Ontario City to Process Organic Waste for Energy and Fertilizer
An organic waste-to-energy project in London, Ontario, is expected to convert 65,000 tons of mixed organic waste per year into energy and dry fertilizer.
London, with a population of about 366,000 people, is expected to launch the Harvest Power Mustang Generation Ltd. plant this year.
The 4.5-hectare plant incorporates a Global Water Engineering (GWE) RAPTOR (Rapid Transformation of Organic Residues) system engineered by GWE, Austin, Texas. According to GWE, the system harvests wastes such as grocery store rejects, kitchen and market waste, food processing residues, leachate, manure and slaughterhouse residues, and converts them into enough biogas (primarily methane) to generate 2.85 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 8.7 tons per day of dry biofertilizer. The company says the plant will be capable of processing more than 15 different waste streams into biogas and dry biofertilizers.
GWE’s RAPTOR is a liquid-state anaerobic digestion (AD) process comprising enhanced pretreatment followed by multistep biological fermentation. In the Harvest Power application, it is integrated into a process that begins with waste reception and storage, depackaging and conditioning and the removal of contamination, such as plastics, metals and glass. It then undergoes thermophilic acidification, AD by the RAPTOR process, postdigestion, aerobic treatment of liquids, sludge conditioning and drying. This is followed by biogas sweetening (removal of hydrogen sulfide), drying and then use in combined heat and power (CHP) systems and engine generator sets of 2.85 MW feeding back into the local electricity grid.
GWE says the RAPTOR process consumes about three-quarters of the potentially environmentally harmful chemical oxygen demand (COD) content of the waste, which comprises content of natural origin that can be broken down into biogas by anaerobic bacteria. While the biogas is conditioned and used to produce energy, solids and liquid residuals provide valuable fertilizer products.
GWE says the plant is significant because of the range of waste feedstocks, including market waste, grease trap waste, pet food, food processing wastes, expired beer and many other community sources, it can convert into useful products.
The odor-free, rapid throughput design attracted the community backing essential to its success, says Ian Page, one of the partners instrumental in its design and vice president of engineering at Global Water & Energy (GW&E), GWE’s jointly owned entity in North America.
“Plant throughput was required to meet performance guarantees including the processing of waste in a timely manner and the avoidance of lines of trucks waiting to dump,” says Page.
The plant has multiple reception lanes for different types of trucks, with odor-free performance enhanced by negative building air pressure, airlocks on waste processing areas, pit lids and gas detection.
Jean-Pierre Ombregt, CEO of the GWE Group, says the type of anaerobic technologies being employed at the Harvest Power site can pay for themselves in a year or two through fossil fuel savings while also protecting the environment from groundwater and air pollution.
“Other green energy sources, such as solar and wind power, get the headlines, but waste product/green energy technologies such as those from GWE deliver the results in terms of base load and cost efficiency,” GWE Group’s Ombregt says. “This type of plant can be replicated anywhere there is a community, factory or process with one or more digestible solid waste streams.
Vecoplan Sponsors NASCAR Racer
Equipment company Vecoplan LLC sponsored car No. 23 at NASCAR’s Feed the Children 300 race, held June 28 at Kentucky Speedway. Rick Ware Racing, Thomasville, N.C., operated the vehicle, which was driven by Harrison Rhodes.
Through a partnership with Speedway Children’s Charities, Feed the Children will deliver 500,000 pounds of food and supplies to families in racing communities across the country.
“This race was the perfect opportunity for Vecoplan,” says Len Beusse, the company’s chief operating officer. He explains that Vecoplan’s mission, “Technology for a Sustainable Tomorrow,” ties in perfectly with the objectives of Feed the Children 300. “The reason we strive for a sustainable tomorrow is for our children,” Beusse adds.
Following the race, members of the Rick Ware Racing team brought the vehicle to Vecoplan’s High Point, N.C., headquarters, where employees were given the opportunity to see the car and meet the team.
Vecoplan engineers, builds and installs turnkey mechanical systems that process municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, industrial scrap and other wastes to be used as refuse-derived fuel in waste-to-energy applications.
ALMO Expands Screening Line
ALMO Process Technology, headquartered in Cincinnati, says its Mogensen sizer has demonstrated success with more than 400 reference materials. The range of materials includes animal feed, wood chips, sugar, pharmaceutical powders, coal, sand, sodium bicarbonate, salt, iron ore, shale, detergent, fertilizer, gravel, bauxite, glass, oats, pearls, potatoes, tin ore, coffee, clay, citric acid, chestnuts, urea, bread crumbs, fly ash, nylon granulate, pepper and quartz.
The company says its products offer an application-specific approach and that its new trial center has provided product advancement with thorough evaluation of an increasing number of materials.
The Mogensen product line comprises five models available in 37 frame sizes to meet the individual requirements of various processes. Available features such as an adjustable feed spreader and wear plates enable Mogensen products to meet the requirements of demanding applications, the company says.
The Mogensen sizer-screening concept was developed in 1947 by Fredrik Mogensen. The machine concept is based on the principle that differently sized particles have different screening probabilities. According to Mogensen, with sloped screen decks, the capacity of a specific area is achieved and particles have freedom of movement. The concept has been adapted to meet the specific requirements for a diverse range of materials.
ALMO Process Technology combines the equipment, project development and after-market support of two solutions companies: parent company Allgaier Group and screening company Mogensen. More information about ALMO Process Technology is available at www.almoprocess.com.
Wastequip Introduces New Compactor
Wastequip, Charlotte, N.C., has launched the Precision Series self-contained compactor. The new product follows extensive testing among a range of compactor brands performed by Wastequip. The company says it compiled the test results and incorporated many of the most popular features from different compactor manufacturers to create the Precision Series compactor.
Wastequip says testing of each compactor simulated a year’s worth of normal to heavy use. Feedback from dealers, end users and the waste industry also was solicited to determine the most important features.
According to Wastequip, the new Precision series compactor features an ultra-high-molecular-weight (UHMW) precision-guided design that suspends the ram above the chamber floor for smoother operation and reduced wear on the compactor floor. Backed by a five-year structural warranty, the Precision Series also features a heavy-duty rear door with full door seal and an adjustable sliding hinge that draws the door in evenly, containing odors and liquids, Wastequip says.
The Wastequip Precision Series has a patent-pending 46-inch-by-18-inch access opening for easy inspection, maintenance and cleanout, resulting in reduced maintenance time, according to the company.
The Precision Series also features Wastequip’s Guardian power unit with automatic maintenance scheduling (AMS) to alert operators when scheduled maintenance is needed along with a watchdog timer to prevent motor burnout.
“The research and competitive benchmarking by our engineering and product development teams for this project was world-class,” says Marty Bryant, CEO of Wastequip. “We’re committed to bringing the best products to market.”
Safety Guide Addresses Interlocking Steps
Safety equipment company Castell, based in Chicago, has released a new application guide for the waste and recycling sector. The guide covers interlocking methods specific to waste and recycling facilities intended to ensure that personnel are protected while operations remain efficient. In the waste and recycling industries, safety interlocks are typically used to safeguard sorters, shredders, compactors and balers.
Castell also has responded to growth in the waste-to-energy sector by targeting safety procedures at these types of plants, including equipment to safeguard access to emission-control systems and protecting personnel from high-voltage equipment.
Castell says equipment used to crush and shred material has a high potential for worker injury if proper precautions are not taken.
Implementing interlocking methods, the company says, can remove the potential for human error and helps enforce safety procedures.
Castell adds its products are guaranteed to perform over extended periods of time, particularly in harsh conditions and aggressive environments.
The new application guide for the waste and recycling sector can be downloaded at www.castell.com/us.