Mass Burn
EPA Finalizes Rules Affecting Boilers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced finalized changes to Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators. The agency says the changes have been designed to achieve extensive public health protections by slashing toxic air pollution, including mercury and particle pollution, while at the same time addressing feedback provided by industry and labor groups. As a result of the changes, 99 percent of the approximately 1.5 million boilers in the U.S. are not covered by or can meet the new standards by conducting periodic maintenance or regular tune ups, according to the EPA.
The final adjustments to the standards are based on what the EPA calls an extensive analysis of data and input from states, environmental groups, industry, lawmakers and the public. “As a result of information gathered through this review, including significant dialogue and meetings with public health groups, industry and the public, the final rule dramatically cuts the cost of implementation by individual boilers that EPA proposed in 2010,” the EPA states in a Dec. 21, 2012, news release. “At the same time, these rules will continue to deliver significant public health benefits. EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce these pollutants, the public will see $13 to $29 in health benefits, including fewer instances of asthma, heart attacks as well as premature deaths.”
The rules set numerical emission limits for less than 1 percent of boilers—those that emit the majority of pollution from this sector, according to the EPA. For these “high-emitting” boilers and incinerators, typically operating at refineries, chemical plants and other industrial facilities, EPA is establishing what it calls more targeted emissions limits to “protect public health and provide industry with practical, cost-effective options to meet the standards.”
EPA also has finalized revisions to the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) Rule designed to provide clarity on which secondary materials are considered nonwaste fuels and to provide greater flexibility in rule implementation. This final rule classifies a number of secondary materials as categorical nonwastes when used as fuel and allows for operators to request that EPA identify specific materials through rulemaking as a categorical nonwaste fuel.
According to the EPA, implementing these standards will avoid up to 8,100 premature deaths, prevent 5,100 heart attacks and avert 52,000 asthma attacks per year in 2015.
In a separate EPA action in late December 2012, to meet a court deadline, the agency issued final amendments to the 2010 clean air standards for the cement manufacturing industry. The final amendments maintain the significant emission reductions from the 2010 standards, “while providing industry additional time to implement the revised rules,” according to the EPA.
More information on the amendments is available at www.epa.gov/air quality/cement and more detailed information on the final standards for boilers and incinerators is available at www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion.
Biofuels
Enerkem Raises $37 Million in Financing
Enerkem Inc., a Montreal-based waste-to-biofuels and chemical company, has completed $37 million in financing to allow it to complete the construction of its Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility in Edmonton, Alberta.
When operational, Enerkem says the facility will be one of the first full-scale advanced biofuels facilities in North America. It will use the nonrecyclables and noncompostable wastes generated by the city of Edmonton to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.
“We’re glad to see Waste Management and EB Investments strengthen their relationship with us by increasing their direct investment in the Edmonton facility,” says Vincent Chornet, president and CEO of Enerkem. “This is further validation of Enerkem’s business model and leadership position in the market for waste-to-fuels and chemicals.”
As Enerkem nears completion of the project, the company has begun hiring staff to operate the facility. “With plant commissioning expected to begin this summer, it’s exciting to see the facility’s first employees join the Enerkem team and start their technical training,” says Chornet. “We are impressed by the quality and caliber of the candidates we are attracting as part of our recruitment process.”
On its website, www.edmonton.ca, the city of Edmonton says its “waste-to-biofuels facility will convert 100,000 [metric tons] of municipal solid waste into 38 million litres of biofuels annually and help Alberta reduce its GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.” The city adds that GHG emissions will be reduced by more than 60 percent when compared with gasoline.
Gasification
Plasco to Build Waste-Conversion Facility in Ottawa
Plasco Energy Group Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, has announced that it will build a 150,000-metric-tons-per-year waste-conversion facility in that city. The announcement came days after the city of Ottawa’s signed agreements with the energy-from-waste company.
The facility will be built to the Plasco Conversion System (PCS) design and will incorporate three proprietary Integrated Converting and Refining System (ICARS) modules. The effective throughput of the facility will be 130,000 metric tons per year. Under the contract announced by Ottawa, the city will supply 109,500 metric tons per year of Ottawa’s municipal solid waste (MSW) and has a right of first refusal to supply the balance of plant capacity. The first 20 years are firm with four five-year extensions at the option of the city. Construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2013 with commercial operation planned for the first half of 2015.
The city has leased the site for the facility to Plasco for what it says is a nominal cost and will pay a tipping fee of $83.25 per metric ton processed, escalating annually at the rate of increase in the Consumer Price Index. Ottawa will reportedly make no other financial contribution and will have no other risk or obligation. The city estimates that the deal will extend the life of Ottawa’s existing landfill by at least 28 years, saving it approximately $250 million in future landfill capital costs.
The PCS breaks down garbage using Plasco’s patented ICARS system, which gasifies the waste and refines the resulting gas using plasma technology. Clean, synthetic gas created from the waste fuels General Electric Jenbacher internal combustion engines, together with a steam turbine driven by heat recovered from the process and engines, will produce approximately 15 megawatts of net electricity that will be sold to the grid. Residual solids are refined using plasma to produce slag that Plasco says meets requirements for a range of applications, including construction aggregates and abrasives. Moisture in the waste is recovered, cleaned and made available for reuse in the community, the company says.
There are no emissions released into the atmosphere in the conversion process, according to Plasco. The synthetic gas is consumed as fuel by the engines with any unused gas sent to a flare. According to Plasco, exhaust from the engines and flare have emission levels significantly below the most stringent standards in the world.
The ICARS modules will be manufactured in Ontario.
Refuse-Derived Fuel
Fulcrum BioEnergy Secures Funding for Renewable Energy Project
Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc., based in Pleasanton, Calif., reports that it has successfully secured commitments and is proceeding toward closing on financing totaling $175 million to fund construction of the Sierra BioFuels Plant, the company’s first municipal-solid-waste-to-low-carbon-fuels plant. In addition to funding the Sierra facility, Fulcrum says the financing will be used to develop future projects.
E. James Macias, Fulcrum president and CEO, says, “With our recent success in securing attractive sources of capital, we are proceeding with our planned development program. The current IPO market environment remains challenging, especially for development stage companies like Fulcrum. Because of this we have secured commitments from alternative capital resources to advance our MSW (municipal solid waste) to renewable fuel program, and we have withdrawn our registration statement. We intend to pursue an initial public offering in the future when market conditions are more favorable.”
Fulcrum says its engineering and technology teams have made enhancements to its MSW-to-ethanol process. The adjustments, the company adds, will reduce its cost to produce renewable fuel to less than 75 cents per gallon, down from about $1.25 per gallon as previously disclosed. Production costs at future Fulcrum plants are now expected to be less than 50 cents per gallon, down from 70 cents per gallon.
Mass Burn/Incineration
Covanta Buys Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Plant
Covanta Holding Corp., Morristown, N.J., has announced the purchase of the Delaware Valley Resource Recovery facility in Chester, Pa., from GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS) for $94 million in cash.
The Delaware Valley facility, which Covanta operates and previously leased from GE EFS, has a processing capacity of about 2,700 tons per day. The facility provides waste management services to Delaware County, Pa., and surrounding communities.
“Acquiring ownership of the Delaware Valley facility is a smart financial transaction for us,” says Anthony Orlando, Covanta CEO and president. “In addition, we will now enjoy the benefit of ownership, which we believe will open new opportunities and strengthen our client relationship with the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority.”
At maximum output, the facility generates about 80 megawatts of electricity, 90 percent of which is sold to a local utility. The plant has the capacity to accept up to 500,000 tons of additional waste each year from surrounding counties, according to a Covanta news release.
Biomass
ReEnergy Acquires Boston C&D Facility
ReEnergy Holdings LLC, an Albany, N.Y.-based renewable energy company, has acquired a construction and demolition processing facility in Boston. owned by United Waste Management Inc. (UWM). The facility has been in operation for more than 40 years.
“We are very excited to complete the acquisition of the UWM facility in Boston,” says Larry Richardson, ReEnergy CEO. “This addition to our portfolio exemplifies our strategy to build a vertically integrated renewable energy company. The UWM facility will increase ReEnergy’s presence in the construction and demolition (C&D) processing and recycling market in Eastern New England and in particular will enhance our ability to recycle the C&D debris generated in the city of Boston, converting a significant percentage of the recovered wood into high-quality fuel that will be used to generate renewable energy,” Richardson adds.
ReEnergy says the Boston facility will complement its existing operations, which include eight renewable energy generation facilities in New England and northern New York and two C&D processing facilities that service the eastern New England/Boston metropolitan area marketplace: ReEnergy Gateway/LL&S in Salem, N.H.; and ReEnergy Gateway/ERRCO in Epping, N.H.
Tom Beck, ReEnergy chief commercial officer, says, “ReEnergy will strive to continue to provide a valuable service to the companies that collect and transport construction and demolition material that is generated in the area.”
ReEnergy Holdings LLC, formed in 2008, owns and operates facilities that recycle waste and facilities that use forest-derived woody biomass and other waste residues to produce renewable energy. The company is a owned by Riverstone Holdings LLC and a senior management/co-investor team comprised of industry professionals.
Including the acquisition, ReEnergy owns 300 megawatts of installed renewable energy generation capacity and recovers an average of 70 percent of the nearly 500,000 tons per year of C&D it processes.
Regulations
General Biodiesel Settles with EPA
General Biodiesel, a Seattle company that converts various oils into biodiesel fuel and glycerol, has agreed to pay a fine for failing to report its hazardous chemicals in violation of federal emergency planning laws, according to a consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
General Biodiesel’s process uses hazardous chemicals, including methanol, sodium methoxide and sulfuric acid. In 2009 and 2010, General Biodiesel failed to submit Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory forms to the Seattle fire department, King County, Wash., emergency management and Washington’s Emergency Response Commission, EPA says.
“When companies fail to report their hazardous chemicals to emergency planners and responders, they put their employees and the community at risk,” says Kelly McFadden, EPA’s Pesticides and Toxics Unit manager. “This information is critical to alert federal, state and local officials to prevent injuries or deaths to emergency responders, workers and the local community.”
General Biodiesel agreed to pay a $63,000 penalty and fully comply with federal emergency planning rules to protect its workers, emergency responders and the local community.
International
UK Councilors Approve Recycling, EfW Facility
Members of the Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee in the United Kingdom have approved plans submitted by Pennine Resource Recovery (PRR) to build a facility that will extract recyclables from Bradford and Calderdale’s household waste and convert the remaining material to electricity.
PRR says the facility will allow the two communities to divert more than 90 percent of Bradford and Calderdale’s waste from landfills each year, help the councils increase their recycling rates to more than 50 percent and generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 20,000 homes.
In a statement made after receiving approval for the project, Mark Tribe, PRR project director, said, “Our project will bring great economic and environmental benefits to Bradford and Calderdale, and we’re delighted councilors have recognized this.
“No matter how environmentally responsible we are, our society will always generate waste. The resource recovery facility will ensure we deal with waste in a sustainable way and avoid sending it to environmentally damaging and increasingly costly landfill sites,” Tribe added.
Construction is expected to start by the first quarter of 2013. The facility is expected to be operational by 2016.
Gasification
Sierra Energy Receives DoD Grant
Sierra Energy, Davis, Calif., has announced it has received a $3 million investment from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to install a modular, community-scale waste gasification system at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County, Calif.
Sierra Energy’s FastOx Pathfinder system was selected by the DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) to help increase DoD’s energy security, reduce waste, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions and help meet the U.S. Army’s net-zero initiatives.
“This project is part of Fort Hunter Liggett’s ongoing efforts to meet net-zero standards for both waste and energy,” says Col. Donna Williams, Fort Hunter Liggett garrison commander. “Disposing of the installation’s waste and using it to generate clean energy meets both [of] those goals.”
The DoD, the nation’s largest consumer of energy, says it has set strategic and achievable energy initiatives to reduce waste and increase renewable energy. The army has selected its first six pilot installations to be net-zero energy and the first six to be net-zero waste by 2020.
A net-zero waste installation reduces, reuses and recovers waste streams, converting them to resource values with zero landfill over the course of a year. Net-zero energy calls for an installation to create as much energy as it uses. Fort Hunter Liggett was selected as both a net-zero energy and net-zero waste pilot site.
Sierra Energy’s FastOx Pathfinder system will help the site meet both initiatives by providing secure, cost effective and renewable sources of electricity while simultaneously eliminating waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills, says the company.
“We are honored to help the Department of Defense achieve [its] renewable energy goals, and the prominence of the project will show communities across the United States and beyond the benefits of deploying the FastOx Pathfinder community-scale system,” says Mike Hart, CEO of Sierra Energy.
“Sierra Energy is a leader in transforming municipal solid waste to electricity,” says Nicole Lederer, cofounder of Environmental Entrepreneurs and an advisor for Sierra Energy.
“There is a strong synergy between Sierra Energy’s technology and the DoD’s commitment to diminish its energy requirements, increase renewable energy generation and reduce waste at installations,” Lederer adds.
The system’s modular and compact design opens opportunities to provide renewable, distributed generation across all DoD facilities, even in remote locations and, environmentally, FastOx diverts potent landfill emissions, and operates with fewer criteria pollutants than conventional electricity generation methods, Sierra Energy claims.
“I applaud Sierra Energy on [its] recent grant award from the U.S. Department of Defense that will help our nation’s military reduce its carbon footprint and spur investment in clean energy technology,” U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) says. “I have seen firsthand Sierra Energy’s gasification technology at the Renewable Energy Testing Center at McClellan Business Park, and it is a shining example of the clean technology that the Sacramento region is becoming well-known for. I will continue to support innovative companies and programs that improve our environment and help lead to increased energy independence.”
Anaerobic Digestion
HDS to Install Anaerobic Digester in New Brunswick, Canada
HDS International Corp., Providence, R.I., a renewable energy, waste management and “eco-sustainability” company, says its wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, HDS Energy & Ecosystems NB Ltd., has entered into a seven-year exclusivity agreement with the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, for the installation of an anaerobic digester waste-to-energy system.
Having identified the city’s Lancaster wastewater treatment facility through more than a year of discussions with the city as an attractive potential location capable of supporting up to five megawatts of electric power, HDS will lead a feasibility study for Lancaster with support from the city. The study will gather information to produce detailed budgetary data, define milestones and optimize the structure and risk/return profile fitting the project’s various constituents.
The envisioned Lancaster digester will draw biosolids and sludge directly from raw wastewater prior to entry into Lancaster’s treatment lagoon. This biowaste, along with other biodegradable materials, will be processed by the digester, producing biogas, energy and other byproducts that will be marketed and sold to generate revenue. The digester is expected to reduce the city’s operating costs while increasing facility capacity and delivering significant benefits to the environment.
The project at Lancaster will incorporate HDS’ carbon dioxide capture and reutilization technologies, unlocking substantial opportunities for value creation incremental to those in classical digestion, says the company. The feasibility study will incorporate the possibility of removing carbon dioxide from precombustion biogas, enabling the compression of biogas; controlled-environment algae biomass production in the Lancaster lagoon utilizing wastewater nutrients and recycled carbon dioxide; and supplementing digester biomaterial with algae to boost biogas production.
By leading a partnered design-build-operate and maintenance project, HDS says it stands to create value for its shareholders through economic participation in the project, which will be anchored by proven digester technologies.
Biofuels
Honolulu Airport Inks Deal to Use Biodiesel
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a contract for Pacific Biodiesel Technologies, based in Maui, Hawaii, to supply biodiesel to Hawaiian Electric Co. for the Honolulu International Airport emergency power facility.
Under the three-year agreement, Pacific Biodiesel will annually supply between 250,000 and 1 million gallons of biodiesel produced locally from Hawaii-sourced feedstock.
The airport emergency power facility will be the second wholly biofuel-powered utility-scale generation plant operated by Hawaiian Electric Co. The first, Campbell Industrial Park Generation Station, is fueled by biodiesel processed from waste animal fat that is imported from the Midwest.
In a news release, Pacific Biodiesel says that as production ramps up at its new 5.5 million gallon-per-year plant, the company will process its most degraded recycled vegetable oil feedstock into high-quality biodiesel.
“Pacific Biodiesel is excited to provide the nation’s best quality biodiesel for this new backup generation facility and all other customers,” says Bob King, president of Pacific Biodiesel. “Every contract helps to assure more renewable fuel in Hawaii, supports the success of the biofuel industry and has helped us grow our local company to over 50 employees on three islands.”
“Hawaiian Electric welcomes approval of this contract, one of several we have signed for locally produced and processed biofuel,” says Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric Co. executive vice president. “Pacific Biodiesel is a well-established, leading company in our community that has been supplying biodiesel for diesel engines for over 15 years.
Work on the $20 million generation facility began late in 2012 and is expected to come online later this year. The facility will use four diesel generators to provide up to 10 megawatts of electrical power. Up to 1,500 hours per year of electricity can be used to supply the Oahu grid.
Mass Burn
Covanta Names Vice President of Materials Management
Covanta Energy Corp., Morristown, N.J., has promoted Meg Morris to vice president of materials management, a new position. The company, which is involved in waste management and renewable energy, says the Materials Management division identifies the best approach the company should take in regard to using and reusing resources most productively and sustainably throughout their life cycles, from the point of resource extraction through material disposal, ensuring they are reused, recycled or recovered with the least amount of impact on the environment.
Morris will be tasked with developing and implementing programs that address sustainable waste management. These include assisting existing and prospective clients with waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs; coordinating community outreach and education programs, such as those that focus on the removal of mercury, cadmium, pharmaceuticals and electronic scrap from the waste stream; and collaborating with NGOs (nongovernmental organizations). Previously, Morris served as Covanta’s director of environmental science and community affairs.
International
New Earth Solutions Signs Contract with Alutrade
New Earth Solutions, a U.K.-based waste treatment and renewable energy firm, has signed a contract with Alutrade Ltd., an aluminum reprocessor, to recycle the nonferrous metals collected at all three of New Earth’s mechanical biological treatment plants (MBT). The contract was effective in October 2012.
Malcolm George, director of Alutrade, says, “It is nice to see real recycling taking place. New Earth Solutions are processing throw-away waste and Alutrade Ltd. is helping them put that back into U.K. can production.”
According to the company, a land remediation compost product is produced from the organic part of the waste, while sorting equipment separates metals and plastics for recycling and also produces a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from the nonrecyclable fraction for use in energy generation. The contract with Alutrade will secure the recycling of the nonferrous metals for at least the next 12 months.
Prior to the contract, New Earth was conducting recycling efforts on a spot basis. A spokeswoman for the company says this contract with Alutrade provides New Earth with a level of certainty for its recycling efforts and reinforces the quality of the nonferrous metal the company is recovering.
New Earth estimates that this contract will result in nearly 1,600 metric tons per year of nonferrous metals being extracted for recycling purposes.
Personnel
GBB Names Principal Associate
The solid waste management consulting firm Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB), Fairfax, Va., has hired Stephen Simmons as a principal associate. Simmons has more than 30 years of experience with companies in the solid waste management and renewable energy fields.
According to GBB, Simmons will bring the company a range of skills and expertise, including project and construction management; technology assessment and selection; waste shed and energy market evaluation, sales and contract negotiation; facility due diligence and acquisition management; environmental assessment and permit management; and budgeting and cost control.
Prior to joining GBB, Simmons served as vice president of project development for Plasco Energy Group, Ottawa, Ontario, where he led the development and permitting of waste conversion projects based upon Plasco’s plasma arc gasification process throughout North America and the Caribbean Basin.
He also served as vice president of business development with Duke Energy Renewables where he led a team focused upon the development of a 600-megawatt fleet of forestry-waste-based power generation facilities.
“Stephen has a very unique and extensive skill set and expertise, which is a great complement to GBB’s team of officers and consultants who have a broad array of experience,” says Harvey Gershman, GBB president, “We look forward to working with him and are confident that he will provide valuable insight and assistance to clients.”
Personnel
Balcones Resources Appoints Vice President
Balcones Resources Inc., a recycler with facilities in Austin, Texas; Dallas; and Little Rock, Ark., has announced the promotion of Sara Koeninger to senior vice president of corporate services. Koeninger also will sit on the company’s executive leadership committee.
Koeninger currently manages all special projects for Balcones, including the company’s safety and compliance programs, and provides oversight for equipment installations and startups for Balcones’ customers.
“We couldn’t be happier about Sara’s expanded role,” Balcones CEO Kerry Getter says. “She has been an integral part of the company’s success since 1995 and has worked her way up the ladder in a variety of positions, including marketing, sales and operations. We look forward to another 17 years with Sara.”
Most recently, Koeninger served as project manager for Balcones’ new $25 million Austin material recovery facility (MRF). The MRF opened in September 2012 on time and on budget in large part because of her leadership and guidance, Balcones says.
Established in 1994, Balcones Resources is an environmental services holding firm headquartered in Austin. Balcones says it is the largest independent recycling company in the southwestern U.S. Its Balcones Shred provides document destruction services, while Balcones Fuel Technology manufactures alternative fuels. (For more information on Balcones, search for the Winter 2012 feature article “Fueling Sustainability” at www.REWmag.com.)
Personnel
Novi Energy Appoints GM of Fremont Community Digester
Novi Energy, Novi, Mich., has announced that Robert Zeldenrust has been appointed to the position of vice president, business operations, for Novi Energy and general manager of Fremont Community Digester (FCD). FCD is a $22 million anaerobic digester that will generate renewable electricity by processing organic wastes in Fremont, Mich.
“Rob Zeldenrust will help Novi Energy develop new energy infrastructure projects, including biomass, biogas and natural gas combined-cycle power projects,” says Novi President Anand Gangadharan. “We’re excited to add him to the Novi team.” Zeldenrust, based at the Fremont Community Digester, will assist in the management of its current startup testing.
Zeldenrust previously was senior manager of North Central Cooperative, a Wabash, Ind.-based agricultural cooperative with operations in Fremont. He joined Fremont Cooperative, which was acquired by North Central, in 1991 and became general manager in 1994.
Novi Energy developed and is managing the FCD facility, which will convert 100,000 tons per year of organic waste from the food processing and other industries into three megawatts of electricity. FCD’s electric generation is contracted for sale to Consumers Energy under an agreement approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Novi says FCD is the first large-scale anaerobic digester in the United States that will take organic waste from multiple waste streams, including food processing and agricultural waste.
The FCD digests the waste in enclosed tanks to produce biogas, which will fuel two reciprocating engine-generators to produce base load renewable electricity.
Legislation and regulations
New Jersey Applauds Covanta over Installation of Air Emissions Equipment
New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin has issued a statement regarding a final agreement among Covanta Energy Corp., the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and New York City that will result in installation of air emissions reduction technology at Covanta’s Essex County Resource Recovery Facility in Newark.
“Improving the quality of New Jersey’s air is a top environmental priority of the Christie administration,” Martin says. “I commend Covanta, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and New York City for working as partners with the DEP to reach this important agreement, which sets an aggressive schedule for the installation of state-of-the-art baghouse technology that will significantly improve emissions from the facility and improve the quality of air in New Jersey’s largest city. This is a milestone for clean air and a win for the residents of Newark,” he says.
Covanta had earlier signed a lease through 2032 with the port authority and a 20-year municipal solid waste contract with New York City to enable its investment in operational improvements. The upgrades will include the installation of a particulate emissions control system on each of the facility’s three combustion units, as well as a new recycling system that will recover more ferrous and nonferrous metals from residual ash.