A UK defence firm is delivering new waste energy conversion technology to the US Army, it emerged on October 5th 2009.  Defence organisation QinetiQ’s PyTEC system applies heat to waste materials – a process that releases a gas capable of itself releasing energy when combusted.  The process is highly energy-efficient - with an energy output-to-input ratio of five-to-one, and already being used within the British armed forces.  Now, stateside, it could act to reduce urban waste levels by over 90 per cent – creating energy at the same time.

PyTEC represents a type of pyrolysis technology, where waste is heated up in order to capitalise on associated gas releases.  Pyrolysis differs from processes like gasification and incineration since oxygen does not play a part. 

Waste Treatment Technology

The new QinetiQ waste treatment technology is capable of processing a maximum of 100 kilograms of waste every 60 minutes.  This waste can include materials such as tin and glass, which are traditionally regarded as difficult when it comes to generating heat.  When heat is applied to the waste, the gases that are produced are isolated from the unit in order to energise a linked turbine.

Comparable technology has been in place on a Royal Navy assault vessel, HMS Ocean, for many months, as QinetiQ’s waste management business development manager, Pat McGlead, told the BBC.  “We've taken the plant that we developed for HMS Ocean and containerised it for the US army as a means to make it more mobile, more easily deployable and reducing their fossil fuel requirements”, he said. 

Waste Pyrolysis

It is planned to put the waste pyrolysis systems into immediate operation in an unspecified location in the Middle East.  Before now, soldiers deployed in this part of the world didn’t have a formalised waste disposal system in place.  

"By providing them with a self-contained waste management capability, we're reducing their logistical footprint...and reducing their fossil fuel usage”, Mr McGlead added.

The US Army is actively integrating new green technologies into its operations.  In June 2009, it requested designs for new portable wind turbines to feed energy to front line military hardware.