The idea that regulators lead innovation isn’t true, and has never been. Almost always, it’s private companies and engineers that look at a societal problem in a different way and suddenly come up with something people haven’t seen before.
But, what are some examples of things that engineers have come up with that simply blew regulators’ minds in the U.S.? Let’s take a look:
Telling The EPA That Modern Sanitary Landfills Were Possible
Prior to 1978, it was thought that engineering sanitary landfills was essentially impossible. Most were just holes in the ground where all of society’s waste went.
However, a tiny company in California decided to rewrite the rules. It thought it had a method for making landfills safe for workers and nature. This firm wrote the Sanitary Landfill Design and Operation Manual and the Sludge Landfill Manual, changing how the EPA operates forever.
The ultimate result of this process was the technical foundation for the Subtitle D regulations. Eventually, this process led more environmental firms to start solving these problems, ensuring that waste disposal became safer and generally greener for everyone.
Building A Materials Recovery Facility For Walt Disney
Regulators were also skeptical when environmental companies suggested building a materials recovery facility for Walt Disney. The project seemed too big and extreme. However, in 1992, it eventually happened.
What surprised regulators was the sheer size of the materials recovery facility (MRF) that would be required. As a business, Disney was producing vast quantities of waste at the time, especially from its theme parks. But with the advent of the facility, it could start recycling from its resorts and make the whole operation more sustainable.
For many, it was an early example of what a circular economy might look like. The fact that Disney operated the facility and used the proceeds from recycling to pay part of the cost was a proof of concept.
On-Site Incineration For LFG Condensate Inside The Flare
Engineers also solved another problem: this time with dealing with LFG condensate, a notoriously challenging substance to process. Regulators were initially concerned about the idea of literally injecting and burning the material inside the flare stack due to safety and environmental reasons.
However, what happened was that an engineer invented a new patented method that dealt with many regulatory concerns, eventually getting the idea permitted.
What was nice about this invention was how it eliminated the need for dozens of trucks to come on-site and ship condensate to a secure location. That meant that hazardous product protocols didn’t apply, and flaring could occur locally.
Microtubing Power Plant Running On Landfill Gas
Landfill gas is a resource that few facilities exploit. But the fact it’s there meant something to engineers. They saw that they could use it for productive purposes.
For regulators, microturbines had been only permitted for use on raw LFG by 2004. However the idea that you could run them 100% on landfill gas seemed a little strange.
But what happened was quite shocking. Engineers developed the first LFG-fueled microturbine plants, providing that small-scale generation could work. Now, there are thousands of units worldwide, operating on the same principles. These generate small amounts of energy for local use, preventing resources from going to waste.
Turning Industrial Waste Landfill Into An Industrial Park
The idea of turning an industrial waste landfill into an industrial park seems impossible. Surely the land would be tainted forever? But that’s not actually the case, at least at a specific park in South California.
Previously, regulators had thought it was impossible to redevelop parks like these. It just wasn’t safe to put new buildings on top of them? What about the tainting of the water supply and the surrounding land? How could anyone place facilities on top?
Then engineers suggested the idea of capping in place and then building light industrial facilities on top. The Californian authorities issued the required permit and the rest is history, as they say.
What happened after this episode was extremely valuable for businesses across the country as a whole. Suddenly, what happened in Southern California was the model for what was to come across the rest of the country, setting up the nation for a string of brownfield redevelopments.
Full-Scale Bioreactor Landfill WIth Leachate Recirculation
Previously, regulators had assumed that recirculating the leachate would contaminate groundwater. Moving the liquid was generally considered a bad idea and something that site operators and engineers should avoid (for good reasons).
But, incredibly, engineers developed a solution in 2009. The idea was to create a bioreactor — the first of its kind in the West — that would accelerate the metabolism of leachate.
The result was faster decomposition with 30 to 50% more gas production from landfill. What’s more, the actual size of landfills was smaller because of the way the technology worked. Overall, breakdown occurred much faster, allowing landfills to be greener and more productive over time.
Injecting Raw Digester Gas Into Interstate Pipelines
Finally, regulators once believed that putting untreated digester gas into natural gas pipelines was impossible. It was just too dangerous and could lead to severe contamination, they thought.
However, private engineering firms came to the rescue. They managed to construct a high-BTU biomethane plant and wastewater treatment plant that followed the regulatory requirements. The result was a pipeline that met specs without requiring significant upgrades.
California now has several dozen of these projects. The template is now common across the state and copied nationwide. And this all happened in 2021, a decade ahead of planning.
So there you have it: seven times regulators said “that’s never been done before” and then engineers went ahead and did it anyway. What’s so nice about these stories is how unexpected they were. What it required was people who could think a bit out of the box and then connect solutions to their education. The result has been some of the biggest breakthroughs in the sustainability space that we’ve seen for a long time. We’re looking forward to what’s coming down the pike next.
