Reply To: CCEM 102 – Question 4

[Carly Johansson]

This is a great question Pat. The best answer, in my opinion, is “it depends”. Waste to energy, especially where this level of refinement is necessary, is difficult to market as renewable because most of it isn’t. For example, the refined biofuel (ethanol) only constitutes 5% of the anticipated fuel mix, which arguably makes the end product non-renewable. However, bio-refineries are at an early stage of development (here are a few American examples: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/bio-refinery-locations/), and it will take several generations to make them truly renewable (assuming they ever get there). In addition, gains on decreasing the carbon footprint are hard-won, and even partial success stories (assuming you decide this isn’t a renewable energy project) are worth of study. For my part I would say this IS a renewable energy project and one that should be used as a foundation for future research.