Letter from the Publisher: New Frontiers

Jim Keefe

Welcome to our first issue of Renewable Energy from Waste magazine. This magazine is the result of years of market observation and research. We hope that you enjoy it and find the contents useful and informative.

Since 1963 the Recycling Today Media Group has been serving the scrap and recycling industry. That long history provides us with a unique vantage point on the recycling and waste industries. From this perspective we’ve often been able to identify new and emerging trends, and we’re seeing one now.

Material that has long been considered waste is being viewed as a resource. That means many things. Of course, recycling is at the forefront of this; but, even at its best recycling can only go so far. The remaining waste and residuals stream still retains value. Increasingly the value of that stream is being tapped through energy production.

Driven by high landfill costs, waste diversion mandates, carbon footprint reduction goals, competition and a myriad of other factors, industry is embracing the production of renewable energy from its waste and residuals stream.

Of course, established segments of this business such as anaerobic digestion, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production and mass burn continue to develop, some at a rapid pace. At the same time researchers are devising ways to bring waste streams back to their molecular level to unlock maximum value.

The conversion of residual carbon from municipal solid waste (MSW) into second-generation fuels (advanced liquid biofuel using thermal or catalytic synthesis processes to distill syngas) is widely underway. This new frontier does not mitigate other developing sectors such as cellulosic ethanol production from wood waste streams or process engineered fuels from a wide range of wastes for use by industrial energy consumers.

Unlocking the carbon value of waste streams and putting it to use in the production of energy is an industry with unusually strong growth potential. Energy demand continues to increase, and the call for renewable and domestic sources to meet those demands is tremendous.

Our new magazine will explore the development of this industry. We’ll help to bring the industry together by sharing evolving technologies, case studies, market development and industry news. We invite you to share your stories with us.

In addition to our print magazine, which will be quarterly in 2012, you may visit us online at www.REWmag.com or download our app at the iTunes AppStore. We’ll also be publishing a monthly e-newsletter.

We invite you to let us know how we’re doing and how we can serve you best.