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River sludge gaining recognition. (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/energy/stories/DN-energyguy_16bus.ART.State.Edition1.2a4cb62.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Filling_Tires_with_Air.jpgHenry J. Holcomb - Philadelphia Inquirer - Dec. 16, 2007

PHILADELPHIA – While making a cup of coffee, Frank Pringle stumbled onto something. Now, after years of experimentation, he fervently believes he is taking important first steps that could play a role in meeting acute energy demands.

And he says that he's on the way to a new approach to cleaning material dredged from rivers and disposing of worn-out tires.

For years, according to one who has watched him, some dismissed Mr. Pringle as "that microwave guy." But over the last year, he has gained recognition at the U.S. Department of Energy and other places where oil supply issues are studied. Over the last month, the potential of his inventions, for which he is seeking patents, has been heralded by Popular Science and Time magazines.

Last month, Dinesh Agrawal, director of Pennsylvania State University's Microwave Processing and Engineering Center, signed a contract with Mr. Pringle's company, Global Resource Corp. of West Berlin, N.J., to help him get funding and develop large-scale applications.

"It is very, very significant, what he has done," said Mr. Agrawal, a professor who has been studying microwave uses for 20 years and now is a minor stockholder in Mr. Pringle's company. "It could benefit entire mankind." ...http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/energy/stories/DN-energyguy_16bus.ART.State.Edition1.2a4cb62.html

Good find, Laurie!! Another unsung hero in the ongoing war! I wonder what plans are down the road to commercially market the fuel?

That is unreal, especially at 50 cents for 1.2 gallons of diesel.

An interesting idea that sounds like it still needs more work. In particular, reading between the lines, it sounds like it still has stack emissions, materials handling and oil quality problems to be solved. These are the same problems that made tire pyrolysis too expensive to be commercially viable. http://www.epa.gov/garbage/tires/science.htm

I hope they can solve these problems inexpensively, but I'm sure the high price of oil makes their project more viable in any case.

Interesting note about using tires in the railroad industry....

Railroad Ties -- Highly durable, rubber-encased railroad ties are being produced using scrap tires. These railroad ties have a steel-beam core filled with concrete that is then encased in 80 pounds of ground-up scrap tires and discarded plastic bottles, held together with a special binder or glue. These railroad ties are over 200% stronger than creosote-soaked wooden ties, enabling railroads to use fewer ties per mile. Moreover, rubber-encased railroad ties could last 60 to 90 years versus 5 to 30 years for wood.


Neat! not only are they using less materials per mile, but they are recycling tires AND they are not using wood anymore.

I'd rather they used the same amount per mile, to make it safer.

Hi All:

___If you ever get the opportunity, take a look at some of the railroad ties in Canada. I was fishing up near Winnipeg a few years back and the ties were massive concrete. They appeared as if they would last 100 years no problem. Probably expensive as all get out up front but the ROI over time has to be far superior.

___As for Global Resources, let us hope it works. The last time they were brought up here, I looked up their DOE contracts for Oil shale. The process was expected to approach $30/BBl all in although I have no idea about the CO2 emissions?

___Good Luck

___Wayne