fuel sources are (1) refuse derived fuel (garbage and other waste material), (2) bio-diesel fuel (vegetable-based oil converted into a diesel fuel), (3) photovoltaic power (solar-derived energy), and (4) fuel cells (hydrogen converted into electrical power).
Refuse derived fuel is energy generated through the processing of waste materials, or garbage. Waste material is an economic source of an alternative fuel. The limitation on the refuse derived fuel concept in the United States, however, is the environmental restriction on burning the material to generate electricity. The process is effective; however, environmental protection restrictions limit its application (Johnson & Khanna, 1997).
The technologies used in refuse derived fuel production involve two different combustion methods. The bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) involves placing all solid material in a stationary bed. The circulating fluidized bed (CFB) involves circulating solid material through the bed to a cyclone, then back to the bed. Fluidized-bed boilers have capacities up to 100 megawatts with BFB and 250 megawatts with CFB (Yan, Alvfors, Eidensten, & Svedberg, 1997).
A company located in Hawaii combined the refuse derived fuel concept and the bio-diesel fuel concept. The company recycles discarded vegetable oils from waste dumps and converts the materials into high quality bio-diesel fuel (Burmeier, 2000).
The latest innovation in refuse-derived fuel is the development of fuel pellets. The process involves solar drying, the removal of incombustible materials, size reduction, and pelletization (Setty, Srikanth, & Biswas, 2002). The chart on the following page illustrates the process.
Chart รน Refuse Derived Fuel Pelletization Process
Source: Setty, Srikanth, & Biswas, 2002
Biomass energy is energy derived through the distillation of botanical materials into a fuel, the burning of which creates energy. Developmental costs for biomass energy a...