Noteworthy trashy ideas include converting old plastic into building materials (Axion International), ethanol from garbage (Enerkem), plastic into fuel (Agylix), CO2 into fuel (LanzaTech), high-octane gas from waste (Terrabon), fertilizer from sewage (Ostara Nutrient Energy Technology) and a vacuum system for collecting trash in municipalities (Envac).
Wal Van Lierop of Chysalix Ventures says that environmental remediation is rapidly becoming a large market in clean. So instead of cleantech we have clean up tech.
Several companies have marketed anaerobic digesters for years, but most of these are immense structures that require planning and building permits. Seab’s breakthrough revolves around shrinking a digester so that it could fit into a 40-foot container and still function economically and efficiently. The modular container makes the sales cycle much easier. It also makes it portable: a Muckbuster could be shipped to a disaster area to provide an instant sewage system or a three-day street fair to eliminate food waste.
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