The need to solve the problem of disposal of municipal solid waste and treatment of liquid effluents of cities and villages is long overdue, however, there have not yet been technologies that solve it in a complex. Everything that was offered to humanity was expensive or ineffective.

The proposed technology, in our opinion, is devoid of these critical shortcomings and has one main and fundamental advantage.

The Emax technology (a patent application is available) is a complex of interconnected technological sections that provide the processing of solid and liquid household, agricultural and industrial waste by various methods:

1. Solid waste processing site

Garbage collection system (possibly with preliminary coarse sorting)

2. The site for the processing of liquid effluents consists of

Pools for the accumulation of wastewater and filtration of furnace gases;

Systems of plastic box-baths with systems to support the intensive growth of special plants;

3. Area for the collection and processing of green mass:

storage tanks;

Apparatus for grinding biomass;

3. Energy section:

Biogas reactor of continuous supply;

gas holders;

Each of the modules that make up the system is quite widely known in production, but they are not used in this combination.

In addition, there are fundamentally new developments, the implementation of which makes it possible to combine these four sections into a single cycle at the input of which is garbage and sewage, and at the output:

Valuable green mass that can be used for the production of feed, paper, furniture, as well as for filling biogas reactors.

Electricity and heat energy

Oxygen.

Economic profitability is ensured in almost every area of ​​technology - fees for the disposal of solid waste, for the reception of sewage, the sale of surplus biogas, electricity and heat, the sale of surplus biomass.

Variants of application of technology Emax.

Operating greenhouse.

A standard Emax biomodule is installed, the size is calculated depending on the need for electricity and heat. Contracts are concluded with companies that collect and remove garbage and companies that clean septic tanks. Biohumus and liquid biofertilizers are used for the needs of the greenhouse. Construction costs can be relatively low, especially if existing buildings are partly used. The profit comes from waste disposal and savings on the energy supply of the facility.

Operating livestock complex

Biomodule Emax standard, the size is calculated based on the amount of waste. In this case, it is necessary to dilute an excessively concentrated nutrient solution (manure). In this connection, the purified water is returned to the accumulation pools and used in the process of caring for animals. More than 10 times the biogas yield compared to a standard biogas reactor using farm waste directly. In this case, only MSW can be imported from outside, but their volume increases due to the increased concentration of the solution. Electricity production will be redundant, a sales market is needed. It can be solved by partially using biomass for livestock feed. In our opinion, the most cost-effective way to use the technology.

City wastewater treatment plant

It makes sense to make the Emax biomodule with a vertical arrangement of the building. Altitude and overall size is calculated based on the volume of liquid waste. An additional system for collecting and storing CO2 is required, since gas is not supplied to the box baths at night. MSW is imported by city enterprises, it is necessary to build a large-scale furnace with a turbine. In fact, the complex will be a city heat and power plant with a system for cleaning emissions and solid waste as a heat carrier. The system produces a large number of heat and electricity. A large market is needed. There is a question of dumping clean water, biohumus. Becomes significant volumes of furnace sludge. The costs of design, construction, operation are significant. But the profit is also very high.

City block or small town

In the case of using Emax as a source of energy supply for a separately constructed settlement or residential area, the location of the Emax biomodule can be either vertical or horizontal, depending on many factors - the cost of land, accessibility Money, aesthetic preferences of the developer. It is necessary to conduct an additional water supply line in newly built residential buildings, to which the bathrooms of apartments, batteries, lawn irrigation points, etc. will be connected. There may be a shortage of system capacity in winter period. It can be solved by accumulating biogas in summer or by importing additional volumes of fuel in winter. A company serving a locality can earn significant profits as a result of the sale of electricity and heat not at wholesale prices, but at retail prices, or reduce tariffs for utility services and make housing more affordable for citizens.

Private housing construction

For a house with an area of ​​120-150 m2, drains and solid waste are required for at least four people. The system ensures sufficient production of either electricity and partly heat, or heat and partly electricity. Here it is also advisable to send purified water to the bathrooms of the house and the heating system. If there are domestic farm animals in the homestead, full energy self-sufficiency is possible.

Detached urban commercial facility

It is advisable to build an Emax biomodule only if there are a large number of people visiting the building. In this case, it is possible to partially provide the building with one or another type of energy at the expense of its own waste. However, it is possible to reduce utility costs somewhat by stopping garbage collection and using recycled water in toilets.

Providing feed for livestock complexes in the conditions of a geoclimatic catastrophe

Biomodule Emax are producers of highly nutritious feed that does not depend on solar activity, the cultivation of which does not require additional costs for heating and lighting. Economic indicators are not a significant factor.

Vehicles (as insanity)

Milled biomass is loaded into the composite tank and the engine runs on biogas, which is formed directly during the movement of the car.

Possible productions related to technology

Manufacture of Dianov's digesters;

Production of box-baths and mobile lines for molding box-baths;

Production of Emax lines for individual housing construction;

Production of boilers for MSW;

Production of gas power generators;

An approximate calculation of the production of some products for the effluents of a settlement in 1000 people per day.

If successful, there is a possibility of creating ecosystems that ensure the functioning of any settlements, from the smallest - farms, settlements, to the largest urban agglomerates such as Moscow and New York, which will "eat" everything that these cities produce, and in return give out energy, clean water and oxygen.

A city provided with such closed-cycle ecosystems inscribed in its structure is itself a living ecosystem, providing citizens with energy, clean water, clean air and removing all kinds of contaminants. Similar ecosystems are beginning to be developed in the world, but the productivity of existing options is still negligible, since it does not have the unique biomass growth rate, and hence waste processing, and hence the generation of profit per unit cost, like the proposed complex.

Thousands of tons of garbage are thrown out every day, which pollute our planet. To remedy the current situation, various technologies for the processing of waste raw materials are being created. Many products are sent to secondary production, where new products are created from them. Such techniques make it possible to save on costs when purchasing new raw materials, receive additional income from sales, and also allow you to clear the world of garbage components.

There are methods by which you can not only create recyclable materials, they are aimed at obtaining energy from waste. For these purposes, specialized mechanisms are being developed, thanks to which thermal resources and electricity are created.

Devices have been developed that can process one ton of the most harmful waste into 600 kW of electricity. Along with this, 2 Gcal of heat energy appears. These units for this moment are in great demand, as it is believed that this is the most cost-effective and quickly paid back investment.

Such mechanisms are characterized by high cost, but the invested financial resources provide further savings on materials and a significant income from profits due to the sale of energy. The amount invested will pay off many times over.

There are several ways in which waste is converted into energy.

– Incineration

It is considered the most popular method for the elimination of solid waste, which has been used since the 19th century. This method allows not only to reduce the amount of garbage, but also provides auxiliary energy resources that can be exploited in heating system, as well as in the field of power supply. There are disadvantages of this technology, which consist in the release of harmful components into the environment.

When MSW is burned, up to 44% of ash with gas products is formed. Carbon dioxide with water vapor and all kinds of impurities can be attributed to gaseous substances. Due to the fact that combustion occurs at temperature regime at 800-900 degrees, then in an educated gas mixture organic compounds are present.

— Thermochemical technology

This method has a lot of advantages when compared with the previous version. Among the advantages can be attributed increased efficiency, if we talk about the prevention of pollution of the surrounding atmosphere. This is due to the fact that the use of this technology is not accompanied by the production of biologically active components, so there is no environmental harm.

The resulting waste is endowed with a high density index, which indicates a reduction in the volume of garbage mass, which is subsequently sent for disposal in landfills specially equipped for this purpose. It is also worth noting that the technique gives the right to process an increased number of varieties of raw materials. Due to it, it is possible to interact not only with solid variations, but also with tires, polymer components and used oils with the possibility of extracting fuel products for ships from hydrocarbon elements. This is a significant advantage, since the manufactured petroleum products are characterized by increased liquidity and a large price tag.

Among negative qualities allocate spending on the purchase of technological units and increased requests for quality values ​​of recycled materials. The cost of mechanisms due to which it is possible to recycle recyclables is high, which symbolizes the large costs of equipping the enterprise.

— Physical and chemical methods

This is another process by which energy is obtained from waste. Thanks to this manipulation, it is possible to convert the waste mixture into a biodiesel fuel product. As a derivative material, it is customary to use waste vegetable oils and the processing of various kinds of fats of animal or vegetable origin.

– Biochemical methods

With their help, it is possible to modify the components of organic origin into heat energy and electricity thanks to bacteria. The extraction and utilization of biogas, which appears during the decomposition of natural components of MSW, is most often operated directly at the landfill. All action is carried out in the reactor, where there are special varieties of bacteria that convert the organic mass into ethanol with biogas.

Waste-to-energy

At the international exhibition Wasma, all interested parties will be able to get to know the world of recycling in more detail and purchase the appropriate equipment for themselves. The site will present the entire range of devices that can be used to extract energy sources from garbage.

Visitors get unique features:

• Get great deals from reputable companies. All trademarks are aimed at mutually beneficial cooperation and expansion of their client base.
• Familiarize yourself with several modifications of products at a time, study them specifications and compare scores. If necessary, you can get professional advice on all emerging issues.
• Contact service organizations that are engaged in commissioning and maintenance.
• Purchase new devices or find the necessary components for existing equipment. The event will demonstrate not only equipment, but also all the necessary components for normal operation.

The site will be of interest to guests from various fields of activity, since energy resources are extracted from household or industrial waste, agricultural waste products are often used, along with products from the medical and petrochemical industries. During the combustion of such a garbage mass, biogas is formed along with pyrolysis. The exhibition will exhibit devices for such activities, which are usually called pyrolysis complexes.

The problem of garbage is familiar firsthand to any resident of a big city. The city is trying to get rid of unnecessary waste by dumping it in special areas. Landfills are growing in size and are already advancing on individual microdistricts. At least 40 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is accumulated in Russia annually. At the same time, waste incineration plants can be used as an additional source of electricity.

First generation MSZ

In the UK in late XIX V. The first waste incineration plant (MSZ) was built. Initially, incinerators were used to reduce the volume of waste residues stored in landfills and to decontaminate them. Later, it was found that the heat generated by MSZ can be compared with the calorific value of high-ash brown coal, and MSW can be used as fuel for thermal power plants (TPPs).

The first waste incineration units largely repeated the boiler units of thermal power plants: MSW was burned on the grates of power boilers, and the heat obtained from waste incineration was used to produce steam and subsequently generate electricity.

It should be noted that the boom in the construction of incinerators fell on the period of the energy crisis of the 1970s. IN developed countries built hundreds of MSZs. It seemed that the problem of MSW disposal was solved. But incinerators of that time did not have reliable means for cleaning exhaust gases emitted into the atmosphere.

Many experts began to note that this technology has big disadvantages. Dioxins are formed during incineration, waste incineration facilities are also one of the main sources of mercury and heavy metal emissions.

Therefore, rather simple in design and relatively cheap first-generation incinerators had to be closed or reconstructed, improving and, accordingly, increasing the cost of the system for cleaning gases emitted into the atmosphere.

Second generation MSZ

From the second half of the 1990s. In Europe, the construction of the second generation incinerator began. The cost of these enterprises is about 40% of the cost of modern efficient gas treatment facilities. But the essence of MSW incineration processes still has not changed.

Traditional incinerators incinerate non-dried waste. The natural humidity of MSW usually ranges from 30-40%. Therefore, a significant amount of heat released during the incineration of waste is spent on the evaporation of moisture, and the temperature in the combustion zone usually cannot be raised above 1,000 ° C.

Slags formed from the mineral component of MSW at such temperatures are obtained in a solid state in the form of a porous, fragile mass with a developed surface, capable of adsorbing a large amount of harmful impurities in the process of waste incineration and relatively easy to release harmful elements when stored in landfills and landfills. Correction of the composition and properties of the formed slags is impossible.

Moscow plans to install second-generation incinerators

In all districts of Moscow, except for the Central District, in the coming years, waste processing and incineration plants will be built and reconstructed. It is expected that second generation incinerators will be built.

This is stated in the draft resolution metropolitan government, approved on March 11, 2008. For 80 billion rubles by 2012, six new waste incineration plants (MSZ) will be built, seven waste processing complexes will be reconstructed, and a plant for the thermal treatment of hazardous medical waste will be launched. Land under factories are already defined.

Now the resources of the regional landfills are practically exhausted. “In five years, if we don't build our own recycling facilities, Moscow will drown in rubbish,” says Adam Gonopolsky, a member of the State Duma's top environmental council. In conditions when landfills are closed, and waste processing enterprises cannot be built for environmental reasons, the only way out, in his opinion, is incinerators.

While Muscovites are on strike against the construction of new waste incineration plants, the city authorities are considering the option of building waste incineration plants not only in Moscow, but also in the Moscow region. Yuri Luzhkov spoke about this at a meeting with deputies of the Moscow City Duma in June 2009.

“Why can't we come to an agreement with the Moscow region on the placement of such plants and an increase in the number of landfills for waste storage,” Yuri Luzhkov asked. He also said that he considers it appropriate to develop a city bill, according to which all garbage must be sorted before disposal. “Such a law will reduce the volume of waste sent to incinerators and landfills from 5 million tons to 1.5-2 million tons per year,” the mayor said.

Waste sorting can also be useful for other alternative waste processing technologies. But this issue also needs to be resolved by law.

New Energy Opportunities for MSZ: European Experience

In Europe, it has already been resolved. The sorted waste is integral part supply of the population with electricity and heat. In particular, in Denmark, incinerators integrated since the early 1990s. 3% of electricity and 18% of heat are provided to the system of electricity and heat supply of cities.

In the Netherlands, only about 3% of waste is taken to landfills, since the country has had a special tax on waste since 1995, which is taken to special landfills. It is 85 euros for 1 ton of waste and makes landfills economically inefficient. Therefore, the bulk of the waste is recycled, and part is converted into electricity and heat.

For Germany, it is considered the most effective construction by industrial enterprises of their own thermal power plants using waste from their own production. This approach is most typical for chemical, paper and food industries.

Europeans have long adhered to the preliminary separation of waste. Each yard has separate containers for various kinds waste. This process was legislated back in 2005.

In Germany, up to 8 million tons of waste is generated annually, which can be used to generate electricity and heat. However, only 3 million tons of this amount finds use. But by 2010, an increase in the input capacities of power plants operating on waste should change this situation.

Emissions trade forces Europeans to approach waste disposal, especially by incineration, from completely different positions. We are already talking about the cost of reducing carbon emissions.

In Germany, the following standards apply for incinerators - the cost of avoiding the emission of 1 mg of carbon dioxide when using municipal waste for electricity production is 40-45 euros, and for heat production - 20-30 euros. While the same costs for the production of electricity by solar panels amount to 1 thousand euros. The efficiency of incinerators, which can produce electricity and heat, compared to some other alternative energy sources is tangible.

The German energy concern E.ON plans to become Europe's leading waste-to-energy company. The company's goal is to take a 15-25% share in the respective markets of Holland, Luxembourg, Poland, Turkey and the UK. Moreover, E.ON considers Poland to be the main direction, since in this country (as in Russia) garbage is mainly disposed of in landfills. And EU regulations provide for a medium-term ban on such landfills in the countries of the community.

By 2015, the turnover of the German energy concern in the field of energy recycling of waste should exceed 1 billion euros. Today, the performance of this one of the leading German energy concerns is much more modest and amounts to 260 million euros. But even at this scale, E.ON is already considered Germany's leading waste disposer, ahead of firms such as Remondis and MVV Energie. Its share so far is 20%, and it operates nine waste incinerators, which produce 840 GWh of electricity and 660 GWh of heat. Even larger competitors in Europe are located in France.

It should be noted that in Germany the situation with waste disposal changed radically only in 2005, when laws were passed prohibiting uncontrolled waste dumping. Only after that the garbage business became profitable. At present, Germany needs to process approximately 25 million tons of waste annually, and only 70 plants with a capacity of 18.5 million tons are available.

Russian solutions

Russia also presents interesting solutions for generating additional electricity from waste. The industrial company "Technology of Metals" (Chelyabinsk), together with CJSC NPO Gidropress (Podolsk) and NP CJSC AKONT (Chelyabinsk), developed a project for an economical, multi-purpose continuous melting unit "MAGMA" (APM " MAGMA"). This technology has already been tested in experimental industrial conditions. technological schemes its use.

Compared to traditionally used MSW incinerators, the MAGMA unit and the technology of high-temperature and waste-free waste disposal have a number of advantages that make it possible to reduce capital costs for the construction of an MLT for the disposal of unsorted waste. These include:

The possibility of recycling municipal waste with natural moisture, pre-drying it before loading, thus raising the temperature of burning municipal waste and increasing the amount of electricity produced per ton of waste burned to world standards;

Possibility of incineration of municipal waste in an oxygen atmosphere on the surface of superheated slag melt formed from the mineral component of municipal waste, reaching a gas phase temperature in the incinerator of 1800-1900°C, and a temperature of molten slag of 1500-1650°C and reducing the total amount of emitted gases and oxides nitrogen in them;

The possibility of obtaining liquid acidic slag from the mineral component of municipal waste, periodically draining it from the furnace. This slag is strong and dense, does not emit any harmful substances during storage, and can be used for the production of crushed stone, slag casting and other building materials.

The dust captured in the gas cleaning of the unit is blown back into the melting chamber, into the slag melt by special injectors, and is completely assimilated by the slag.

According to other indicators, the WIP equipped with the MAGMA unit is not inferior to the existing WIP, while the amount of harmful substances emitted with gases complies with EU standards and is lower than when burning municipal waste in traditionally used units. Thus, the use of APM "MAGMA" allows the technology of waste-free disposal of unsorted municipal waste, without adversely affecting the environment. The unit can also be successfully used for the reclamation of existing garbage dumps, efficient and safe disposal medical waste, disposal of used car tires.

During the thermal processing of 1 ton of municipal waste with a natural moisture content of up to 40%, the following amount of marketable products will be obtained: electricity - 0.45-0.55 MW / h; cast iron - 7-30 kg; building materials or products - 250-270 kg. Capital costs for the construction of an incineration plant with a capacity of up to 600 thousand tons per year of unsorted waste in the conditions of the city of Chelyabinsk will amount to an estimated 120 million euros. The payback period of investments is from 6 to 7.5 years.

The MAGMA project for the processing of solid industrial waste in 2007 was supported by the decision of the Committee on Ecology of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

Publications

Receiving energy from living beings evokes primitive associations for many - with a horse carrying a load, or a hamster spinning a small dynamo through its wheel. Someone else will remember the school experience with electrodes stuck into an orange, forming a kind of “living battery” ... However, the work of our much smaller “brothers” - bacteria is much more effective in this regard!

The “garbage problem” on a planetary scale is much more significant than it might seem to the layman, despite the fact that it is not as obvious as other environmental horrors that they like to talk about in all sorts of “scandals-sensations-investigations”. 26 million tons per year is only Moscow and only household waste! And even if we diligently sort and then process everything, the amount of organic waste will not decrease from this, since they make up about 70% of all rubbish produced by mankind. And the more developed the country's economy, the more organic household waste. This terrifying mass cannot be defeated by any processing. But in addition to household waste, there are huge volumes of industrial waste - sewage, food production waste. They also have a significant amount of organic matter.

A promising direction in the fight against organic waste that overwhelm the planet is microbiology. What people do not eat up, microbes will eat up The principle itself has been known for a long time. However, today the problem lies in its effective use, and scientists continue to work on it. “Feeding” a half-eaten hamburger to microbes in a jar is easy! But this is not enough. We need a technology that will allow bacteria to quickly and efficiently process thousands and millions of tons of garbage at no extra cost, without expensive structures and catalysts, which, by their cost, nullify the final efficiency of this process. Alas, most of the technologies that use bacteria to process waste today are either unprofitable, or unproductive, or difficult to scale.

For example, one of the well-known and well-established technologies for processing waste with the help of bacteria is a method of biogas production familiar to many foreign farmers. Livestock manure is rotting using microbes that release methane, which is collected in a huge bubble bag. The system works and produces gas suitable for heating the same farm through electricity generated by a gas turbine generator, or directly by combustion. But such a complex cannot be scaled purely technologically. Suitable for a farm or a village, not for a big city. Plus, in urban waste, unlike manure, there are a lot of toxic components. These toxic substances end up in the gas phase in the same way as useful methane, and the final “mix” turns out to be heavily polluted.

However, science does not stand still - one of the most promising technologies that are now of interest to scientists around the world (including, probably, the notorious British ones) is the use of the so-called "electronic bacteria", which are one of the best waste eaters, simultaneously producing of this process, unpleasant from a human point of view, is electricity. On the surface of the cell membrane of such a bacterium is a cytochrome protein, on which an electric charge is formed. In the process of metabolism, a bacterium "dumps" an electron onto the surface of its cell and generates the next one - and so on over and over again. Microorganisms with such properties (for example, geobacter) have been known for a long time, but their electrical abilities have not been used in practice.

What do microbiologists do? Andrey Shestakov, a researcher at the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University and head of the laboratory of microbial biotechnology, told Computerra about this:

“We take an anode electrode, cover its surface with cells of electroforming microorganisms, place instead of hydrogen in a nutrient medium that we need to process (garbage, “garbage solution” - we will do without details for simplicity), and during the metabolism of these cells, we from each of they will receive electrons and protons.

Further, everything is the same as in a conventional fuel cell - the cell gives up an electron and a proton, protons are sent through the proton-exchange membrane to the cathode chamber to the second electrode of this battery, adding oxygen from the air "at the exhaust" we get water, and remove electricity to an external circuit. It's called "Microbial Fuel Cell", MFC, Microbial Fuel Cell."

It would not be superfluous to recall how a classic hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell is arranged and functions. Two electrodes, an anode and a cathode (for example, carbon and covered with a catalyst - platinum), are in a certain container, divided into two parts by a proton-exchange membrane. We supply hydrogen to the anode from an external source, which dissociates on platinum and donates electrons and protons. The membrane does not allow electrons to pass through, but is capable of passing protons that move to another electrode - the cathode. We also supply oxygen (or simply air) to the cathode from an external source, and reaction waste is obtained on it - pure water. Electricity is removed from the cathode and anode and used for its intended purpose. With various variations, this design is also used in electric vehicles, and even in portable gadgets for charging smartphones away from an outlet (such, for example, are produced by the Swedish company Powertrekk).

In a small container in a nutrient medium is an anode with microbes. It is separated from the cathode by a proton-exchange membrane made of Nafion - under this brand name, this material is produced by BASF, not so long ago known to everyone for its audio cassettes. Here it is - electricity, actually created by living microbes! In the laboratory prototype, a single LED lights up from it through a pulse converter, because the LED requires 2-3 volts for ignition - less than the MFC gives out. Although it takes quite a long time to get to the laboratory of microbial biotechnology of Moscow State University in a deep basement through dusty and wild corridors, it is not at all a receptacle for antediluvian Soviet scientific equipment, as is the case with the vast majority of Russian science today, but is well equipped with modern imported equipment.

Like any fuel or galvanic cell, the MFC produces a small voltage - about one volt. The current directly depends on its dimensions - the larger, the higher. Therefore, on an industrial scale, rather large-sized installations connected in series into batteries are assumed.

According to Shestakov, developments in this area began about half a century ago:

"Microbial generators" began to be seriously studied at NASA in the sixties, not so much as a technology for generating energy, but as an effective principle for processing waste products in the confined space of a spacecraft (already then, as far as possible, they tried to protect space from debris, shamelessly continuing to pollute the Earth ...!) But the technology was born and after that, in fact, for many years it was in a coma, few people needed it in reality. However, 4-5 years ago, it received a second wind - since there was a significant need for it in the light of the millions of tons of garbage that fill up our planet, as well as in the light of the development of various related technologies, supposedly making it possible to make microbial fuel cells not laboratory exotic "desktop format", but real industrial systems that allow processing significant volumes of organic waste.

Today, Russian developments in the field of MFCs are the result of joint efforts of the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University and M-Power World, a Skolkovo resident company, which received a grant for such research and outsourced microbiological developments to specialized specialists, that is, to us. Our system is already functioning and producing real current - the task of current research is to select the most effective combination of bacteria and conditions in which MTC could be successfully scaled up in industrial conditions and begin to be used in the waste processing and recycling industry.”

So far, there is no talk of MFC stations being on a par with already proven traditional energy sources. Now scientists in the first place is the task of efficiently processing biowaste, and not getting energy. It just “just so happened” that it is the electroforming bacteria that are the most “gluttonous”, and therefore effective. And the electricity they produce as they work is actually a by-product. It needs to be taken away from bacteria and "burned", doing some useful work in order for the bioprocess to proceed as intensively as possible. According to calculations, it turns out that it will be enough for waste processing plants based on microbial fuel cells to do without external energy sources.

However, in Shestakov's laboratory, not only the "garbage" direction is being pursued, but also another - purely energy. A biogenerator of a slightly different type is called a "bioreactor fuel cell" - it is built on other principles than the MFC, but the general ideology of obtaining current from living organisms, of course, remains. And now it is already aimed primarily at the production of energy, as such.

Interestingly, if many scientists around the world are now working on microbial fuel cells as a means of destroying garbage, then fuel cells are only in Russia. So don't be surprised if someday the wires from your home socket lead not to the usual hydroelectric turbines, but to a garbage bioreactor.

Getting electricity from waste is one of the ways to protect environment.

Next, we will take a look at different ways obtaining energy from waste. As already noted, recycling is one of the ways to protect the environment. When implementing the recycling process, not only can you save in the consumption of many natural resources but also to reduce the level of pollution of water, air and soil. Today, the countries' environmental protection programs include the production of fuel from garbage. Today we want to consider this issue.

As it was said "the road of civilization is paved with mountains of rubbish" . If the waste is recycled, it will be possible to switch to recycling, and if it remains intact and buried, it will remain environmental pollutants. According to research results World Organization(WHO), ignoring the collection and disposal of waste can cause at least 32 ecological problems. This is why recycling is taken seriously by many countries today. One of the latest ways to reduce negative impact which renders the waste landfill (MSW) to the environment is the processing of garbage into fuel. Waste-to-fuel recycling is a process in which useless waste is converted into virtually free thermal energy that can be used as electricity or heat. This practice has been carried out in the traditional way in many countries of the world since ancient times. For example, 400 years ago in Iran, the Iranian scientist Sheikh Baha'i created a bathhouse that was powered by gas emitted from sewage. In India also, some people collected animal waste in closed containers and burned it for 9 months. This process is used in modern technology in different cities of the world. In particular, attention is paid to the use of gas obtained from waste disposal centers in some cities around the world.

Methane, which makes up about 55% of all gas emitted in landfills, is one of the greenhouse gases that, in terms of greenhouse effect potential, is equal to carbon dioxide and even higher, so that the concentration of methane in the atmosphere will increase by 0.6 percent per year. The concentration of other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, increases by only 0.4%. Methane, if not properly controlled, can lead to groundwater pollution. Thus, the recovery and proper use of methane can play a significant role in protecting the environment.

From every tonne of raw solid waste, between 5 and 20 cubic meters of gas per year can be obtained, and this amount can be increased through proper resource development and management. Some ordinary people believe that because this gas is obtained from waste, it is dangerous and polluting, and its combustion is unreliable. However, scientists believe that it is just the opposite, and the gas obtained from the landfill is less polluting, and since the flame temperature is low, the amount of pollution will be 60% less than when burning natural gas. Therefore, according to environmentalists, the curbing of gas obtained from garbage is mandatory. IN last years when energy prices rose, this type of fuel received more attention. According to statistics, there are now hundreds of landfills in the world where the emitted gas is used to generate electricity and even sell it to other buyers.

The collection of this type of gas in the center of the landfill is quite easy. To do this, you need to dig vertical wells around the landfill. These wells are connected through a network of pipes designed to collect gas. Of course, in order to increase the performance of the system, you can put layers of crushed stone, concrete and sand in their path. In addition, all these wells are connected to the central reservoir. The manifold can be connected to a compressor or blower. Approximately for every 0.4 hectare of landfill area, a gas collection well is required. In the end, it is possible to inject the gas into the flare or release it for any other consumption, or even purify it and improve its quality. Thus, in the joint production of thermal and electrical energy can be observed a sharp decline carbon emissions and increased fuel efficiency. High overall efficiency of this technology compared to the production of electricity and heat by traditional methods has contributed to the fact that this type of technology has been highly valued in recent years in Europe. Europe's largest biogas plant is located in Vienna, Austria, and uses landfill gas to produce 8 MW of electricity. The start-up of CHP plants is spreading at lightning speed across the European Union as the private and public sectors have appreciated CHP technology as a cost-effective source of energy with varying capacities.

One of the successful projects in this area is being carried out in the Canadian city of Edmonton. The Edmonton electric utility has managed to start a large power plant using methane from the Clover Bar landfill. The launch of this project in 1992 contributed to the fact that the atmospheric emission of carbon dioxide was reduced by about 662 thousand tons. In 1996 alone, this project contributed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 182,000 tons, and in the period from 1992 to 1996, about 208 gigawatt-hours of electricity were generated. Even the gas obtained by this method was sold at a lower price than natural gas, so it turned out to be more economical. In Asia, the capital of South Korea, Seoul, is one of the cities that partially provides heat energy from waste incineration. A lot of waste is thrown out in this city. Based on published reports, Seoul has used 730,000 tons of 1.1 million tons of combustible household waste in recent years as fuel for energy production. This is said to be equivalent to the annual heating demand of 190,000 urban households. South Korea plans to meet more than 10% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030 to enter the top five countries in the world with "green economy" .

In addition to generating energy from waste, another way to recycle waste is to turn it into compost fertilizer. Composting is a method of neutralizing household, agricultural and some industrial solid waste, based on the decomposition organic matter aerobic microorganisms. The resulting compost is similar to humus and is used as fertilizer. This is perhaps the oldest recycling method. The composting process is very simple, done by experienced professionals either in the farmers' own homes or on their lands, or industrially. These fertilizers are considered one of the best fertilizers for agricultural purposes, and can be useful for growing flowers. The result of the presence of magnesium and phosphate in fertilizers will be the formation of alluvium and rapid absorption nutrients in the soil. Compost is also considered a natural soil pesticide. Using compost can save up to 70% in the consumption of chemical fertilizers. Every person living in the city throws away more than half a kilogram of garbage a day, one third of which is compostable. If we assume a city population of 30 million people, then the city produces 15 million kg of waste daily, 5 million of which can be converted into compost.

Thus, modern man, after the bitter experience of the last century, has decided that he must value God's blessings and take care of the environment, since the existence of the future human generation and the world depends precisely on his current efforts.