Converting waste into a renewable energy sources
Consider a technology that not only keeps your surroundings clean it also produces renewable energy at a low cost. Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., a U.S. pioneer for municipal waste-to-energy technology, wants to make sure that your waste doesn’t go waste. Literally. Wheelabrator’s waste-to-energy facilities produce steam and electricity by burning large quantities of municipal trash and they have been using this proven and time-tested mass-burn technology to produce energy for the past 100 years!
Now this is a company that understood the significance of renewable sources of energy quite a long time ago, back in 1908 and became the first company of its kind to produce the most efficient industrial cleaning and emissions capture technology. They opened their first commercially viable facility in the US in 1975.
There is one thing in this world that we have got in abundance — waste. Large expanses of land are being consumed by mounting heaps of garbage and waste and this waste simply lies there creating tons of pollution and wasting precious land resources. A majority of this garbage is destined to pollute the planet for thousands of years, non-stop. Toxic wastes like glass, processed chemicals, plastics and foams and poisonous gases are perpetually released upon the land and into the air, rivers and seas and they are irreversibly damaging the ecosystem.
Managing municipal waste has always been a huge problem for various US corporations and due to stringent environmental laws in almost all the states it is mandatory that they have a functional and effective waste management plan and this is where Wheelabrator has been helping them by processing almost all types of municipal waste, and wherever possible, turning that waste into renewable energy.
Various waste processing plants have different capacities; for instance if a plant can burn 1500 tonnes of municipal waste per day it has the capacity to generate more than 40,000 kW of renewable electricity that can light up almost 40,000 homes.
Wheelabrator is today one of the leading global innovators helping various gigantic corporations process their waste and turn it into renewable source of energy and electricity. Well-deservedly the company will be celebrating its 100 years of operations this year.
There is another cause for celebration inside the company and that is celebrating the persistent success of employee Artie Cole. His eight patents have made Wheelabrator what it is today. He joined the company 30 years ago as an entry-level maintenance mechanic and currently he is the vice president of the technical services division, proving beyond doubt that innovation and hard work always pays in a company that has its plans well laid out.
There are many ways corporations can dispose of their industrial waste such as using the landfills and incineration but these methods many often don’t work and even if they do they leave behind indelible footprints in the form of highly destructive pollutants whether on the land or in the water. Industrial waste disposal requires careful handling of the poisonous substances and Wheelabrator does it well. And it not only helps corporations deal with their industrial waste it also converts that waste into highly valuable energy source.
