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written by Flahooler , July 30, 2008

A minor clarification...PlascoEnergy Group's technology uses plasma gasification to create syngas, like several biofuel start-ups. However, they convert the syngas directly to electricity by using it to power generators, rather than converting it to biofuel. The great thing about the gasification process, though, is that the resulting syngas can be used for many different applications. So, there's no reason why PlascoEnergy Group couldn't partner with a biofuel company in the future to expand the range of applications for their gasification process.

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written by Ken Roberts , July 30, 2008

Great, lets borrow more money to fund experimental technology while we already have a $400 Billion deficit for 2009.

Plasma?
written by Patiwat , July 31, 2008

I'm no PHD but isn't Plasma essentially really high electricity?

So the energy value we put IN is greater than the energy value we put OUT....

sounds like an inefficient system to me. :I

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written by Flahooler , July 31, 2008

Patiwat,

Yes, the plasma torch is essentially a high-voltage electrical arc that creates temperatures approaching or exceeding the surface of the sun. Such high temperatures destroy the hydro-carbon chains within the feedstock, whether it be biowaste or ordinary trash. The result is a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and other gases referred to as synthetic gas, or just syngas. This gas can then be burned to generate electricity or to create biofuels through several different competing processes.

While it's true that you do need to input energy to drive the plasma torch, the process is self-sustaining and actually creates an energy surplus depending on the stored energy content of the feedstock. Municipal trash, for instance, has a very high energy content...it just exists in an unusable form until decomposed into it's component elements. It's a similar concept to ordinary incineration, but the plasma torch is far more efficient at breaking down the feedstock resulting in greater energy yield and less pollution.

It's important to remember, though, that the energy content of the feedstock is what makes the process economically viable. One couldn't, for example, gasify a shovel full of dirt and expect to achieve an energy surplus because there just isn't that much available energy in dirt. It's fortunate for us, though, that most of what we consider to be waste actually has very high energy content.