The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Engineering a solution to waste crisis

Engineers at Cardiff University, UK, are using the latest technology to update a time-honoured practice and turn a serious environmental problem into a valuable resource.

Modern industrial societies generate vast quantities of waste the UK alone produces more than a million tonnes every day. A large proportion of it has traditionally been put into "landfill" literally dumped into large holes in the land, but space is running out and the damage to the environment from landfill sites is of increasing concern.

Predictions indicate that increases in municipal waste, the main contributor to landfill, will more than double the amount of landfill gas generated in the next 20 years, a very high portion of which is methane, one of the most aggressive "greenhouse" gases.

To help deal with these increases, Cardiff researchers, led by Dr Keith Williams and Dr. Tony Griffiths in the School of Engineering, are conducting large-scale experiments into generating compost from municipal waste.

At a specially-constructed site in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, they are analysing constant readings of temperature, gas flows, and gas composition, to develop the most efficient ways of producing valuable compost from material which would otherwise be discarded.

Through this work, largely sponsored by Carmarthenshire Environmental Resources Trust (CERT), they are finding that, by more actively managing the composting process, they can speed up the breakdown of organic material enabling them to achieve in eight weeks a quality of compost that would take a year under traditional methods.

"This work is producing solutions to no fewer than four serious environmental concerns," said Dr. Williams.

"Firstly, it disposes of much domestic waste; secondly, it helps overcome the worldwide depletion of soil quality; thirdly, it reduces emissions of methane the highly aggressive greenhouse gas produced by landfill disposal; and fourthly, it wil
'"/>

Contact: Dr Keith Williams
WilliamsK@cardiff.ac.uk
44-2987-4847
Cardiff University
3-Jun-2003


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Engineering endurance: The future of the Olympics?
2. The amendment to the law on green Genetic Engineering inhibits innovation and research in Germany
3. The stinky smell of success of Ted the Titan: a tale from Chemical & Engineering News
4. Dana-Farber launches NFCR Center for Therapeutic Antibody Research and Engineering
5. Symposium by ISPRS and the U-M College of Engineering
6. Story Tips: Engineering Students Pursue Cutting-Edge Research
7. Duke Geologist Decries Using Engineering Models To Predict Natural Phenomena
8. Engineering Animation, Inc. Demonstrates Internet Anatomy At Visible Human Project Conference
9. Engineering New Enzymes
10. Engineering, Math Shows Short-Legged Human Ancestors Were Very Efficient At Strolling Through Their World
11. Conservation Biology Clearinghouse, Engineering Design Tutor

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Engineering solution waste crisis

(Date:11/4/2009)...SON, N.J., Oct. 20 Quest...,s leading provider of diagnostic testing, informa...arter ended September 30, 2009, income from contin... diluted share, from $160 million, or $0.81 per di...8, third quarter results were reduced by a $0.03 p...
(Date:11/4/2009)...E, N.Y., Oct. 21 What,s the cost o...ng accidental death resulting from prescription me... good intentions, however, may be unaware that the...heir teens from the ticking timebomb of prescripti... in premium-quality medical supplies, has formed a...
(Date:11/4/2009)...YORK, Oct. 27 Global Rainmakers, I...advanced R&D laboratory, today announced that ...repared to actively commercialize its suite of tec...ric security offerings. ,, During the past four...dollars to develop and deploy a series of core--bu...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 2Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 3Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 4Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 5Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 6Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 7Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 8Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 9Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 10Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 11Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 12Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 13Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 14Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 15Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 16Quest Diagnostics Reports Strong Performance in Third Quarter 2009 17MEDNET Launches MedSafe to Prevent Teenage Prescription Drug Abuse 2MEDNET Launches MedSafe to Prevent Teenage Prescription Drug Abuse 3Global Rainmakers Brings Cutting-Edge Biometric Security Products to Reality 2Global Rainmakers Brings Cutting-Edge Biometric Security Products to Reality 3The Foundation for National Institutes of Health Announces Unprecedented Product Donation by sanofi aventis in the U S 13374 1The Foundation for National Institutes of Health Announces Unprecedented Product Donation by sanofi aventis in the U S 13374 2The Foundation for National Institutes of Health Announces Unprecedented Product Donation by sanofi aventis in the U S 13374 3The Foundation for National Institutes of Health Announces Unprecedented Product Donation by sanofi aventis in the U S 13374 4NewCardio Announces Master Services Agreement With Dedicated Phase I 4828 1NewCardio Announces Master Services Agreement With Dedicated Phase I 4828 2NewCardio Announces Master Services Agreement With Dedicated Phase I 4828 3NewCardio Announces Master Services Agreement With Dedicated Phase I 4828 4ReGen Biologics Clarifies Recent Press about the Menaflex Device 53699 1ReGen Biologics Clarifies Recent Press about the Menaflex Device 53699 2
(Date:11/5/2009)...ire/ -- The endangered black-footed ferrets inhabi... carnivore feeds on prairie dogs. The prairie do... population die-offs in towns occur. The U.S. Fis...erret breeding program and has been releasing trai...bitat. Unfortunately, plague can sweep through an...
(Date:11/5/2009)...Newswire-FirstCall/ -- ThermoGenesis Corp. (Nasdaq...ts for processing and storing adult stem cells, to...al 2010. ,, For the quarter ended September 30,...on, a 15 percent increase over revenues of $4.5 mi... said the key contributors to the growth in revenu...
(Date:11/5/2009)...-FirstCall/ -- BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (Na...ing first-in-class collagenase-based products, tod...uarter ended September 30, 2009. ,, "We were e...e FDA,s Arthritis Advisory Committee unanimously r...FLEX(TM) for the treatment of Dupuytren,s disease,...
(Date:11/5/2009)...RNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Senomyx, Inc. (Nasdaq: SN... receptor-based technologies to discover novel fla...ient supply industries, today provided a corporate...rd quarter ended September 30, 2009. Revenues wer...ared to $4.0 million for the third quarter of 2008...
Breaking Biology Technology:Colorado Companies Team Up With U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to Protect Black-Footed Ferret 2ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 2ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 3ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 4ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 5ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 6ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 7ThermoGenesis Reports 15 Percent Increase in First Quarter Revenues; Improved Bottom Line 8BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results 2BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results 3BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results 4BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results 5SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 2SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 3SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 4SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 5SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 6SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 7SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 8SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 9SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 10SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 11SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 12SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 13SENOMYX ANNOUNCES CORPORATE UPDATE AND THIRD QUARTER 2009 FINANCIAL RESULTS 14
Other News:
...reenville Hospital System, the Medical University ... ...University of South Carolina (USC) today signe...e South Carolina Health Sciences Collaborative (SC...ur of the state's largest universities and health ...
...ten accused of exaggerating and sensationalizing s.... Tania Bubela and Caulfield appraised articles pu...in 26 newspapers from Canada, the United States, G... the newspaper articles contained moderately to hi...
...SCATAWAY, N.J. Shipboard marine scientists from R...elease a nontoxic red dye into the Atlantic Ocean ...veal the contents and fate of Hudson River water a...s the first of three experiments in Rutgers' ongoi...
...ril 21, 2004 -- BioTime, Inc. (AMEX:BTX) announced...National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute division...e in the development of its HetaCool blood plasma ...will be used to fund a project entitled "Resuscita...
S.C. hospitals and universities form statewide health research collaborative 2S.C. hospitals and universities form statewide health research collaborative 3Ocean dye to help Rutgers scientists trace Hudson River's path miles into the Atlantic 2Ocean dye to help Rutgers scientists trace Hudson River's path miles into the Atlantic 3BioTime awarded NIH grant to aid Hetacool development 2BioTime awarded NIH grant to aid Hetacool development 3
...d marine science have combined their diverse exper...ay organisms probably derives from major changes i...cales. ... Using protein structures for the first ... of the influences that geochemistry has had upon ...
...adically new strategy featuring radioactive "guide...llege of Medicine of Yeshiva University have succe...infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. ......munotherapy might help in treating people infected...
...rovided a substantial source of organic material u...o a new study led by the University of Colorado at...gs for the National Academy of Sciences the week o...cles produced from the kind of atmospheric gases t...
By studying how homing pigeons decide between two attractive options--following a habitual route home and flying in the company of another homing pigeon--researchers have deepened our understanding of
UCSD scientists establish connection between life today and ancient changes in ocean chemistry 2Einstein researchers demonstrate a novel approach to treating AIDS 2Einstein researchers demonstrate a novel approach to treating AIDS 3Early Earth haze may have spurred life, says University of Colorado study 2Group decisions: From compromise to leadership in pigeon homing 2