tactical mobile bio-refinery

[begreen]

Purdue scientists made this up as a source of power for military field units. But the applications for small industry are promising. Seems to work ok on wood chips.

(broken link removed)

Now if they could just reduce it so that it fits on the back of a Prius.... Mr. Fusion anyone?

 

[Andre B.]

"The tactical biorefinery first separates organic food material from residual trash, such as paper, plastic, Styrofoam and cardboard. The food waste goes to a bioreactor where industrial yeast ferments it into ethanol, a "green" fuel. Residual materials go to a gasifier where they are heated under low-oxygen conditions and eventually become low-grade propane gas and methane. The gas and ethanol are then combusted in a modified diesel engine that powers a generator to produce electricity."


Looks like they just combined, fermentation and gasification, two old and off the shelf technologies, into a single package. Probably making both more complicated and expensive then they would be as separate systems.