Gases from landfill sites are a major source of air pollution.<br />Korean researchers have developed a technology for converting such greenhouse gases into green *energy.<br />Park Se-young has more. <br /> Landfills produce methane and carbon dioxide, which are both greenhouse gases.<br />Some large landfills build electricity production facilities and utilize these waste gases, …but around 75 percent of landfills nationwide are small or medium-sized.<br />Now, Korean researchers have developed a way to convert the emissions from these landfills into synthetic gas, then into methanol and green gas using plasma technology.<br /><br /> "By using thermal energy derived from plasma for catalysts, we're studying whether we can reduce the costs of the process."<br /><br /> The researchers have secured the technology for controlling plasma and boosted thermal efficiency by about 30 percent to 76 percent.<br />By doing so, they were able to convert up to 99 percent of methane and carbon dioxide into green gas.<br />Using a vortex to spin the plasma also maximizes the efficiency of the process and cuts costs to one-tenth what they were previously.<br /> The researchers plan to raise the technology's business value through the operation of demonstration plants and are looking to enter overseas markets.<br />The study was published in the journal Plasma Processes and Polymers.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News. <br />
