Ze-gen slurps up trash and gasifies it, busts out GREEN energy

Despite the dreary financial markets there are some bright spots and green energy is one of them. Ze-gen is a great example because it just convinced investors to cough up an additional $20 million in Series B funding which will allow it to deploy its trash-to-energy solution commercially.

This is a case where a company is approaching sustainability and a demand for renewable energy from the back end of the process chain. Instead of working to change our existing infrastructure Ze-gen is trying to make it more compatible with the Earth.

Ze-gen is specifically focused on converting construction and demolition waste, as well as solid waste into usable energy.

Solid waste is a global problem with widespread environmental effects.  In the United States alone, over 300 million tons of mundane waste streams are landfilled each year, creating vast quantities of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere and demanding evermore open land to convert to landfills. According to a company press release.

That’s two broad strokes for Ze-gen: reduce the amount of waste filling landfills while providing energy for an ever-increasing demand. The company is positioning itself to enjoy some time in the green limelight, making money the whole time.

The science behind those results has to do with superheating metal and pushing waste materials into the the mixture. Synthesis gas is released which has some properties similar to natural gas. Gasification isn’t a new process either, before electricity was widespread some towns would convert coal to gas which would power street lamps.

The cost to create synthesis gas isn’t a hands-down winner economically, at least not yet. It potentially could provide a 25% savings over natural gas and even better savings over fuel depending on fluctuating oil prices.

With companies like Ze-gen eating up and re-using our waste perhaps changing our living habits isn’t so important. But, mostly that seems like wishful thinking and slick marketing.