Waste Food to Replace Fossil Fuel?

If you have cringed at the amount of food that gets wasted each time at a large gathering of humanity, you may now be able to salve your conscience. Yes, while you may not be able to deliver the food to people who are starving in other parts of the world, you can still help put this wasted food to good use by converting it into a source of energy.

At the University of Waterloo in Canada, scientists feel that wasted food can be converted into a clean substitute for fossil fuels, at an economically viable rate. They used the natural fermentation process of the food to produce a biodegradable chemical which may be used as a source of alternative energy.

Hyung Sool Lee is an engineering professor at the University of Waterloo who wanted to find a better way to utilize wasted food to mitigate the damage caused by fossil fuels. This is what led to the development of this new technology which allows scientists to extract numerous useful chemicals and potential fuel from the waste food.

The science experiment collects and recirculates leachate through food waste in tanks. This is a microbial cocktail of microorganisms and nutrients. It stimulates bio-degradation by intensive mixing. Chemicals are then extracted from this mixture.