Oklahoma innovators are at it again. Evolution Renewable Energy Inc. is developing technologies that turn trash into electricity, bringing new life to the phrase, “take out the trash!”
Evolution Chief Financial Officer Tony Wall recently told NewsOK.com that the process his company is developing is one of the most significant developments of the 21st century.
The way the process works is to greatly speed up the decomposition time of trash. In fact, it’s estimated that this technology will be able to decompose trash in a matter of seconds. That’s great news for our landfills, which are built to contain waste and trash for upward of a thousand years. The technology is sustained thermo kinetic accelerated radiation technology, or STAR TEK.
Scientists of many stripes have been working on creative innovations for our trash for some time. Conventional forms of producing electricity are all about capturing the energy from a fuel source. Whether that is natural gas or wind, the aim is to capture the energy that is created from that process. The same process applies here, only the fuel source is trash and the decomposition process does create energy. The technology being developed by Evolution Renewable Energy is designed to both enhance and capture that energy.
This is good news, because large expanses of land are being consumed by mounting heaps of garbage and this waste simply lies there creating tons of pollution and wasting land resources. Additionally, toxic wastes are perpetually being released into the air, lakes, rivers and seas and causing irreversible damage to ecosystems.
Local governments often struggle with how to manage waste, especially in a strict environmental regulatory environment. This Oklahoma innovation would not only allow us to clean up our landfills, it would also literally allow local governments in Oklahoma and across the country to reduce costs they spend on managing waste while simultaneously developing a commodity that can help repower itself.
The technology being developed by Evolution Renewable Energy will be able to convert about 98 percent of the waste that it uses as a fuel source into a power source. Imagine, if 98 percent of the waste you generate in your household were suddenly turned into energy. This could be a game changer and an Oklahoma innovation worth investing in. I’m thankful that innovators are seeking ways to turn trash into treasure!