Wastewater: The Best Hidden Energy Source You’ve Never Heard Of
It’s no secret that the world’s need for energy is increasing—but what many don’t realize is that a promising potential energy source is being flushed down our toilets every day. Increasingly, this wastewater—as well as other organic waste from sources like gardens and kitchens—is being used to heat homes, provide electricity, and even power cars.
This year’s World Water Day focuses on the problems and possibilities posed by wastewater. Wastewater is water contaminated with human, agricultural, or industrial wastes. While typically seen as a nuisance, the organic matter contained in wastewater from our sewage systems (commonly known as “sludge”) can become a valuable resource with sludge-to-energy systems.
Because of this research in Xiangyang, more Chinese cities have installed or are planning to install sludge-to-energy systems—including Beijing, Changsha, Hefei, Jinmen and Chengdu. The central government also selected 100 additional cities to pilot the use of waste-to-energy systems for kitchen wastes. WRI estimated that by 2020, waste-to-energy systems in China will have reduced emissions by 20 million tons of CO2—an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of 4 million cars.
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