Waste to Energy

Thursday morning, after only 3 hours of sleep (because the cop kicked us off the beach) I woke up to attend an FDP to Oahu's Waste to Energy plant. I was really exhausted so I asked the professor if we could stop and get coffee first. After my quadruple espresso, I was ready to go! We arrived at the plant and received a breakdown of how HPOWER turns Oahu's municipal waste into electricity. Here is some of what I learned about the Waste-to-Energy process

“Using proven, modern technology the HPOWER facility transforms our island's waste into a valuable commodity: clean, renewable electricity.
        Trucks deliver municipal solid waste to the facility, where it is mixed and shredded. Magnets are used to remove metals for recycling. The processed waste is fed into a boiler and combusted t extremely high temperatures. Water is then circulated in the boiler tubes and turned into steam. This steam drives a turbine, thereby generating renewable electricity. Through the process, waste volume in reduced by 90%, saving precious landfill space. In addition, the facility helps reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels such as oil and coal. HPOWER processes about 2000 tons of waste per day and generates approximately 45 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 45,000 local homes.
        HPOWER uses state-of-the-art technology and is safe for the community and HPOWER employees. In addition to being closely regulated by various local, state and federal agencies, HPOWER is tested and inspected regularly to ensure that environmental and safety requirements are met.
        In 2000, there were 102 modern waste-to-energy facilities operating in the US. These facilities processed 14% of the nation's municipal solid waste, serving the disposal needs of more than 37 million and people and producing enough electricity for 2.8 million homes. Globally, it is estimated that there are more than 1000 waste-to-energy facilities in operation.
        To ensure compliance with clean air mandates, the facility uses modern air pollution control equipment. In addition, emissions data is collected with the facility's continuous emissions monitoring system and reported regularly to agencies.
        HPOWER's ash is safe and poses no threat to the environment. Possible beneficial uses for the ash are currently being researched and evaluated. For example, it may be used to make bricks or used as a road aggregate.”

I got to wondering why there aren't more of these facilities. According to the people at the plant, the reason there are not is largely because of politics and negative connotations people have associated with the process. It takes the support of the public and get these projects put in place, and a lot of people are not aware of the benefits of such technologies. So I encourage you to look into waste-to-energy plants or plans for one in your home region. If you discover such plants, support them! Landfills provide no benefit other than storing waste and there are many hazards associated with them. Sure, its faster and cheaper (in the short term) to just bury the waste, but its time to start thinking about the bigger picture before its too late!

After returning to the ship, I went to Gordan Beirsch to use their free WiFi (and try a tasty beer, of course). I recently applied for a graduate program in Civil Engineering at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan. The program is called Master's International and it is involved with the Peace Corps. Theoretically, I will spend one year at Michigan Tech (maybe an extra semester of make-up engineering since my Bachelor's is in Geophysics, not engineering) and then two years in the Peace Corps working on a civil engineering project related to water or sanitation. The project I will work on in the Peace Corps will be the basis for the report for my Master's degree.

So I went to Michigan Tech's web portal to check the status of my admission and.... I'M ACCEPTED! I am still elated from this news! Looks like I'll be headin' to Michigan in August. Guess I better get some new clothes to prepare for the drastic change in climate. Northern Michigan is definitely not coastal California. Now its time to start my application for the Peace Corps.

It was a little disheartening telling everyone on the ship though because I didn't feel like anyone really understood the work I went through to get here. I had an existential moment of feeling like no one understands me, but the feeling was fleeting. There are many great students on this ship, and hopefully my success will inspire others to take the initiative and apply for some programs or start a project. My Global Studies professor wants me to speak to our class (of around 300 people) about youth involvement. I'm really nervous, but I told him I would do it. Who knows, maybe I will inspire someone. I think students are more likely to listen to the words of a fellow student than the words of their professors, so we'll see how it goes.

Well now that I'm mostly caught up, I need to go eat dinner and go to some meetings. There's so much going on on the ship right now! Its crunch time from here until Japan because after that we only have a few days between each country. Its all happening so fast! I can't believe it! Before I know it, this whole voyage will be over...

Ta ta for now!