Alex Green takes his name literally.
Green, a retired UF physics professor and founder of Green Liquid and Gas Technologies, showcased his new environmentally conscious invention on Sunday afternoon at the Open House and Biochar Event.
The Green Pyrolyzer Gasifier, or GPG, processes more than 20 different types of organic waste and heats it indirectly. The process doesn’t expose the waste to oxygen.
By not burning the biomass completely, the process yields a byproduct called biochar, which can be used both as an additive to improve soil fertility.
The created energy can also be used to heat greenhouses or small-scale steam turbines, said Andrew Zimmerman, a UF assistant professor of geological sciences.
The idea for the GPG began in 1996 when Green realized that he could power a small-scale turbine generator without oil or natural gas.
He said he had trouble convincing Gainesville Regional Utilities and city residents of the benefits of using biomass, and it wasn’t considered a serious option.
“Everybody has long been talking about alternative fuels, but people don’t realize how serious a problem it is,” he said.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which pioneered GPS technology, supported Green to develop a prototype of the GPG, although work on it took longer than the standard two-year interval.
The first prototype has been ready since May and will be sold to a research and development agency in Quincy, Fla. in November. However, the company is still struggling to expand commercial use of the machine.
A veteran of World War II, Green saw firsthand the negative effects of being dependent on nonrenewable energy sources. He said there is a direct link between his work computing airplane fuel consumption during the war and his current efforts toward finding alternative energy.
