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Alternative technology is a term used to refer to technologies that are more environmentally friendly than the functionally equivalent technologies dominant in current practice. The term was coined by Peter Harper, one of the founders of the Centre for Alternative Technology, North Wales, in Undercurrents (magazine) in the 1970s. Alternative Technologies are created to be safer, cleaner, and overall more efficient. The goals of alternative technology are to decrease demand for critical elements by ensuring a secure supply of technology that is environmentally friendly, increased efficiency with lower costs, and with more common materials to avoid potential future materials crises. Alternative technologies use renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind energy. Some alternative technologies have in the past or may in the future become widely adopted, after which they might no longer be considered "alternative." For example, the use of wind turbines to produce electricity.
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the fermentation used industrially to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses anaerobic digestion.
Articles related to waste management include:
Renewi plc is a leading European waste management company operating primarily in the Benelux region. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Amsterdam.
In-vessel composting generally describes a group of methods that confine the composting materials within a building, container, or vessel. In-vessel composting systems can consist of metal or plastic tanks or concrete bunkers in which air flow and temperature can be controlled, using the principles of a "bioreactor". Generally the air circulation is metered in via buried tubes that allow fresh air to be injected under pressure, with the exhaust being extracted through a biofilter, with temperature and moisture conditions monitored using probes in the mass to allow maintenance of optimum aerobic decomposition conditions.
Renewable natural gas (RNG), also known as biomethane, is a biogas which has been upgraded to a quality similar to fossil natural gas and has a methane concentration of 90% or greater. By removing CO2 and other impurities from biogas, and increasing the concentration of methane to a level similar to fossil natural gas, it becomes possible to distribute RNG via existing gas pipeline infrastructure. RNG can be used in existing appliances, including vehicles with natural gas burning engines (natural gas vehicles).
A mechanical biological treatment (MBT) system is a type of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes.
Sewage sludge treatment describes the processes used to manage and dispose of sewage sludge produced during sewage treatment. Sludge treatment is focused on reducing sludge weight and volume to reduce transportation and disposal costs, and on reducing potential health risks of disposal options. Water removal is the primary means of weight and volume reduction, while pathogen destruction is frequently accomplished through heating during thermophilic digestion, composting, or incineration. The choice of a sludge treatment method depends on the volume of sludge generated, and comparison of treatment costs required for available disposal options. Air-drying and composting may be attractive to rural communities, while limited land availability may make aerobic digestion and mechanical dewatering preferable for cities, and economies of scale may encourage energy recovery alternatives in metropolitan areas.
Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane, compost, humus, and simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion or similar processes. It mainly includes kitchen waste, ash, soil, dung and other plant matter. In waste management, it also includes some inorganic materials which can be decomposed by bacteria. Such materials include gypsum and its products such as plasterboard and other simple sulfates which can be decomposed by sulfate reducing bacteria to yield hydrogen sulfide in anaerobic land-fill conditions.
Digestate is the material remaining after the anaerobic digestion of a biodegradable feedstock. Anaerobic digestion produces two main products: digestate and biogas. Digestate is produced both by acidogenesis and methanogenesis and each has different characteristics. These characteristics stem from the original feedstock source as well as the processes themselves.
The Organics Recycling Group (ORG), formerly the Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR) and before that the Composting Association, is the leading trade organisation for the biodegradable waste management industry in the UK. It helped to develop the BSI PAS 100 industry standard for composts.
The New Technologies Demonstrator Programme is a scheme part of Defra's Waste Implementation Programme, New Technologies Workstream, to demonstrate advanced solid waste processing technologies in England. A pot of £30million was allocated to fund 10 demonstrator projects with the project being headed by Dave Brooks at Defra. The scheme is not on schedule for the ambitious targets that were initially set out by Defra, however 9 projects out of the initial 10 are now projected to be operational by April 2009, over 2 years behind schedule.
Food waste in the United Kingdom is a subject of environmental, and socioeconomic concern that has received widespread media coverage and been met with varying responses from government. Since 1915, food waste has been identified as a considerable problem and has been the subject of ongoing media attention, intensifying with the launch of the "Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign in 2007. Food waste has been discussed in newspaper articles, news reports and television programmes, which have increased awareness of it as a public issue. To tackle waste issues, encompassing food waste, the government-funded "Waste & Resources Action Programme" (WRAP) was created in 2000.
Source-separated organics (SSO) is the system by which waste generators segregate compostable materials from other waste streams at the source for separate collection.
The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, previously known as Renewable Energy Association (REA), is a renewable energy and clean technology trade association in the UK encompassing all of renewables industry in the United Kingdom. REA covers renewable power & flexibility, heat and cooling, circular bioresources and transport. The REA is a not-for-profit company.
Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste. Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.
Iona Capital Ltd is a fund management institution that specializes in the management of equity and debt investments for private and institutional clients. Its investment strategy focuses on seeking out promising start-up companies that align with the UK Government's goal of reducing waste sent to landfills. In addition to its environmental objectives, the company also places a significant emphasis on identifying and partnering with strong management teams.
Harvest Power, Inc. was a privately held organics management company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States that specializes in converting food waste and yard waste into biofuel, compost, mulch and fertilizer. In 2014 Fast Company named it one of the most innovative companies in the world. In August of 2020 Harvest Power Orlando ceased operations for unknown reasons and all assets were put up for sale; the company was dissolved in April 2021.
London Sustainable Industries Park (LSIP) is a 60 acre eco-industrial park in the Dagenham Dock area of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England. Around half the plots are taken up by whole businesses and the remaining half have been sold to Segro to be divided up into spaces for smaller businesses, marketed as Segro Park Dagenham.
Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) is a Swiss company specialising in energy from waste (EfW).
References
- ↑ "Royal approval for Bedfordshire anaerobic digester". LetsRecycle.com. 13 September 2007.
- ↑ "Biogen acquires Greenfinch engineering company". Farmer's Weekly. 30 October 2008.
- ↑ "Kier invests £24m in renewables JV". The Construction Index. 2 August 2012.[]
- ↑ "Ancala Bioenergy acquires Biogen". 16 November 2023.
- ↑ http://www.biogen.co.uk/The-Biogen-Difference/Our-Industry-Experience Archived 2016-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Biogen website
- ↑ "Biogen opens first Hertfordshire's food waste to green energy plant". CIWM Journal Online. 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015.
- ↑ "Biogen acquires Weston-super-Mare AD site". www.letsrecycle.com. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- ↑ "Green light for Northamptonshire AD plant". LetsRecycle.com. 14 May 2008.
- ↑ "Biogen starts work on Warwickshire AD". LetsRecycle.com. 15 May 2013.
- ↑ "Waen AD food waste plant to start generating power by summer". BBC News. 24 March 2014.
- ↑ "Work starts on £5m food waste power plant near Caernarfon". Daily Post. 25 October 2012.
- ↑ "Biogen starts work on third food waste to energy plant in Wales". Waste Management World. 11 December 2013.
- ↑ "Biogen expands with Scottish AD acquisition".