Biofuel from beer: Turning brewing waste into natural gas
Eric Fitch, CEO of PurposeEnergy Inc., has created an anaerobic methane digester that “recycles” the used hops, barley and yeast that is used to make beer by harnessing the methane gas they emit to help process wastewater. This, in turn, saves on waste disposal and from having to use and purchase natural gas. Fitch, whose company’s slogan is ‘Saving the earth, one beer at a time,’ has helped develop iPhone applications that allow him to control pumps and other operations within the digester. Creative Loafing
How robots are going to replace you in the office
Face-to face meetings are important. So it’s not surprising that Americans took 427 million business trips last year. The bill for all this travelling to provide face-to-face contact between clients and companies was $228 billion. Bloomberg Businessweek’s Drake Bennet thinks there is a better, and cheaper, alternative to business travel: telepresence robots. Bennet reports that the worldwide market for telepresence robotics is expected to grow from US$556.1 million in 2010 to US$13.1 billion in 2016. Robots that can be controlled from any location could be responsible for everything from office security and surveillance to holding remote meetings and virtual collaboration. Business Insider
Siemens to supply US$1bn components to Saudi plant
The company has revealed a US$1 billion order to supply components for a cycle power plant with a seawater desalination facility. Siemens is to supply 12 gas turbines, ten heat-recovery steam generators, five steam turbines and the associated auxiliary and ancillary systems to the Ras Az Zawr power plant, planned for commercial operation in early 2014. Utilities-me.com
Sewage treatment plant put in lobby of office building
A new office building for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will have a well-disguised “green” sewage treatment plant right plunk in the middle of the lobby. Talk about hiding in plain sight! The installation, designed by the company Worrell Water Technologies, is integrated into the lobby design as well as exterior landscaping. Energy to run the system will come from the building’s solar cladding and wind turbines. Clean Technica