Waste not want not: Biofuels can be developed from organic household waste - study

A team of researchers at Tel Aviv University has developed a new method for more efficiently converting household waste into biofuel.

The study was published in the Energy Conversion and Management: X journal and shows that these methods can help turn household waste into biofuel.

The researchers wanted to solve the problem of waste disposal while reducing greenhouse emissions.

Previous attempts at producing biofuel from household waste faced several efficiency issues which made production unprofitable.

They estimate that a large amount of convertible waste is dumped and that if this were to be converted, it could produce hundreds of thousands of tons of biofuel.

“Organic waste emits methane, which is a greenhouse gas, and also contaminates groundwater," explains Prof. Alexander Golberg, lead researcher on the paper.

Liquefied biofuels

The researchers propose using hydrothermal liquefaction to create biofuel which is suitable for marine travel.

This new biofuel would have several advantages, namely that the emissions produced from these biofuels contain significantly fewer harmful chemicals.

They would also reduce the overall greenhouse gases that would have been produced from dumping the waste as well as the burning of petroleum-based fuel.

The researchers concluded, “The production of biofuels from organic waste components can significantly reduce the volume of municipal waste sent to landfills, thereby decreasing environmental pollution of soil, water, and air. Moreover, reducing landfilling will lower greenhouse gas emissions and decrease reliance on oil and coal. Converting waste into energy also offers a local solution for Israel's energy independence and security.”