Images: MIT predicts tech to jump-start economy

Turning garbage into energy
"Imagine using garden, forest and household wastes to make energy," wrote Leslie Bromberg, principal research engineer in MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

He said that so-called fusion energy research will bring about massive changes to society in the long term, rather than the short term. Fusion, which extracts energy from nuclear reactions without the dangers associated with nuclear fission, has been studied for decades, but has yet to go commercial.

"Using plasma to convert waste to fuel could make a substantial difference in our lives. The hydrocarbons from waste could be turned into hydrogen-rich gas, which could be passed through catalysts to create liquid fuel. Although the process could increase the cost of fuel, it is CO2-neutral and would provide energy security," Bromberg wrote.

Pictured here is a bus that underwent MIT's plasmatron coupled with an exhaust treatment catalyst to remove 90 percent of the smog-producing nitrogen oxides emitted, MIT said.