According to scientists, tomatoes which may be deemed too ugly for shop shelves could be used as a major source of green energy.
A research project in Florida has discovered that a new tomato battery has the potential to generate enough energy that the state's waste tomatoes could power Disney World's 43 square mile hotel complex, theme parks, shopping centres and golf courses for three months of the year. This would also help to tackle Florida's tomato waste problem, as annually 396,000 tonnes are dumped into landfills and waterways.
Scientists used bacteria to break down and oxidise tomato waste, the chemical reaction involved releases electrons that can be captured in a fuel cell and be a source of electricity. It is believed that tomatoes are well suited to this process because of the bright red carotene pigment they contain which has been found to be an excellent catalyst in generating electrical charges.
A PhD student at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, who is working on the project commented: ''Spoiled and damaged tomatoes left over from harvest can be a particularly powerful source of energy.''
The team leader of the project, Venkataramana Gadhamshetty, added: ''We wanted to find a way to treat this waste that, when dumped in landfills, can produce methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – and when dumped in water bodies, can create major water treatment problems.''
They acknowledge that currently the amount of electricity they are generating from tomato waste is relatively small, but with more research and development the energy output could be greatly increased.
The tomato battery pilot is the latest in a series of innovations in renewable energy technology which aim to help limit global warming.
