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 fuel8. It 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 supply27. Nearly28 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 prices33. Environmentalists34 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 expectations68.
However69, 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
- energy production = produção de energia
- supply = suprir
- may surprise = pode surpreender
- Companies have developed a way = empresas
tem desenvolvido uma forma
- to turn (into) = transformar em
- wastes = detritos, restos
- garbage = lixo
- fuel = combustivel
- It has been called = tem sido chamado
- promising = promissor
- is expected to become = espera-se que se
torne
- taking the lead = tomando a dianteira
- Truck loads = caminhões carregados
- sent to = enviados para
- test plant = planta (fabrica) de testes
- heads = chefia
- vegetables = legumes
- cardboard boxes = caixas de papelão
- much more valuable = muito mais valioso
- through = através
- done = feito
- originally headed for = originalmente
direcionado para
- landfill = aterro
- is going to be processed = esta para ser
processado
- such as = tais como
- makes up about = constitui
aproximadamente
- fuel supply = suprimento de combustivel
- Nearly = quase
- comes from corn = vem do milho
- known as = conhecido como
- maize = milho
- between = entre
- raises food prices = aumenta o preço dos
alimentos
- Environmentalists = ambientalistas
- farmers = fazendeiros
- crops = plantações
- fertilizers = fertilizantes
- pollution = poluição
- depend on = depender de
- loaded into = carregado em
- huge pressure cooker = imensa panela de
pressão
- banana peels = cascas de banana
- fibers = fibras
- pulp = pasta, polpa
- what we’re after for = o que nós estamos
procurando para
- comes out of = sair de
- mostly = principalmente
- can be made into = pode ser transformada
em
- turned into = transformado em
- signed a law = assinou uma lei
- required = exigia
- increasing amounts = quantias crescentes
- goal = objetivo
- support = apoio
- kinds of fuel = tipos de combustivel
- fewer = menos
- environmentally harmful= prejudicial ao
meio ambiente
- oil-based = baseado no petroleo
- several other = varios outros
- corn stalks = talos de milho
- wheat straw = palha do trigo
- turned out to be = demonstrou ser, acabou
por ser
- harder than expected = mais dificil do
que se esperava
- lab = laboratorio
- main problem = principal problema
- in a continuous way = de uma forma
continua
- cost-effectively = custo beneficio
- has yet to meet expectations = ainda tem
que atender às expectativas
- However = contudo
- turning point = ponto de virada
- grow = crescer
- Even if = mesmo se
- As well = também
- A few models = alguns modelos
- There is only = há somente