The path to zero waste.
The United States generates over 250 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year. A figure that does not include waste from agricultural, food processing, consumer electronics, and industry. More than half of this is waste is also landfilled.
Landfills are a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions. As waste bakes in the sun, greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and methane. Methane has a global warming potential of 86x that of CO2 over a 20 year period, meaning it traps heat in the atmosphere 86x more effectively than CO2. Landfilled waste is the largest source of human-generated methane. In addition, if not properly built and maintained, harmful contaminates known as leachate can seep out of landfills and seep into local streams, soil, and groundwater.
Landfills are an unsustainable approach to waste management. Sierra Energy firmly believes that FastOx® gasification systems, and gasification systems like it, have the potential to eliminate the need for landfills in the future. Along this path, we can help create a brighter and greener future for the world without landfills and excessive waste.
FastOx® gasification recovers energy from waste efficiently and profitably.
The garbage that ends up in our landfills and oceans can yield a wide variety of valuable products through FastOx gasification including electricity, diesel, hydrogen, and ammonia.
One ton of MSW contains about 12 million BTUs of potential energy. One full garbage truck contains enough energy to power 42 American homes for a year.
Many complex wastes with difficult or expensive disposal can be treated with FastOx gasification.