Trashing existing fuel sources could cut global emissions by 80%

If there’s one thing there seems to be an endless supply of, it’s garbage. The idea of turning the trash that currently ends up in landfill into a fuel to combat the growing energy crisis and tackle carbon emissions isn’t new. Companies like Waste2tricity in the UK are already looking to convert waste from business and industry into clean electricity. Now scientists in Singapore and Switzerland have added credence to the idea, saying that replacing gasoline with biofuel derived from processed waste biomass could cut global emissions by 80%.

Although biofuels may help free countries around the world from their reliance on fossil fuels, many argue the environmental advantages are offset by the increase in crop production required to meet widespread demand. According to a new study, however, second-generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol derived from processed urban waste, may offer dramatic emissions savings without the environmental catch.

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Tags: biofuel, carbon emissions, endless supply, energy crisis, environmental advantages, ethanol, fossil fuels, fuel sources, global emissions, landfill, tackling climate change, urban waste

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 6:56 pm and is filed under Consider This, Innovation, Project Energy, Resources, economics, environment, gizmag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.