SEaB Energies

Free-range pig farms near coastal regions are an example of a farming practice, which has resulted in a change in the local ecosystem, which can be dangerous to humans. When the slurry from free-range pig farms is not contained and moves into the streams, which empty into the rivers, and finish in the sea, the enormous increase in nutrients in the water creates a huge population of seaweed, and this seaweed can end up on the shoreline. The noxious mess goes from unpleasant to dangerous as it decomposes, releasing hydrogen sulphide, commonly recognised by its ‘rotten egg smell’. The bigger issue is the fact that the human body detects the presence of hydrogen sulphide at less than 20 ppm (parts per million), but any concentration above that, and we as humans, no longer smell it. This makes it a very dangerous gas. Exposure to this concentration injures your lungs and can result in death.

Muckbuster™, our small scale portable anaerobic digestion plant, can offer an immediate containment of the runoff issue, by being sited at each of the small farm holdings, and processing the slurry at source. The farmer would need to contain the manure and then load it into the Muckbuster™. The biogas, which contains methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide is now contained and no longer poses a health risk. Muckbuster™ removes the hydrogen sulphide through a gas purification process. The biogas, fertiliser, and mulch are by-products of the process, and can be used by the farmer to create hot water, electricity, and replace fertiliser that is now being bought.

While the beach cleanup is ongoing, the seaweed is an excellent additional feed stock for our Muckbuster™. It can be loaded right at the beach into a Muckbuster™, removing the need for transport and the risks related to the transporter. The ocean iodine contained in the seaweed is widely accepted as a premium organic fertiliser element. We as humans respond well to iodine, which is necessary for proper functioning of the thyroid. Local communities can package and sell the fertiliser to offset the equipment cost and use the energy created by the Muckbuster™ to power beach operations.

waste is one of the best options. Estimates put the amount of food waste generated, at 3.2 tonnes per hour for cities like Dublin in Ireland, or Seattle in the USA! You can repeat this amount of waste around the globe, with some cultures being more wasteful than others. Diverting this waste from landfill into energy production has many benefits, not least of which is the carbon footprint reduction.

Moving to renewable energy sources is a must if you want to reduce the impact you and your business have on the world. Taking waste and processing it to collect the energy value is gaining more and more support worldwide, with a very distinct focus having been placed on anaerobic digestion by the new UK Coalition government.

Most waste is handled centrally, in major waste processing facilities. This requires shipping the waste to the facility and then transporting the energy to the end-user. This still incurs quite a significant carbon footprint for the transport of waste and energy. Alternative solutions need to be implemented.

Eliminating the transport and moving to decentralised waste to energy processing can make a further reduction. Convert the waste into energy at the source of the waste, and use the energy that is produced locally too. And your carbon footprint reduction is SUBSTANTIAL.

Using our MUCKBUSTER™ 400 to handle food waste & septic waste where it is produced can help you capture the financial and environmental benefits of this reduction.

With the MUCKBUSTER™ running at 80% of capacity, you should offset almost 40 tons of CO2 per year*.

This is good news for businesses that are starting to carry the costs of carbon on their books. So what is good for the environment can also be great for your business’ bottom line.

* This is based on USA estimated yields per kWh.

The U.S. market for small wind turbines grew 15% in 2009 with 20.3 Megawatts (MW) of
new capacity and $82.4 million in sales, and about 10,000 new units installed. Growth attributed to new and improved federal and state incentives, optimistic private equity investors, and sustained consumer demand.

Consumers are interested in small wind, but some are delaying their purchasing decisions due to lack of available financing. As the economy recovers, a surge of sales and installations is anticipated.

On grid installations in 2010 reached 5200 units, and the off-grid installation reached 15,500 globally.

The AWEA has published estimates of 13M suitable landed homes in the USA for small wind. The growth markets have been the Midwest, Northeast, upper Midwest and California. USA comprises half the global demand for small wind.