GlidArc Uses Plasma TV Tech to Produce Super-Clean Fuel
Posted By Ariel Schwartz On March 22, 2010 @ 2:45 pm In Renewable Energy | 1 Comment
Plasma [4] televisions are energy-sucking monsters — a 48-inch screen uses more power than a large refrigerator — which is why they have been largely replaced with LCD [5] and LED [6] screens. But the technology used to light up plasma TVs has a hidden application: creating clean fuel. Albin Czernichowski, a professor at the University of Orleans [7], France, just revealed a small, cheap device called a GlidArc [8] reactor can use electrically-charged clouds of gas, or “plasmas”, to generate clean fuels from waste.
The refrigerator-sized reactor uses a gasification process to clean waste and biomass into CO2 and hydrogen gas that can be turned into biofuels [9]. In practical terms, that means waste cooking oil [10] from restaurants or corn leaves and stalks could be used as raw material for GlidArc-produced biofuels, which release significantly less CO2 than conventional fuels.
The best part: all the parts needed to make a GlidArc reactor can be found in a local hardware store. Czernichowski estimates that a reactor could be built in a few days for approximately $10,000. So the next time you hear someone complain about plasma [11] TVs, tell them that some scientists are using the technology for good.
Via EurekaAlert [13]
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URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/glidarc-uses-plasma-tv-tech-to-produce-super-clean-fuel/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/glidarc-uses-plasma-tv-tech-to-produce-super-clean-fuel/
[4] Plasma: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/12/plasma-plants-vaporize-trash-to-generate-energy/
[5] LCD: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/07/sharps-solar-powered-television/
[6] LED: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/01/12/nanoparticles-create-ultra-vibrant-led-screens/
[7] University of Orleans: http://www.univ-orleans.fr/
[8] GlidArc: http://www.floridasyngas.com/plasmareactor.asp
[9] biofuels: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/09/self-destructing-bacteria-could-be-the-key-to-better-biofuels/
[10] waste cooking oil: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/17/converting-your-vehicle-to-run-on-veggie-oil/
[11] plasma: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/07/luxim-plasma-light-bulb/
[12] + GlidArc Plasma Reactor: http://www.vortexcw.nl/vortex/glidarc.html
[13] EurekaAlert: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/acs-pib030910.php
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