Waste to Hydrogen: Trash Talkin

Topic: HydrogenStartech Environmental Corporation claims that it can take nearly any kind of waste and turn it into a gas rich in hydrogen that can in turn be converted to "ethanol, synthetic diesel fuel and other higher alcohol fuels." Startech claims its plasma converter system "safely and economically destroys wastes, no matter how hazardous or lethal, and turns them into useful and valuable products." Now, that's a pretty grandiose claim, and I'm not convinced that vaporizing medical waste is completely safe. The Department of Energy has given Startech some grant money to study hydrogen from coal, but I'm skeptical of technologies that aren't also being investigated by other researchers. Startech, which is based in Connecticut, has waste-to-gas production plants in China, Japan, Australia Panama, and a small plant in Bristol, Connecticut. The company also claims to be able to make ethanol from old tires. In a press release issued today, the company dedicate seven paragraphs detailing how Ford is building a truck with a hydrogen internal combustion engine, even though they have nothing to do with Ford or hydrogen engines. I spoke with Startech president Joe Long, about his technology.Longo says the company doesn't have patents for its plasma conversion technology because the patent process requires companies to give away too many secrets. He said that he is not aware of other companies doing similar research. And dDespite the lengthy talk of hydrogen in the press release, Startech's technology primarily produces synthetic gas, and hydrogen is merely a byproduct of the process. Any kind of waste can be converted to synthetic gas because according to Longo the chemistry of furniture, paper, and people "isn't all that different." Huh? He wasn't sure if the tires-to-ethanol plant would go through as it depends on partner company Fuel Frontiers obtaining the necessary licenses. He says Startech primarily gets revenue from building plants that eliminate waste, not from selling the resulting gas. He says the facility in Panama will process 200 tons of waste per day to produce electricity, making it the largest of its kind. Trash to steam plants to produce electricity have been proven to work, but I'm wary of companies (such as this) claiming to convert any kind of waste to hydrogen or fuel. Organic waste yes, but not any kind of junk.