Plastic to Fuel
Green EnviroTech Sells “Permit to Construct” to WM Riverbank Recovery
Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. (GETH), Riverbank, Calif., has sold the “permit to construct” for a proposed Riverbank waste plastic to oil processing facility to WM Riverbank Recovery LLC, Beaverton, Ore.
The planned 50,000-square-foot facility will recycle difficult-to-recycle plastic scrap starting with agricultural mulch film, fumigation film and irrigation drip tape (LDPE) into crude oil utilizing patented technology from Agilyx. It will be the company’s first facility in California.
“The sale of the permit to Agilyx will allow GETH to focus on the two major projects at hand. First is our proposed plant for waste plastic and tires to oil in Mississippi,” Green EnviroTech CEO Gary De Laurentiis states. “This plant is planned to be funded by Ebbros I Investment Group, of Kansas City, Mo. Second is our proposed plant in Wisconsin to process shredder residue to oil and compounded plastic. The funding for this plant is in planned to be with ACG Companies and the EB5 program.”
De Laurentiis continues, “We have identified two locations in Wisconsin that meet the criteria for the EB5 program. We should have a definite location set within the next few weeks.
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Biomass
Biomass Cogeneration Facility Starts Up
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Ameresco Inc., a renewable energy producer, held a ceremonial ribbon cutting on March 12, 2012, to mark the operational startup of the DOE’s new Biomass Cogeneration Facility in Aiken, S.C. at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The event culminates a 30-month investment of more than 600,000 labor hours to safely construct the new 34-acre renewable energy facility at SRS, under what Ameresco says is the single largest renewable Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) in the U.S. history.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.); Tom D’Agostino, under secretary for nuclear security and administrator with the National Nuclear Security Administration; David Huizenga, DOE senior advisor for environmental management; Dave Moody, manager, DOE-Savannah River; and George Sakellaris, Ameresco president and chief executive officer, participated in the ceremony.
The new Biomass Cogeneration Facility is the recent recipient of the 2012 Excellence in Renewable Energy Award for the Biomass Project of the Year from the Renewable Energy World Network of Editors, Essex, U.K. The new plant replaces what Ameresco describes as an inefficient coal powerhouse and the oil-fired boilers at SRS. The facility has the capacity to combust 385,000 tons of forest residue annually.
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Once the location is finalized the timeline to begin construction is expected within 6 to 8 months. Funding for both plants have LOI’s signed and negotiations are in the process to finalize the funding.”
Brent Bostwick, Agilyx’ chief commercialization officer says, “We are pleased to see that WM Riverbank Recovery LLC has been able to acquire the ‘permits to construct’ in Riverbank, Calif. Mr. De Laurentiis, the teams at Green EnviroTech Holdings and the Local Redevelopment Authority in Riverbank have all done a great job in developing the project to this stage.”
Legislative Issues
BDRI Allocates $35 Million for Biomass Energy Projects
The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI)—a joint program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)—has announced up to $35 million, paid over three years, to support R&D in advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value biobased products. For fiscal year 2012, interested applicants must propose projects that integrate science and engineering research in the following three areas:
- Feedstock Development: supporting R&D and demonstration activities for improving biomass feedstocks and their supply, including the harvest, transport, preprocessing, and storage necessary to produce biofuels and biobased products.
- Biofuels and Biobased Products Development: funding R&D and demonstration activities to increase the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels and biobased products. Funding will also bolster technologies to produce various biobased products that can potentially increase the economic viability of large-scale fuel production in a biorefinery.
- Biofuels Development Analysis: financial support to develop analytical tools to better evaluate environmental effects of expanded biofuel production. Funding will assess the potential of using federal land resources to sustainably increase feedstock production for biofuels and biobased products.
Biofuels
Primus Green Energy Produces Biogas Sample
Primus Green Energy Ltd., the developer of renewable gasoline based in Hillsborough, N.J., says it has produced its first sample of renewable drop-in gasoline through a proprietary combination of biomass conversion technologies that transforms herbaceous and woody biomass, in conjunction with natural gas, into high-octane gasoline. The company says the gasoline produced from the Primus technology is virtually indistinguishable from gasoline produced from fossil fuels and can be used directly in engines as a component of standard fuel formulas. The company claims using the product does not require costly engine modifications, overhauls of the fuel delivery infrastructure or changes in consumer behavior.
The gasoline produced is a high quality product, with a higher-octane level (93) and a lower level of benzene than gasoline produced from petroleum, says the company. Primus Green Energy has produced fuel samples from a test plant, recently broke ground on an automated demonstration plant and is planning to break ground in 2013 on a commercial plant in eastern Pennsylvania that will be designed to produce 4.8 million gallons per year of gasoline from wood pellets and non-food, herbaceous crops.
The Primus Green Energy technology is a proprietary combination of industry-proven methodologies and processes. The front end consists of biomass gasification and the back end, the “STG Plus” (syngas-to-green) gasoline process, is Primus Green Energy’s proprietary version of an established fuel synthesis technology.
“Our production of gasoline from biomass is a tremendous achievement,” said Dr. Yom Tov Samia, chairman and CEO. “Energy security is an enormous concern in the United States, and around the globe. The United States spends more than $1 billion a day on foreign oil. Primus Green Energy’s technology increases the prospect of freeing the nation from the grip of foreign oil by producing ‘locally grown’ gasoline at competitive prices.”
Primus Green Energy is funded by IC Green Energy, the renewable energy investment arm of publicly traded Israel Corp.
“The financial commitment of a major investor since our inception has played a large role in our success, allowing us to proceed in a steady, deliberate manner without the risky shortcuts that are sometimes taken in the rush to commercialization,” said Dr. Samia. “Moreover, we have achieved success with only a fraction of the amount invested by our competitors.”
On a commercial scale, Primus Green Energy estimates that its gasoline will be cost-competitive with crude oil at approximately $60 a barrel.
“Other companies have failed to economically create gasoline from biomass due to technology hurdles,” says Dr. Samia. “Because we are using variants of proven processes, we don’t have as far to develop the technology before we bring it to scale. “
Company News
Steinert US, Covanta Energy Form Alliance
Covanta Energy Corp., Morristown, N.J., an operator of waste-to-energy projects, has announced a strategic alliance with Walton, Ky.-based Steinert US Inc. to develop and expand Covanta’s nonferrous metal recovery systems at its facilities. Steinert provides technology for metals separation as well as spare parts, application engineering and planning support and maintenance.
| Covanta Americas President Seth Myones, left, and Steinert US President Jason Looman after signing an agreement forming a strategic alliance between the two companies. |
The agreement will support the implementation of new nonferrous systems at many Covanta facilities that do not currently have such systems and will enhance the company’s existing systems, says the company. Covanta’s growth initiatives and efforts to increase the amount of metals recycled from its facilities also will be supported by the agreement. In 2011, Covanta’s 41 North American facilities recycled more than 400,000 tons of ferrous and more than 15,000 tons of nonferrous metal.
“We are excited to be forming this strategic alliance with Steinert US to recover and recycle more metal from our EfW (energy-from-waste) facilities,” says Seth Myones, president of Covanta Americas. “This is the first step in our plan to significantly increase nonferrous metal recovery. By partnering with a world-class expert like Steinert, we can get the job done faster and achieve efficiencies throughout our nonferrous recovery systems.”
“Steinert is pleased to have been selected by Covanta Energy as the preferred provider of world-class non-ferrous equipment and support,” says Jason Looman, Steinert US president. “Steinert is committed to providing industry-leading, total material recovery solutions and we look forward to incorporating those solutions into the Covanta Energy growth and sustainability model.”
Institutional Projects
Zero Net Energy Community Opens Its Doors
UC Davis West Village, Davis, Calif., coined the largest planned zero net energy community in the nation, has been designed to generate as much energy each year as it consumes.
“UC Davis West Village illustrates our commitment to cutting-edge research in sustainability and the value and impact of public-private partnerships,” says UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. “The success of these partnerships demonstrates what can be achieved when innovations in design, science and engineering come together for the public good.”
UC Davis West Village’s $300 million initial phase: 315 apartments, 42,500 square feet of commercial space, a recreation center and village square opened in October 2011. When the entire project is completed, the 130-acre development will be home to about 3,000 people in 662 apartments and 343 single-family houses.
Still on the horizon is a biodigester, based on technology developed at UC Davis, that would convert campus table scraps, animal and plant waste into energy.
Under the neighborhood master plan for UC Davis West Village, a future construction phase could include another 882 student beds and 132 single-family homes on 94 additional acres.
The project is a collaboration between UC Davis and West Village Community Partnership, LLC (a joint venture of Carmel Partners of San Francisco and Urban Villages of Denver). The developer has a 65-year ground lease with the university for the project.
Students began moving into the community’s Viridian and Ramble Apartments in August 2012, with nearly all of the apartments now leased. Final build-out is expected in fall 2013. Currently, the two apartment complexes are home to about 800 students, faculty and staff.
Single-family homes, for sale to staff and faculty, are slated to be completed in late 2012.
UC Davis West Village relies on two zero net energy strategies: aggressive energy efficiency measures and on-site power generation.
If built to code, the completed portions of UC Davis West Village would burn 22 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. But by employing aggressive energy efficiency measures, planners project the annual total will come to about 11 million kilowatt hours, a 50 percent reduction.
The energy-efficiency measures include solar-reflective roofing, radiant barrier roof sheathing and extra insulation. Energy-efficient exterior lighting fixtures, indoor occupancy sensors and “daylighting” techniques will help the community use about 60 percent less energy than standard lighting had been used.
Biomass
Ferrum College Adding Biomass Boiler
Construction has begun on a biomass boiler designed to provide “low-cost, green energy” to the campus of Ferrum College, Ferrum, Va.
According to a news release issued by Ferrum College, the boiler will provide approximately 65 percent of heat and hot water to the campus. “The boiler will burn by-products from the lumber industry, which in many cases would be considered waste,” according to the college. “In the future the boiler may also burn agricultural products such as locally grown switchgrass.”
The news release also states the boiler “is designed to burn sustainable fuels at extreme temperatures in which emissions, primarily in the form of steam, fall well within the guidelines prescribed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Environmental Quality.”
“We are proud to be building a facility that serves as an example of Ferrum’s commitment to sustainable initiatives,” says the college’s president, Jennifer Braaten. The biomass boiler also will include an instructional area and research boiler with a working lab for the study of green energy technologies. The facility, to be known as the English Biomass Research Complex, was designed by English Boiler and Tube Inc., of Henrico County, Va.
Company News
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Plastic to Fuel
JBI Starts up Second Plastics-to-Fuel System
JBI Inc. has announced it has successfully brought its second Plastic2Oil (P2O) processor online at its Niagara Falls, N.Y., facility.
The design of the company’s Processor No. 2 is based on data retrieved while working with the original P2O processor, which since June 2011 has undergone a number of substantial upgrades, according to the Toronto-based company.
JBI also says the second line’s enhancements include “a replicable and deployable modular design that leverages economies of scale [and provides] the ability to cater to specific fuel needs of customers and a reduction of stack emissions.”
Both processors are permitted to operate at 4,000 pounds per hour, the company says in a news release. Currently, the two processors are operating at 2,000 pounds per hour.
The company expects to operate both processors at 4,000 pounds per hour once the company receives approval on its amended Solid Waste Permit from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
JBI says doubling the plastic feedstock throughput from 2,000 pounds per hour per processor to 4,000 should double the amount of fuel output each P2O processor can produce.
“Bringing Processor No. 2 online represents a significant achievement as well as a milestone for our company,” says John Bordynuik, JBI Inc. CEO and president.
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Mobile Fluid Recovery Helps GM Plant Become Landfill Free
Mobile Fluid Recovery (MFR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcis Resources Corp., has collaborated with General Motors (GM) toward the goal of the Fort Wayne GM plant becoming GM’s first U.S. landfill-free assembly plant.
The Fort Wayne GM plant reuses, recycles or converts to energy all the scrap created in its daily operations. Mobile Fluid Recovery is part of the recycling solution. The solvent and oil recovery is completed by processing the sorbent material through MFR’s patented liquid recovery technology to spin the liquid waste (oil/solvent) out of the sorbent material. MFR’s fluid recovery process enables GM to reuse both the recovered oil/solvent and the sorbent pads into downstream products.
The sorbent material can be reused on average three to five times. When the material is no longer able to be reused, the waste sorbent material can be collected by MFR to recycle or reuse.
In June 2011, Mobile Fluid Recovery received the General Motors Environmental Excellence Award. A GM press release says MFR received the award “for providing unique recycling ideas and collaborating on projects like turning oil-soaked booms from the Gulf of Mexico into Chevrolet Volt components.” Trevis Lyon, president of Arcis Resources Corp., says, “The success of that [Gulf oil spill] project was a result of the collaboration with GM and the entire supply chain required to convert waste into valuable raw materials.”
Plastic to Fuel
Study Finds Non-recycled Plastics Can Fuel Alternative Energy Industry
A study conducted by the Earth Engineering Center (EEC) of Columbia University, New York, and sponsored by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Washington, D.C., has found that converting the non-recycled plastics landfilled in the U.S. each year into energy using currently available technologies could provide at least enough energy to fuel 6 million cars annually.
The full study, Energy and Economic Value of Non-Recycled Plastics (NRP) and Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) that are Currently Landfilled in the Fifty States, summarizes information on non-recycled plastics and total municipal solid waste in each of the 50 states and quantifies the potential energy and economic value of recovering this material.
While the study looks exclusively at municipal solid waste, the actual amount of recoverable materials in the United States and the energy values associated with them are likely greater, according to a press release issued by the ACC.
“Plastics have a significantly higher energy value than coal,” says Marco Castaldi of the Earth and Environmental Engineering department of Columbia University and associate director of the EEC. “Capturing the energy value of non-recycled plastics—and [of] municipal solid waste in general—makes good sense because it provides a good domestic form of energy, while minimizing impacts on the environment.”
The study also estimates that if all the non-recycled plastics discarded in the United States each year were diverted to modern waste-to-energy facilities, they could produce 52 million megawatt hours of electricity, enough energy to power 5.2 million households per year. Similarly, if all the municipal solid waste produced in the United States was diverted from landfills to waste-to-energy facilities, it could produce 162 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power 16.2 million households annually.
“As the United States seeks alternative fuel sources, research like this is crucial to helping identify alternative fuel sources for policy makers,” says Dr. Nickolas Themelis, director of the EEC.
“Even after use, plastics continue to be a valuable resource,” says Steve Russell, the ACC’s vice president of plastics. “Whenever possible, plastics should be recycled,” Russell says. “But when plastics aren’t recycled, there is still a tremendous opportunity to recover this abundant energy source to power our homes, vehicles and businesses.”
Legislative Issues
Covanta Seeks Permission to Extract Metals from Ash
Covanta LLC, Morristown, N.J., has applied for permits to install equipment to allow the company to extract metals from ash delivered to a landfill owned by the city of Springfield, Mass. The landfill is located in Agawam, Mass.
Ken Ryan, business manager of Covanta’s Agawam facility, says the company hopes to extract between 3,000 and 4,000 tons of ferrous scrap per year as well as 1,250 tons of nonferrous metals per year through the use of magnets, eddy current separators and other equipment.
Covanta LLC, which is affiliated with Covanta Energy Corp., operates Pioneer Valley Resource Recovery, which runs the waste-to-energy facility delivering ash to the landfill. If approved, the project would extract metals from ash residue that is being shipped to the landfill from Covanta’s facility in Wallingford, Conn., and its Pittsfield, Mass., Resource Recovery facility.
The company will ship the collected metals to Sims Metals Management, with which Covanta presently has a contract.
Covanta has applied for a special use permit from the Agawam Board of Appeals, which is expected to take up the application at its Jan. 23 meeting. Once the company obtains the local permit it will seek to receive a permit from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Ryan says.
According to Ryan, plans call for the company to begin construction on the project by spring of 2012 and to begin operations in the summer.
Pilot Project
Anheuser-Busch to Pilot Bio-Refinery
Anheuser-Busch and Blue Marble Biomaterials have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a bio-refinery pilot at one of the brewer’s North American facilities.
The project will use Blue Marble technology to convert spent grains and biogas from the brewing process into chemicals that can be used in other applications, such as food, cosmetics and personal care products. These renewable chemicals are drop-in replacements for petroleum-derived chemicals, which are common ingredients in everyday goods.
Company officials say this project also will reduce emissions and waste at each Anheuser-Busch facility where the project is implemented.
Blue Marble began testing small batches of Anheuser-Busch grain in early 2011 at the company’s pilot facility and continues to do so at its small commercial facility in Missoula, Mont. Blue Marble says its facility is the first zero-waste chemical biorefinery in the U.S.
The facility uses a photo-bioreactor containing algae to purify wastewater and waste gas from the fermentation system. Solid waste is dried and pelletized for use in wood-burning furnaces and stoves.
Anheuser-Busch’s utilities support director Gene Bocis says it’s too early to offer any additional project details. In a Dec. 19, 2011 letter, he called on Blue Marble to make a financial proposal outlining the expenses and projected revenue for a bio-refinery facility sited at an Anheuser-Busch brewery, as well as a financial proposal for natural sulfur capture.
Parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev increased its recycling rate relative to production by 24 percent in 2010, compared to 2009, according to its most recent Global Citizenship Report. Recycling of byproducts and organics accounted for most of the growth, and made up 89.2 percent of AB InBev’s waste and byproducts in 2010.
The company says it is on target to reach a goal of recycling 99 percent of waste and byproducts by the end of 2012.
AB InBev built or upgraded 12 biotreatment systems in 2010, enabling the use of waste water to produce methane for energy. The company plans to construct or upgrade another 20 facilities by the end of 2012.
The beer maker also has installed solar arrays on the roof of its Newark, N.J. and Fairfield, Calif. breweries, which it says makes it one of the largest users of solar power in the U.S. brewing industry.
Pilot Project
MagneGas Retained for Large Dismantling Project
MagneGas Corp., a developer of a technology that converts liquid waste into a hydrogen-based metal working fuel and natural gas alternative, has been retained by King Metal Recycling & Processing, Miami, in partnership with Marathon Construction and Demolition, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to supply the cutting fuel needed for the dismantling of a 13.3 million-gallon oil tank in Port Canaveral, Fla.
The fuel for the project will be delivered from MagneGas’ Tarpon Springs, Fla., headquarters facility. The company estimates that more than 1,000 cylinders of MagneGas will be required to complete the demolition project.
King Metal and Marathon Construction also have agreed to use MagneGas’ product later in the year for another large joint venture project based in Alabama.
“After seeing a demonstration of MagneGas, we recognized immediately that this environmentally friendly alternative fuel is the ideal choice for this assignment,” says Pete Amador, president of King Metal.
“As we continue to successfully execute on our growth strategy, new customers are beginning to see the advantages and effectiveness of using MagneGas,” says Scott Wainwright, president of MagneGas. “We are excited to be partnering with King Metal Recycling & Processing and Marathon Construction and Demolition on such an endeavor.”
International News
Shanks Joint Venture Group Signs $1.2 Billion Contract
Shanks Group plc, one of Europe’s leading waste management businesses, is has announced that its majority owned joint venture with SSE, 3SE (Barnsley, Doncaster & Rotherham) Limited (3SE), has signed a 25 year contract worth in excess of £750 million (U.S. $1.2 billion) with Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Councils for the treatment of black bag waste.
Subject to planning permission being granted, Shanks will build a Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility at in Manvers, U.K., by 2015. This plant will process municipal solid and organic waste into recycled products, solid recovered fuel (SRF) and biogas for energy generation, and digestate for compost and fertilizer. Shanks will operate the facility over the 25-year period of the contract until 2040.
The facility will be one of the first where Shanks has delivered an MBT and an AD plant on the same site and will treat up to 265,000 metric tons per year of leftover household waste and a small amount of commercial waste from the three councils.
Company News
Enerkem to Build $30 Million Facility at Mississippi Landfill
The Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority (TRSWA), Aiken, S.C., is negotiating terms with the Canadian company Enerkem to build a new material recycling facility at the Pontotoc landfill in Mississippi.
The two companies have signed a memorandum of intent to build the $30 million facility.
The new facility would separate recyclables from the trash — metal, cans, cardboard, plastics and other materials — and the balance of trash would be shredded and put into a gasification system to produce methanol. That gas would then be converted into ethanol.
Enerkem expects to produce 10 million gallons of ethanol per year.