Hawaii-based Marines gasify their trash
- January 30, 2013
- By Jennifer Kalish
U.S. Marines based at a remote camp on the Hawaiian island of Oahu tested a new waste-to-energy system this week that may change the future of military waste management, according to a U.S. Marine Corps press release.
The Micro Auto Gasification System disposes of solid waste through a process of pyrolysis, where trash is reduced to a synthetic gas which is then used to power the MAG system.
"It's not burning," said Ben Tritt, science advisor for the Office of Naval Research, in the statement. "It's gasification under a very controlled environment, and it's much cleaner than burning. ... It's also a self sustaining process."
Once it is started with diesel fuel, the temperatures inside of the machine's insulated drum exceed 1,000 degrees. The machine is fed trash at a rate of 50 pounds per hour, converting 95% into a gas and the other 5% into an inert ash, which can safely be disposed of in landfills, or mixed with compost, asphalt or cement, according to the statement.
The only materials MAGS cannot convert are glass and metal.
The system is ideal for remote army bases or naval vessels because it greatly reduces the amount of waste that needs to be shipped to the nearest disposal site.
One Machine is capable of meeting the daily waste disposal needs of approximately 1,000 troops.
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