Meet the companies tackling nine of humanity's biggest problems -- and making millions saving us from ourselves.
Problem #9: Waste Disposal
Problem #9: Waste Disposal
The background: The United States alone annually produces 1.4 billion tons of waste, and most winds up in landfills. Not everything can be recycled and incinerators emit dioxins and toxic ash.

The solution: Montreal-based PyroGenesis has refined a process, called plasma arc gasification, in which solid waste is fed into a furnace. There, extreme electrical charges break it down into three marketable byproducts: a gas that can be converted into steam or electricity; metal ingots that can be resold; and a glassy solid that can be processed into material for floor tiles or gravel.

The payoff: Carnival Cruises uses a PyroGenesis system to shrink tons of cabin waste into a few pounds of harmless sand. The U.S. Navy has hired PyroGenesis to develop plasma waste systems for new industrial aircraft carriers.

The opportunity: An estimated $40 billion is spent annually to transport, incinerate, recycle, and store waste in the United States alone. Most industry experts say the technology is still several years away from widespread commercial use. Dozens of early-stage startups, meanwhile, are developing related products in niche markets for medical and other hazardous wastes.

Global Warming

Oil Dependency

Hunger and Malnutrition

Dirty Air

Dirty Water

Overfishing

Epidemics

Drug-Resistant Infections

Waste Disposal
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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.