Energy Industry recycling practices have come a long way in the last twenty years and are heading toward a brighter future within the next twenty to thirty years. From Energy Renewables to traditional Energy sources, Energy Industry recycling practices are designed to deal with Energy Distribution, Energy source wastes, and Energy system components. Rechargeable batteries for Electric Vehicles (EVs) or home Energy systems and the selling of unused domestic Energy back to the Grid are values for recycling Energy Distribution. Developments in Nuclear Energy reuse and waste-to-energy (WTE) processes lead the way for Energy Industry waste efficiencies. Breakdowns of Solar Energy equipment disposals and innovations for Renewable Wind Energy plastics recycling are at the forefront of Energy communities' efforts. In the world of Energy use, this is an exciting point in time where the Energy Industry stands on the brink of recycling practices changing Energy provider and consumer values.
Recycling decisions in Energy Distribution include rechargeable batteries used in EVs and home Energy systems. New battery developments include water-free/sulfur-free building processes to reduce carbon footprints and lithium-ion batteries infused with fluoride ions. Sodium ions for batteries and porous electrodes are under research. These innovative practices in battery production have value for recycling Energy efficiently. The lithium-ion/fluoride-ion-infused batteries hold a charge longer and, with porous electrodes, recharge within approximately 10 minutes. This keeps Energy Distribution efficiencies for use at a premium and recycles Energy use faster and longer. Other recycling benefits from these battery innovations include excluding sulfur-polluted water that is costly to clean and the creation of metal alloys holding the lithium ions or sodium ions increasing recycling value.
Buying and selling Energy at the consumer level is gaining ground as a common practice. Net or smart meters, Energy storage, and independent licensed Energy generation (private but commercial level production) are three ways to capture Energy for sale. First, smart meters are innovative newer additions to home Energy systems recording kilowatt hours of Energy use vs. kilowatt hours of Energy produced or purchased. Homeowners submit readings of leftover kilowatt hours every billing cycle receiving Energy credits for future Energy use. These Energy credits can be Energy kilowatt hours returned free of charge or monetary reimbursements, depending on the Utility Grid Energy creditor. Second, within the last ten years, the market for Energy storage has risen to include wholesale markets that rely on the modern addition of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) connecting up with consumers bypassing the Grid and retail operations. Future possibilities include licensed Energy Storage facilities with conglomerate individual contributor shares that can sell directly to the SMART Grid. Third, battery resales of Energy storage to the SMART Grid are in the works. These resales come from home Energy systems that are mainly self-sustaining. The recycling of Energy through selling unused kilowatt hours, recycling Energy through storage facilities for wholesale, and reselling unspent battery Energy is possible through the innovations of net or smart meters, DERs, and new battery technologies. Developments in Energy selling practices continue to adjust to Energy consumer patterns and push toward Energy top efficiencies.
Two arenas heading up the latest innovations in Energy Industry waste recycling are Nuclear Energy and WTE. In the Nuclear Energy Industry, reactors come in different sizes and prototypes. “Nuclear reprocessing involves extracting valuable fissile material from spent nuclear fuel to be reused to generate electricity.” (1) Some of the newer reactors recycle spent fuel for operation. Among these are helium-cooled fast modular reactors, molten fluoride salt reactors, thorium reactors, and sodium-cooled fast reactors. These Nuclear reactors are smaller and generate less waste than traditional older Nuclear Energy reactors. The hazards of poisonous waste disposal from buried and casked containment are eliminated by recycling radioactive spent Nuclear fuel. Unfortunately, many older Nuclear Energy reactors are still in operation and have not been updated to run on spent Nuclear fuel. Newer reactor designs, complete with Nuclear reprocessing capabilities, are installed in Nuclear Energy Plants currently in planning stages or under development as Energy demands increase. Innovations in recycling Nuclear Energy production wastewater have appeared at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Now, a method developed at MIT provides a way of substantially reducing the volume of contaminated water that needs to be disposed of, instead concentrating the contaminants and allowing the rest of the water to be recycled through the plant’s cooling system.” The process is called shock electrodialysis. Proposals for implementation in Nuclear Energy Plants are on the table. This Nuclear wastewater recycling implementation will revolutionize the radioactivity of Nuclear Energy facility operations.
WTE recycling efforts are stepping up as the fight against Climate Change and the volume of landfills challenge today’s population. “Waste to Energy involves converting waste materials into usable forms of energy, such as electricity, heat, or biofuels. This process utilizes various technologies, including incineration, anaerobic digestion, and gasification.” (2) WTE regulations on waste recycling methods are strict, covering public health and environmental concerns. The values of old WTE recycling methods such as incineration are still prevalent and are slowly being re-examined for more innovative and environmentally sound inventions.
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Image from Korneti, H. 2022
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On the edges of innovation for WTE recycling is Plasma Gasification using a plasma torch to turn feedstock into a synthetic gas. Other up-and-coming WTE recycling process alternatives are Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and dendro liquid energy (DLE). HTC turns bio-waste into structured carbons similar to fossil fuels. DLE works with wet and dry waste to produce Clean Energy. Once these innovative WTE processes become widespread, the benefits of reduced greenhouse gasses and fewer toxic land sites are expected.
Renewable Energy Industries need to find recycling alternatives for the present and the future holding expected volumes of broken or used-up equipment. Two promised Renewable Energy Industry equipment recycling successes are Solar Energy system materials and Wind Energy plastics. The aluminum and glass in a Solar photovoltaic unit are widely recycled materials. On the other hand, Solar Energy systems last for decades and the impetus to recycle Solar Energy system components has not yet reached a widespread need. “That said, the number of cells ready for recycling will grow dramatically within a few decades, and there are expected to be 80 million tonnes of panels ready for recycling each year by 2050.” (3) So, the development of innovative new recycling methods for Solar photovoltaic units is underway. The silver and silicon in the Solar cells are problematic to recover. Chemicals that melt them away leave toxic and unusable byproducts. An “etching” recycling technique under development uses a different Chemical treatment to separate the Solar cell layers, keeping them intact. This innovative method of recycling Solar Energy system Solar cells prepares a “total materials” recovery method for the future of a flooded defunct Solar Energy equipment environment.
Wind Energy plastics have found new and innovative purposes in recycling decisions. Two Wind turbine elements lend themselves to recycling, Wind turbine blades and Wind turbine magnets. The categories of recycling breakdowns of Wind turbine components have blown wide open in 2023. They consist of Chemical composites formations, shredding materials, fibers spun, and resin inductions. The greatest concerns in Wind turbine recycling are the cost and recycling facility availability. “Carbon-reinforced plastic composites are one the remaining 15% of wind turbine materials that currently cannot be commercially recycled.” (4) A Washington State University research team broke through the challenge of repurposing the last Wind turbine non-recyclable components with a process separating Carbon fibers from the resin material that looks promising on all fronts. Within the next 20 to 30 years the markets for Wind Energy turbine recycling are expected to grow to match high-volume needs as Wind turbines breakdown and Wind turbine magnet and blade recycled products expand.
Innovation is alive and well in the arena of Energy Industry recycling. Battery innovations have added to battery values and efficiencies in recycling Energy. Buying and selling Energy storage and kilowatt hours has improved Energy Industry consumers’ relations with Utilities and the recovery of unused Energy through recycling what formerly was Energy loss. Nuclear fissile reprocessing and innovative Nuclear wastewater recovery recycling techniques have begun to establish in newer Nuclear Energy Plants. WTE headway is making appearances as innovative recycling practices are showing promise for Clean Energy generation and Climate Change assistance. To top it off, Solar and Wind Energy system equipment recycling futures are being explored, expanded, and anticipated. In this day and time, the Energy Industry is at the forefront of science and technology, and today's Energy Industry recycling innovations will be the common practices for Energy Utilities, consumers, and related companies tomorrow.
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Resources:
1. POWER; “The Possibilities of Recyling Nuclear Fissile Waste,” (Feb 26, 2024).
2. sohailkhan2K22, GREEN.ORG; “Waste to Energy: A Key Player in the Transition to Clean Energy,” (February 16, 2024).
3. Timmer, J., ars TECHNICA; “New recycling method makes solar cells even more environmentally friendly,” (June 4, 2024).
4. Santos, B., sustainable Plastics; “US scientists chemically recycle carbon fiber in wind turbine blades,” (January 29, 2024).
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