“A gadget that’s the size of a trash and can heat your home, with everything from dirty diapers to empty chip packets, is currently being trialled in the UK.”
“Spencer was frustrated with a system that essentially saw ‘a refuse vehicle doing 6 miles to the gallon running on fossil fuel, to deliver to compost facility, and then use more fossil fuel to turn and compost, then wrap in a plastic bag and supply back to the home occupier that placed it in the system initially’.”
“The gadget works by taking household items, which would have been previously been destined for landfill and heats them without oxygen, allowing pyrolysis to occur. The item becomes char, a solid material, releasing oil and gas, which are then captured. The HERU then cleans the oil, so it is safe to discharge, and it utilizes the gas and heat that’s been produced together with a domestic boiler.”
View the whole story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucysherriff/2019/10/11/this-kitchen-gadget-turns-waste-into-energy/