We have all heard about recycling. Scrap metals can be turned into new products, along with glass and plastic. Paper can become more than just something to light a bonfire. But did you know that liquid wastes can also be recycled and used as a fuel?
That is exactly what MagneGas Corp. has managed to do. Its first industrial-scale complex for recycling what is known as highly infected liquid waste. The waste is changed into a hydrogen-based metal working fuel. This could be a great boost to welders who will have a new fuel gas that they can turn to when working. The plant is a 500-kWh plant. It sterilizes agricultural or municipal sewage. The plant is in the certification and testing phase in the Tampa, Florida area.
The technology the company has developed is spreading around the world. A 300-kW version is headed to a company in Mexico. The company, Immobiliaria Grupo Corporative S.A. de C.V. or Green Planet Aid will buy the refinery and the exclusive distribution rights to the MagneGas fuel for the market in Mexico for a period of five years.
The process that MagneGas has perfected is called the Plasma Arc Flow. This process turns liquid municipal, industrial, agricultural, and military liquid wastes into a gas. The gas is a clean burning fuel. Two years ago MagneGas commercialized the process and some fabricators were licensed to use the fuel for their cutting fuel or as a process gas. Distributors also were able to receive the fuel.
And the benefits of the fuel go beyond just welding. The alternative fuel can actually be used to power vehicles or industrial equipment. It has also been found that the fuel is safe to use for heating and for cooking. There may be other applications that the fuel can be used for as well. This solves a two-fold problem – what to do with all the liquid wastes that are produced and how to come up with a renewable and clean energy source.
As a welder, the price of fuel gases is always high. With an easily renewable fuel gas source, there is the very strong possibility that the price will go down. Welders will also have less to worry about because they will be able to get the gas that they need to fuel their equipment. While the process is still new and being finalized, it is catching on and is certainly something to follow.
