quarta-feira, 18 de junho de 2014

69. Companies Make Gas from Garbage


The future in energy production1 is here.  And some of the materials used to supply2 the energy may surprise3 you!  Companies have developed a way4 to turn5 plant wastes6 and other garbage7 into fuel8It has been called9 one of the most promising10 technologies in alternative energy.  And the process is expected to become11 more common this year.

The American-based company Fiberight is taking the lead12 in this new form of energy production.  Truck loads13 of garbage are sent to14 Fiberight’s test plant15 in southern Virginia.  Randy Garrett heads16 the plant.  He says old vegetables17, cardboard boxes18 and other wastes become something much more valuable19 through20 the work done21 at the factory.

“What we’re doing is taking a, that (what was) originally headed for22 a landfill23, half of this material is going to be processed24 for the conversion of biofuel such as25 ethanol.”

Ethanol makes up about26 10 percent of America’s fuel supply27Nearly28 all of it comes from corn29, the food known as30 "maize31" in some countries.  Critics say this creates competition between32 food and fuel, and raises food prices33Environmentalists34 say farmers35 are using more land to plant corn crops36.  They also say farmers are using more fertilizers37 and products for killing insects.  They say this creates more pollution38.

But Fiberight does not depend on39 corn to produce fuel.  Randy Garrett says the garbage is loaded into40 a huge pressure cooker41.

“That converts your paper, your cardboard, banana peels42, any organic fibers43, it converts it to a pulp44.  That pulp is what we’re after for45 our energy-fuel conversion.”

The material that comes out of46 the cooker is mostly47 cellulose, a substance that can be made into48 sugar.  The sugar can then be turned into49 ethanol.
                            
In 2007, President George W. Bush signed a law50 that required51 increasing amounts52 of ethanol in U.S. gasoline.  One goal53 of the law was to support54 production of new kinds of fuel55.  The energy created from plant material would produce fewer56 environmentally harmful57 gases than those from oil-based58 fuels.

This year, several other59 fuel production plants are expected to start making ethanol from the cellulose in corn stalks60, wheat straw61 and other plant material.

Madhu Khanna is an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois.  She says making cellulosic ethanol turned out to be62 harder than expected63.

“We know how to do that in a lab64.  The main problem65 is doing that in a continuous way66, cost-effectively67 on a large scale.”

Ethanol production from cellulose has yet to meet expectations68However69, this year could be the turning point70.  But Madhu Khanna says our cars may limit how much the industry can grow71.
Even if72 we can begin to produce this cost-effectively, we need to be able to consume it as well73.”

Only a few models74 of automobiles can operate on high-ethanol fuel.  Without more of them, there is only75 so much gas from garbage that will sell.

VOCABULARY




  1. energy production = produção de energia
  2. supply = suprir
  3. may surprise = pode surpreender
  4. Companies have developed a way = empresas tem desenvolvido uma forma
  5. to turn (into) = transformar em
  6. wastes = detritos, restos
  7. garbage = lixo
  8. fuel = combustivel
  9. It has been called = tem sido chamado
  10. promising = promissor
  11. is expected to become = espera-se que se torne
  12. taking the lead = tomando a dianteira
  13. Truck loads = caminhões carregados
  14. sent to = enviados para
  15. test plant = planta (fabrica) de testes
  16. heads = chefia
  17. vegetables = legumes
  18. cardboard boxes = caixas de papelão
  19. much more valuable = muito mais valioso
  20. through = através
  21. done = feito
  22. originally headed for = originalmente direcionado para
  23. landfill = aterro
  24. is going to be processed = esta para ser processado
  25. such as = tais como
  26. makes up about = constitui aproximadamente
  27. fuel supply = suprimento de combustivel
  28. Nearly = quase
  29. comes from corn = vem do milho
  30. known as = conhecido como
  31. maize = milho
  32. between = entre
  33. raises food prices = aumenta o preço dos alimentos
  34. Environmentalists = ambientalistas
  35. farmers = fazendeiros
  36. crops = plantações
  37. fertilizers = fertilizantes
  38. pollution = poluição
  39. depend on = depender de
  40. loaded into = carregado em
  41. huge pressure cooker = imensa panela de pressão
  42. banana peels = cascas de banana
  43. fibers = fibras
  44. pulp = pasta, polpa
  45. what we’re after for = o que nós estamos procurando para
  46. comes out of = sair de
  47. mostly = principalmente
  48. can be made into = pode ser transformada em
  49. turned into = transformado em
  50. signed a law = assinou uma lei
  51. required = exigia
  52. increasing amounts = quantias crescentes
  53. goal = objetivo
  54. support = apoio
  55. kinds of fuel = tipos de combustivel
  56. fewer = menos
  57. environmentally harmful= prejudicial ao meio ambiente
  58. oil-based = baseado no petroleo
  59. several other = varios outros
  60. corn stalks = talos de milho
  61. wheat straw = palha do trigo
  62. turned out to be = demonstrou ser, acabou por ser
  63. harder than expected = mais dificil do que se esperava
  64. lab = laboratorio
  65. main problem = principal problema
  66. in a continuous way = de uma forma continua
  67. cost-effectively = custo beneficio
  68. has yet to meet expectations = ainda tem que atender às expectativas
  69. However = contudo
  70. turning point = ponto de virada
  71. grow = crescer
  72. Even if = mesmo se
  73. As well = também
  74. A few models = alguns modelos
  75. There is only = há somente