard, J., Truffer, B., & Rohracher, H. (2013). Informal institutions matter: Professional culture and the development of biogas technology. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 8, 20-41.