A Popular Science article entitled "Out of the Garbage Pail and into the Fire" (February 1919) by Joseph Brinker exploded any idea I had that waste-to-energy plants are a fairly new concept. It's about an experimental plant designed by E. L. Culver of Chicago. He used a mixture of garbage, coal dust and tar to produce 2 lb. bricks which, when burned, gave the same, or better, heat as lignite coal. This method also did not produce the gasses that coal-fired electrical generation plants did. Culver's plant was successful and produced all of the heating units needed by Austin, Texas to power the city. The article sections sound completely modern:
- How to save $4,000,000 a Year
- Advantages Claimed for New Fuel
- Daily Average Waste per Person
When we're dealing with practical uses for garbage, someone in the past has probably already thought of it.
Notes:
Brinker, Joseph. "Out of the Garbage-Pail into the Fire."
Popular Science Feb. 1919: 50-51.
Google Books. Web.
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