美國最大的洋蔥加工商Gills Onions上周五推出了一個新的發(fā)電系統(tǒng)，可以將洋蔥汁轉換為電能。據(jù)悉，這種用洋蔥發(fā)電的新系統(tǒng)有望每年為該公司節(jié)省70萬美元的電費，還可為公司減少高達三萬噸的溫室氣體排放。公司合伙人表示，這一想法最初源于如何處理洋蔥廢料這個令人頭痛的問題。經(jīng)過多年研究后他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，將洋蔥皮搗碎后榨出的洋蔥汁含糖量極高，很容易滋生細菌。而在新系統(tǒng)中，這些細菌可以通過洋蔥汁產生甲烷，然后將其用于發(fā)電。該綠色發(fā)電系統(tǒng)有望承擔該公司35％到40％的用電量。
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Onions make you cry, add flavor to food and are touted for their medicinal benefits. Now the vegetable has another use -- powering up green energy.
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Onions make you cry, add flavor to food and are touted for their medicinal benefits. Now the vegetable has another use -- powering up green energy.
A new system debuts on Friday that converts onion juice into electricity at Gills Onions, the largest fresh onion processor in the United States.
The Oxnard, California-based company expects its new onion-fueled power to reduce its electric bill by $700,000 a year and cut its annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30,000 tons.
The happy ending to this green energy tale, however, started with another question: how to get rid of onion waste.
"When we peel an onion, 35 to 40 percent of the onion comes off before we have a usable onion. That's the top, tail and skin around the onion before you get to the meat," said Steven Gill, co-owner of the 25-year-old company.
They used to haul the waste to the fields for composting, but that became a problem. Ten years ago, Gill started looking at technology for a solution, including microturbines.
"We ended up shredding the skins as they come out of the plant and extracting all the juice, which is very high in sugars, and bacteria love that stuff," Gill said.
In the new system, bacteria produce methane gas from the juice. The gas then goes to two 300 kilowatt fuel cells, creating enough power for 460 homes. The company expects to get 35 to 40 percent of its electricity from the on-site generator.
The company invested $9.5 million in the project and will receive $2.7 million from Southern California Gas Co., a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy, as part of a state program to encourage self-contained generation by businesses. In addition to cutting its electric bill, the company will save $400,000 in hauling costs and expects pay-back in six years.
The onion grower now has new goal: to be a zero-waste facility by 2011.
"We wanted to follow it all the way through and make the full circle," Gill said.
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(Agencies)
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
