Hello steemians, thanks for stopping by again to read my post. I’ll be taking us out of the world of Chemistry learners to Chemistry wealth makers’ world around us . Sometimes ago, I was discussing with a friend of mine over the issue of unemployment and the dynamic economy shift to entrepreneurship. I asked her how she’s been coping without Job all these years (she was looking good), she said she’s been converting waste to wealth. Our discussion that day inspired me to research into the actual possibilities and opportunities to convert waste to wealth in our environment. Chemistry revolves all around us; there are varieties of chemical substances (both natural and synthetic) which are unwanted and considered as wastes in our immediate environment.

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Hence I’m writing this article to open our eyes to potential wealth creation opportunities lying around us.

Wastes are materials which are considered to be useless and unwanted. Solid wastes are either biodegradable (easily decomposed by natural agents like microorganisms, oxygen, water e.t.c.) or non-biodegradable(materials that can't be broken down by natural agents). The landfill system is the most hygienic way of disposing biodegradable wastes, however, it encroaches on the use of land for other commercial, industrial or residential purposes. The open dumping is mostly practiced in the developing countries but it is the least environmentally friendly. The non-biodegradable wastes are subjected to incineration or recycled. However, incineration is capital intensive and very low percentage of the non-biodegradable wastes are being recycled. The good news is that there are ways of mopping up these excess wastes from the environment and t the same time converting them to wealth.

Tyres are non-degradable chemical substances made from natural rubber, synthetic rubber(from artificial elastomers), cabon black, fabric, wire and other chemical compounds. They are made strong due to this polymer component in such a way that they can bear weight of vehicle, human and loads. However, they are subject to wear and tear of the road, the tyre thread decreases till the safety margin is reached or exceeded.

Picture taken by me

Most tyres expire six years from the day of manufacture whether used or not. Tyres age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which occurs due to exposure to oxygen, when this occurs, the tyres become unsafe for use on the road. What do we do with these wastes? My friend gathers old used tyres and turns them into tables and chairs for offices and homes. I went to her house, and what I saw amazed me.

Glass bottles are non-biodegradable, 90% of bottles used end up in landfill sites. Less than 10% are re-used or recycled. In America, only 28% of glass bottles used are recycled. Researchers have discovered several ways by which these used excess wine bottles could be converted to useful materials which would fetch money. One of such involves the collection of old glass bottles(green, brown, clear bottles) which are then cleaned, crushed and pulverized into fine powdery form to make glass tiles which could be used on walls, counter-tops, floors and pools. Glasses of same colour and thickness collected and pulverized together to prevent explosion at high temperature due to differences in coefficient of expansion.

Anaerobic digestion of common food wastes have been reported to present a viable way of both providing renewable energy and cleaning up the environment. These food wastes could be used as feed-stock for biogas production in the absence of air. The biogas produced would then replace the liquefied petroleum gases used as domestic fuels.

All over the world, there is agitation for renewable and sustainable form of energy. More countries are shifting focus from fossil fuels to biofuels which re renewable from agricultural feedstock and therefore sustainable. Biofuels are also more environmental friendly than fuel products from crude oil. Bioethanol is being used s substitute for petrol (gasoline) Bioethanol production has been fostered in many developed countries using carbohydrates like maize, sugarcane and so on. However, using these staple crops would compete with the demands food crops, hence the research into food and fruit waste s possible substrate for bioethanol production. Reports revealed that both yam and cassava peels could yield significant proportion of bioethanol especially cassava peels.

Looking at the future from this point of view, I see a future of little or no waste, a system in which the environment yields its wealth without the limitation of excess waste, a system in which there is no dearth of innovative ideas in turning waste to wealth. I foresee a system of sustainable and renewable wealth. That time starts now. What are the wastes in your environment that you could convert to wealth? Think bout it. Thank you for taking time out to read my post.