38th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals

Waste to Energy (WTE) is becoming an increasingly important concept for the transition to sustainable practices that can supply the needs of a growing world population.  Organic matter from wastewater, municipal solid wastes, and agricultural wastes can be converted to biogas (primarily a mixture of CH₄ and CO₂) through deliberate conversion in anaerobic digesters or through natural and uncontrolled processes.  The methane in biogas, while a significant energy resource, is largely wasted due to the low value driven by successes in extracting fossil natural gas through hydrofracturing technologies.  As a result much biogas can be seen as a lost opportunity because it is either vented or flared, unnecessarily adding to greenhouse gas emissions.  In recognition of the consequences of continued wasting of biogas, increasing attention is being placed on developing WTE technologies.  This special session will provide a timely overview of this emerging field and will summarize the technologies available for the controlled production and upgrading of biogas, the magnitude of opportunities for WTE, the economies of WTE, and the hurdles that stand in the way of commercialization.