Download PDF : Tetronics-NRA-Shortlisting-Press-Release-FINAL_10042012
Renewable Energy
Lakeside Energy and American Securities Take Equity Stake in InEnTec Inc.
press release
April 3, 2012, 8:33 a.m. EDT
Action Follows Recent Move By Waste Management, Inc. To Become Major Investor
BEND, Ore., Apr 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — InEnTec Inc., the developer of proprietary technology to produce renewable fuels and other valuable products from household, industrial, and chemical wastes, today announced that Lakeside Energy has made a strategic investment in the company. Headquartered in Chicago, Lakeside Energy is a portfolio company of American Securities, specializing in power generation and renewable energy technologies.
InEnTec Chemical LLC was formed as a joint venture between InEnTec and Lakeside Energy. In this transaction announced today, InEnTec Chemical LLC becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of InEnTec and Lakeside Energy becomes a significant shareholder in InEnTec.
InEnTec previously announced a similar deal in which Waste Management, Inc. /quotes/zigman/227597/quotes/nls/wm WM +0.62% took a significant equity position in InEnTec, and InEnTec became the sole owner of S4 Energy Solutions LLC. Formed in February 2009 to convert solid waste, such as household garbage, into clean fuels for electricity production and transportation, S4 Energy Solutions recently started up a commercial scale Plasma Enhanced Melter® (PEM®) at Waste Management’s Columbia Ridge site in Oregon. That project has already demonstrated the ability to create useable fuels out of the trash from the western part of the state.
“We are very pleased that Lakeside Energy has chosen to take an equity stake in our future,” said Karl A. Schoene, President and CEO of InEnTec Inc. “With full ownership of InEnTec Chemical and S4 Energy Solutions, InEnTec Inc. now has 100 percent ownership of all InEnTec operating subsidiaries and operating plants. This puts us in the position to expedite the financing and deployment of new PEM projects, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate our strategic plan for corporate growth.”
InEnTec Chemical LLC, located in Fleming Island, FL, was formed as a joint venture company by InEnTec and Lakeside Energy in October 2008 to finance, build and operate PEM facilities at chemical manufacturing sites. The company currently owns and operates a PEM at Dow Corning’s silicon-based materials manufacturing facility in Midland, Michigan. The Midland PEM began start-up in late 2009, and recycles hazardous chemical residuals into reusable process chemicals and clean syngas used as fuel for steam.
“We believe the PEM technology has the potential to shape the future of how the world transforms waste into valuable resources,” said Matthew LeBaron, a managing director of American Securities. “We continue to be impressed by the progress the InEnTec management team is making in commercializing and deploying this technology.”
“We are proud to have been a partner in the startup of the first PEM at a U.S. chemical manufacturing site,” added Christopher Fanella, Executive Vice President at Lakeside Energy and now a member of InEnTec’s Board of Directors. “We are confident that InEnTec will achieve its goals at Midland and replicate that success at many more sites in the future.”
Based in Bend, Oregon, InEnTec Inc. is a privately-held corporation and the developer of the PEM® (Plasma Enhanced Melter®), a proprietary gasification system that transforms municipal, commercial, medical, and most industrial and hazardous wastes into clean, renewable syngas This clean syngas can be converted to transportation fuels such as ethanol or diesel, industrial products like hydrogen and methanol or used as a substitute for natural gas for heating or electricity generation.
About InEnTec Inc.
Based in Bend, Oregon, InEnTec was formed by scientists and engineers from MIT and Battelle. Through its proprietary gasification system, the Plasma Enhanced Melter, InEnTec can transform municipal (household), commercial, medical, and most industrial and hazardous wastes into clean renewable syngas that can be used to produce products, such as electric energy, diesel fuel, ethanol, methanol and hydrogen, with minimal environmental impact. InEnTec’s systems meet all environmental standards and come closer to 100% recycling of waste than any other commercially available technology. InEnTec is the winner of The Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Award in Energy. For more information please visit www.inentec.com .
About Lakeside Energy LLC
Lakeside invests in power generation and related renewable energy businesses in North America requiring individual equity investments of $10 million to $100 million. The company is backed with equity from American Securities, a New York-based private equity firm. Lakeside looks for companies with sustainable market positions, predictable cash flows, growth opportunities and reasonable risk management of fuel cost. Its business model is to create additional value in companies and assets through the implementation of operational, financial, and commercial improvements and support of the associated management teams. More information on Lakeside Energy LLC can be found atwww.lakesideenergy.com .
About American Securities LLC
American Securities is a leading U.S. private equity firm that invests in market-leading companies in North America with annual revenues generally ranging between $200 million to $2 billion. Headquartered in New York with an office in Shanghai, American Securities has approximately $9 billion under management and is currently investing from its sixth fund. The firm traces its roots to the family office founded in 1947 by William Rosenwald to invest and manage his share of his family’s Sears, Roebuck & Co. fortune. More information on American Securities can be found at www.american-securities.com .
THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AS DEFINED IN THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE INFORMATION OF A NON-HISTORICAL NATURE OR WHICH RELATE TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES. IN MANY CASES, YOU CAN IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS BY TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS “MAY,” “WILL,” “SHOULD,” “EXPECTS,” “PLANS,” “ANTICIPATES,” “BELIEVES,” “ESTIMATES,” “PREDICTS,” “POTENTIAL,” OR “CONTINUE,” OR THE NEGATIVE OF THESE TERMS AND OTHER COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY. THESE STATEMENTS ARE ONLY PREDICTIONS. ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE ANTICIPATED IN THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AS A RESULT OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS. THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS MADE IN THIS PRESS RELEASE RELATE ONLY TO EVENTS AS OF THE DATE OF THIS RELEASE. WE UNDERTAKE NO ONGOING OBLIGATION TO UPDATE THESE STATEMENTS.
SOURCE: InEnTec Inc
China’s Largest Waste-To-Energy System Heads For Shenzhen
http://titan-machinery.com/en/industry-news/shenzhen-waste-incinerator/
The second phase of the Bao’an Waste-to-Energy Plant, which is invested in by Shenzhen Energy and Environment Company, is expected to be the largest of its kind in China with a daily production capacity of 4,200 tons.
It is learned that Shenzhen produces 12,074 tons of waste are being yielded in Shenzhen every day. Though city has set up seven waste incineration power plants with a total capacity of 4,875 tons per day, it can still not meet the increasing demand.
At present, SEEC incinerates 2,450 tons of waste each day, which accounts for 50% of the city’s total waste incineration. In addition, the company has three projects under construction which are expected to add a daily capacity of 6,300 tons for the city.
Set up in 1997, SEEC is one of the major waste disposal companies in Shenzhen.
Microwave Plasma Gasification Heats Up in the U.S.
Microwave Plasma Gasification Heats Up in the U.S.
Plasma gasification has become a buzzword and the new kid on the waste to energy block. One company has trialled its new process in Mexico, known as microwave plasma gasification, and is starting work on its first commercial facility in Texas. Tom Freyberg investigates claims that the process is 60% more efficient and can produce diesel from waste.
With landfill sites reaching capacity around the world, more and more municipalities are incorporating waste to energy (WtE) technologies into their waste management plans. Political and planning challenges to one side, modern technologies have proven their ability to produce energy or a valuable biogas/synthetic gas (syngas) from waste and divert millions of tonnes from reaching landfill.
Many WtE processes such as mass burn have been in use for decades, but have been refined over the years to their current state today. But it is pyrolysis/gasification currently grabbing the headlines, especially plasma arc gasification.
In short, the latter involves processing organic waste at extreme temperatures (4000ºC – 7000ºC) using an electric arc in a torch to produce a syngas and vitrified slag, a rock-like glassy by-product. Developing across Europe quickly, companies such as UK-headquartered Advanced Plasma Power (APP) has already formed a joint venture to gasify thousands of tonnes of waste unearthed from a landfill mining project in Belgium.
Even across the pond, the North American market is one where companies are also trying to rapidly establish a foothold in the enormous waste market. And it’s clear to see why. Figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that in 2009 Americans generated 219 million tonnes of waste. Of this amount, 74 million tonnes were recycled, resulting in a 33.8% recycling rate. A total of 26 million tonnes were used for energy recovery (11.9%). Interestingly, around 31 million tonnes were sent for thermal processing back in 2000. So, over the period of nine years the amount of waste sent for WtE processing decreased by five million tonnes.
This raises the question of whether plasma gasification could help spearhead a revitalisation of waste to energy across the continent? And developments to date suggest this could be the case.
Plasma gasification progress in the U.S.
To kick this technology off in the region, Geoplasma, part of real estate developer Jacoby Group, has secured a permit from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection to build the St. Lucie Plasma Gasification Facility in St. Lucie County, worth an investment of $140-150 million. The facility is set to produce 24 MW (gross) of power from nearly 600 tonnes of waste and tyres per day.
Speaking to Waste Management World magazine (WMW), Geoplasma president Hilburn Hillestad says the firm intends to break ground on the project in January 2012, with an 18-month construction period meaning the project will be ready by mid 2013. Technology will be provided by Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, subsidiary of Alter NRG.
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| Results from Waste2Energy’s pilot plant show 10-20% of energy recovered can power the microwaves |
Moving south into Central America, it is new venture Plasma2Energy making headway, using a trial in Mexico as a springboard into the rest of America. The pilot plant in Monterrey, Mexico is processing 10 tonnes of waste per day (3,600 tonnes per year), established in early 2007.
The company is in final negotiations for an agreement with the City of McAllen in Texas, for a 180,000 tonnes per year facility worth $117 million, to process all residential, commercial and green waste generated within the city. It is also set to recover over 1500 tonnes of recyclables over the course of the year. Currently in negotiation with the city municipality, the company says a long-term contract between 20-25 years will be established.
“The first phase of the McAllen project will take 18 months and then another 24 months for phase two, so it will be three and a half years before we start taking waste from the municipality,” Rodolfo Sanchez, CEO of Plasma2Energy™ tells WMW. “The city produces 450 tonnes of waste per day and after separation and moisture content we will need to gasify around nearly 300 tonnes of waste per day and generate 27 MW of electricity net to the grid.”
Microwave plasma gasification
As the technology distributor, Plasma2Energy uses ABA’s technology, which the company is keen to position as “microwave plasma gasification”. According to the company’s literature: “By harnessing the power of microwave radiation through a patented plasmatron array in the reactor, waste feedstocks and other carbonic materials are heated until they are heavily ionized, forming a cloud of plasma in the material.”
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| Waste feedstocks and other carbonic materials are heated until they are heavily ionized, forming a cloud of plasma |
Heated water vapour is then added to the plasma to create a syngas and inert slag. Produced gas can then be purified and some of it “re-fed” through the reactor, to recover energy and provide enough energy to power the microwaves. In Layman’s Terms, this means the process could be self sufficient.
Plasma2Energy says the microwave technology is where efficiencies can be made. And the question of whether the technology is a giant version of household microwaves used to heat up soup is not as ridiculous as you might think!
“Yes, it is effectively giant microwaves that use heat to ionise the waste,” Sanchez says. “Other processes out there, such as electric plasma arc torch processes, consume almost 80% of the energy they generate. In comparison, the ABA process consumes only 20% of the recovered energy.”
The CEO is keen to stamp out any accusations about company brochures being notorious for self-promotional, exaggerated claims.
“We generate heat by breaking the molecules until they get ionised so we can form the plasma,” he says. “The energy that we use on those microwaves to produce the gas needed is much less than the energy produced from the syngas. Results from our pilot plant in Mexico show that we need 10-20% of energy recovered to power the microwaves.”
The million dollar question to any small start up keen to take on larger, established companies is how does the process differ from the competition? And more importantly, how is this different to plasma arc gasification?
“What we have seen is that with plasma arc and plasma torch processes, you have several torches in the gasifier. They apply the energy to a single point whereas in the case of microwaves, you have a whole area where you’re applying the heat. We actually generate the plasma at the very beginning when the matter enters the microwaves. Energy is applied directly to the matter to form a vortex, helping the heat reach a plasma state and subsequent reaction afterwards.”
Black gold? Plasma rock and diesel
While organic processes are combusted and eventually transformed into a syngas, other materials such as metals, glass and minerals are not gasifiable, but are melted into an inert slag residue. Already established as a recyclable by-product, many waste to energy companies are branding the vitrified recyclate to help with marketing. An example of which is APP’s “Plasmarok”, which it says can be used as a building material or replacement aggregate.
For Sanchez, he says that variations in the feedstock play a big part in the quality, and quantity, of the plasma by-product from the Plasma2Energy process. “In Texas we’re going to have a moulding machine underneath the reactor so we can form bricks,” he says. “It is very light and can take the form of whatever you put it in and cool it. The slag itself is inert and we have a market – construction and the product even has a quality suitable for homes and gardens.
“The most important thing is that the volume of the slag depends on the feedstock. If you separate metals at the beginning, which is what we are planning to do, you have a more efficient process as you don’t have to use the energy to heat the metals. You can recover more energy.”
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| Plasma2Energy’s proposed $117m facility would process 180,000 tonnes per year of waste in Texas |
Another important process by-product in need of discussion; in fact of more significance (and value) than the glassy rock recyclate, is that of the diesel produced. As part of the process, the firm says that clean gas can be processed through a Fischer-Tropsch reaction stage, where part of the synthetic gas condensates into a liquid. This can then be refined to produce biofuels, ethanol as well as ammonium nitrate as a biofertiliser. “The oil that we have collected from the pilot plant comprises 70% diesel,” the CEO quips. “When we are cooling and cleaning the gas, some parts are condensed into synthetic oils. The process can be refined to this set up and whatever you don’t need you put add back to the process for gasification.”
On the topic of how the proposed process will fit in with established recycling efforts in the region, Sanchez says: “We have made the commitment with the City of McAllen that recycling will be priority number one,” says Sanchez. “At households waste is being separated into two different bins – one goes to recycling centres where they separate metals, paper and cardboard. That will continue until we get into the second phase and then we will implement what the city wants to do with the recycling.”
Spreading the word
Moving beyond Texas, the CEO – an engineer by trade – says the patented technological research into plasma gasification took a mighty 17 years to reach market, eventually published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2009. Plasma2Energy can now apply for a certificate of patent in the 160 countries that belong to WIPO, with Sanchez admitting his company has an application pending for certification of patent in the United Sates and the European Union.
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Plasma is generated at the start when waste enters the microwave |
“We have received requests from all over the world and we have a list of project developers identified and ready to specify our technology. We have received several requests from the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Asia, South America and Africa.”
The waste sector, more than others, is known for its slow uptake of new technologies that have yet to be commercially proven. In fact, the expression “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” is frequently cited at conferences discussing new technologies and trials.
Sanchez admits he is facing similar challenges with interested companies requesting data from the Texas facility. Until this facility comes online to produce needed data and the waste agreement with the City of McAllen finalised, Plasma2Energy could find it a challenge to roll out a second full-scale facility.
But, with claims that microwave plasma gasification is 60% more efficient than existing processes, and the ability to produce 70% diesel as a by-product; the ABA process really could be game-changer on the WtE landscape.
Watch this space: microwaves could soon be used for a lot more than heating up your lunchtime soup.
Tom Freyberg is the chief editor of WMW World magazine. email tomf@pennwell.com
More Waste Management World Articles
Waste Management World Issue Archives
What a waste
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U.S. Plasma Gasification Firm Secures Investment Oregon based InEnTec, a developer of a plasma gasification technology to convert wastes into fuels and other products, has secured a strategic investment from Lakeside Energy…Read More |
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ETI Seeks Proposals for ‘First of Kind’ Gasification Demonstrator The UK’s Energy Technologies Institute is seeking partners for a new £13 million project to design and build a ‘next generation’ demonstration facility for waste gasification technology…Read More |
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Access to Plastics Recycling Rises to 95% in Canada The Canadian Plastics Industry Association has published updated figures that show over 95% of Canadians now have access to plastic recycling options…Read More |
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Contract to Build 350,000 TPA Waste to Energy Facility in Cardiff Construction work on Wales’ first CHP waste to energy facility is due to start following a deal between Viridor, engineers CNIM and construction firm Lagan |
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• Plastic to Oil Facility Brings Second Processer Online in New York
• Apple to Build 5 MW Biogas Fuel Cell at Maiden Data Center
• Joint Venture to Develop 68 MW Multifuel Facility in Yorkshire
• Poor Gas Collection & Landfill Fires Cost California Operator $3.8 million
• Waste to Energy Technology Review by Western Australia’s EPA
• Contract Extension for Kerbside Recycling in Edinburgh
• Contenur Wins Side Loading Bin Contract in UAE
• MIT: Time to Act on Contaminants in Recycled Aluminium
• Court of Appeal Odour Ruling Smells Costly for Waste Industry
Waste to Energy Technology Review by Western Australia’s EPA
A comprehensive review of the way waste to energy facilities operate around the world is to provide Western Australia’s State Government with the most up-to date information on waste to energy technologies.
According to Environment Minister, Bill Marmion, the review has already officially started, and is being conducted by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Waste Authority.
The purpose of the review is to examine different technologies used in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia.
“This is a comprehensive study that will provide the State Government with the most up-to-date information on the environmental performance of waste to energy facilities,” explained Marmion.
“The study will look at a range of operating facilities around the world using a variety of technologies including gasification and incineration and examine the way these facilities are designed, how they operate, their emissions and the regulatory framework under which they operate.”
The Minister said that with a number of proposed waste to energy facilities currently being assessed by the EPA, the information would prove essential.
Marmion added the review would focus on the processing of mixed non-hazardous waste – including municipal refuse and commercial waste – and low level hazardous waste such as tyres, paints and common solvents.
It would not be considering high level hazardous waste or hospital waste.
The Minister said that waste to energy facilities were an important way of ensuring waste was used for a social and economic purpose rather than being dumped in landfill.
Advice from review is expected to be published by Western Australia’s EPA by end of year.
Read More
University Studies Mixed Feedstock Waste to Energy in Australia
A feasibility study into the use of a mixture of waste streams in the City of Greater Bendigo, in the state of Victoria, Australia is to examine the business case for the introduction of Australia’s first multiple stream waste to energy facility.
Australian Biowaste Pyrolysis Developer Makes Public Offering
Pacific Pyrolysis is seeking to raise between $2.2 million and $4 million from an initial public offering and then list on the Australian Securities Exchange, according to a report in The Australia.
Putting discarded waste to use by creating energy – E & T Magazine
http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2012/03/working-with-waste.cfm
vol 7, issue 3
Putting discarded waste to use by creating energy
26 March 2012
By Sean Davies
Energy from waste projects, while appealing for a variety of reasons, have struggled to gain acceptance. But a new scalable method could provide the perfect solution.
Last year almost 300 million tonnes of waste were created in the UK, and almost half of that ended up in landfill. With government regulations aiming to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill to zero by the end of the decade, the major challenge facing society is just what to do with it all.
One option is to burn it in waste incinerators, but that carries its own environmental challenges. Another, more appealing option is to use the waste as a fuel to generate electricity or heat using Energy from Waste (EFW) technology. This would, on the face of it, appear to be a win-win scenario; disposing of waste as well as helping the UK reach its target of 15 per cent of energy from renewables by 2020, as laid out in the EU renewable Energy Directive.
While all new EFW plants must meet strict emissions standards, including those on nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, heavy metals and dioxins, that does not stop them facing objections from the environmental lobby. Concerns include fine particulate, heavy metals, trace dioxin and acid gas emissions, even though these emissions are relatively low from modern incinerators. Other concerns include toxic fly ash and incinerator bottom ash management.
The traditional method of using incineration to convert municipal solid waste to energy is a relatively old technology. Incineration generally entails burning waste to boil water, which powers steam generators that make energy to be used in our homes and businesses.
However, that is far from the only option and a host of projects around the globe are pushing the boundaries of EFW technologies. There are a number of other new and emerging technologies that are able to produce energy from waste and other fuels without direct combustion; these include gasification, plasma-arc gasification, pyrolysis and, for a non-thermal option, anaerobic digestion.
One option that is particularly appealing is pyrolysis. It can best be described as the thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures without the participation of oxygen. It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and is irreversible. Pyrolysis of organic substances produces gas and liquid products and leaves a solid residue richer in carbon content.
In pyrolysis, the heating occurs in the absence of oxygen and the released gases are gathered and stored for later use. One company that is developing an EFW system is Farnborough-based Qinetiq. In its system, a large screw-shaped column takes in up to 100kg per hour of untreated mixed waste including glass and tin, and particularly troublesome waste sources for thermal waste approaches. The waste is heated, releasing gases that are removed and used for heat or to power a steam turbine. What exits the system is a glassy substance just 5 per cent the volume of the waste that entered, and 400kW of power.
One of the chief drawbacks of commercial-scale EFW plants is the volume of waste they require. While this would appear to be an advantage, it has the drawback of fleets of lorries driving around the country delivering waste with all the attached environmental and social concerns.
The solution would appear to be smaller, localised EFW facilities, but to date that has proved to be an elusive concept. However, thanks to a solution initially developed for the Royal Navy by Qinetiq that may soon become a reality.
“We understand waste management challenges and we believe that the market is ready for small scale energy from waste solutions,” says John Ryley, managing director of the Technology Solutions Group at Qinetiq. “After eight years of thorough research and delivery, we have built on our waste disposal systems that are currently in service with the Royal Navy to develop the next generation EFW solution.”
The genesis for this technology was born out of a terrorist attack that took place 12 years ago. When the USS Cole entered the Yemeni Port of Aden in October 2000, its dual purpose was to take on fuel and offload several tonnes of rubbish accumulated during its tour of duty. That call into port had tragic consequences when a suicide bomb attack from a small boat left 17 dead and 39 injured.
Waste on naval vessels was becoming such a problem that during the Gulf War it was common to see a Royal Naval frigate towing a barge full of waste that could not be dumped at sea. “The MoD then came up with a requirement to have energy from waste plants deployed on the large ships,” Ryley explains. “This was then deployed eight years ago on HMS Ocean and it allows it to remain on station a lot longer.
“We did an analysis of the technologies available and came to the conclusion that pyrolysis was the cleanest, the most effective and offered the best reliability as well as being the most cost effective to construct and operate.”
The story so far
From those naval origins Qinetiq has refined the process and now has a plant installed at its Farnborough facility, which in the near future will be able to provide heat for use at the site. It will consume around 2,000t of mixed waste each year, enough to generate enough heat for about 300 homes or electricity for 50.
The most efficient way to use such a plant is to make use of the direct heat output, but it can also be coupled with a steam generator to produce electricity.
“We have been talking to some major supermarkets and they would look to take 20-30 units for their distribution centres,” Ryley adds. “The large supermarkets take food in and waste back: so when the waste arrives back at the distribution centre, instead of going to landfill it can go through the plant.
By mid-summer they expect to have any reliability concerns ironed out and a bill of materials standardised that will allow the plant to go into production – something that the company plan to outsource. For the test customers, Qinetiq is looking to select one site each from three key major sectors – health, retail and facilities management sector. “We are looking for an early adopter,” he continues. “We need a company that has a desire or requirement to adopt early technologies. Some supermarkets want proven technology so they are at the end of our chasm. Some say, ‘yes, this is a great idea, I want it tomorrow’. We tend to talk to a lot of hospitals who want this tomorrow.”
A model for waste
One big advantage of the EFW system is that there is no sorting of waste streams and no pre-heating required, the only proviso being that the moisture content cannot be too high as that would greatly reduce the efficiency of the plant. It can take mixed plastic, gas and metal. “We are working with Rushmore Council and they are delivering all of their mixed plastic waste and glass waste to us and we are running that through the plant.”
When it comes to optimising the performance of the plant in the future, Ryley admits that they may look at exactly what the optimum fuel would be, but at present they are content to let it run on mixed waste. What they have developed is a simulation tool that allows prospective clients to judge the viability of the system.
“We go to clients with the tool and ask them to input their current landfill and transportation costs, along with monthly waste estimates, and the mix of their waste types. Armed with this information, and their current power and heating spend, we are able to deliver a revenue model. On a simple chart they can see their return on investment allowing the client to see an estimated cost against value for the product.”
As an example Qinetiq pays about ‘90,000 a year to get rid of its waste from the Farnborough site. “From this point forward, that money is going to be channelled into the plant operation, so that will be a saving straight away,” Ryley says. “They will also not be buying as much heat.”
Financial solutions
Ryley suggests that the drivers for adoption of EFW are multiple, but they are primarily a combination of legislation, cost-cutting and the desire to be viewed as an environmental leader. The financial argument is solid. If you funded the purchase of the plant the return on investment would be between three and five years, well inside the usual investment criteria.
But the model that Qinetiq is adopting offers an even more advantageous financial solution. The plan is to lease the plant, and Ryley claims that the monthly payment is often less than the combined cost of fuel and waste removal. “If they are spending £100,000 a month on electricity or heat and this plant goes in on a lease costing, for example, so many thousands a month, it is less than they are paying and there is an immediate saving.”
Aside from making prudent financial sense and ticking the environmental box, there is also the matter of job creation. “For every one of these plants, you need two people to run it per shift. We have done some market research and the market around the UK for this type of product is about £4bn.
“With any new technology that is coming onto a market you need a service infrastructure round it. Whether it’s local or whether it’s remote, so you probably need some regional engineers and some local engineers as well just to monitor it.” Remote monitoring is made available by a multitude of Allen Bradley sensors that can be monitored locally or remotely.
Commercialising MOD IP
Often, for companies working in research and development in the military arena, the commercialisation of IP can be fraught with problems, but in this instance there were no such hoops to jump through. The majority of the IP was owned by Qinetiq, although the company had to acquire some additional IP for the plant. The agreement with the MoD on this project was that they could exploit the technology that they developed and that led to this plant – dubbed EFW7000. But even though this has yet to enter the commercial landscape there are plans afoot to develop even smaller versions, eventually down to single household size, although that would carry a whole new raft of challenges.
The target is 2016 for the mini EFW, but before that happens there need to be further breakthroughs. One of the key challenges is temperature; on the EFW7000 the only use of external power is to get the process up to working temperature, in excess of 700’C, after that it fuels itself.
However, in a household appliance it would almost certainly be fed waste on an intermittent nature, meaning that more external fuel would be required to achieve a working temperature.
“It would need a stand-by mode and you would have to work the plant in such a way that it integrated with the house, so when you put the waste in it holds it for a certain time,” Ryley admits. “It would then fire again and get rid of the waste and produces heat or electricity and if there is too much heat or too much electricity it goes back into the grid.”
But that’s for the future. For now the systems start appearing around the UK this year, to the benefit of the war on waste and the fight to comply with renewables obligations
AECOM / ENSR/ Zebell quotes
In the USA AECOM staff embrace plasma gasification technology.
In Hong Kong AECOM is promoting outdated incineration technology – do they know what they are doing or is the HK EPD pulling their strings instead of consulting them?
http://alternrg.com/press_release_94407
http://altpowerconstruction.com/index/webapp-stories-action?id=268
http://www.wisbusiness.com/printerfriendly.iml?Article=184142
“The site AFE has chosen for this project is well suited for this facility”, said Mike Zebell P.E. of AECOM (NYSE:ACM), a Fortune 500 company serving clients in more than 100 countries and a global provider of professional technical, environmental and management support services. “We believe that this technology is not only environmentally friendly but ready for large-scale commercialization. We are excited to partner with an entrepreneurial firm like AFE, one of the industries leading developers focused on building environmentally responsible energy projects using plasma gasification technology.”
Alter NRG contacts:
Mark Montemurro, President and Chief Executive Officer
(403) 806-3877 mmontemurro@alternrg.ca
Daniel Hay, Chief Financial Officer
(403) 806-3881 dhay@alternrg.ca
http://www.afeservices.com/press_02012010.php
Milwaukee-based renewable energy project to generate “green power” with clean syngas from waste products
For additional information, contact: Joshua Morby, 414-791-9120, jmorby@afeservices.com
MILWAUKEE, February 1, 2010 – Alliance Federated Energy (AFE) on Monday formally announced the development of “Project Apollo,” a 25MW renewable energy project located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Project Apollo plans to utilize Westinghouse Plasma Corp.’s (WPC) plasma gasification technology to process municipal and industrial wastes into renewable energy. Because there is no combustion, the waste is not burned but converted into its original elemental form, creating significant quantities of clean syngas that can be used to generate electricity, steam or bio-fuels. There are several facilities operating commercially around the world using WPC technology and several more in final design phase and or construction.
The $225 million project is expected to create more than 250 jobs during the construction process and employ 45 full time people once operational. Approximately 30% of the waste feedstock is already committed from Badger Disposal of Wisconsin, one of region’s leading industrial waste management services companies. Discussions are underway with third parties for the sale of syngas and electricity.
AFE plans to have the project operational in late 2013. The first phase of the renewable energy facility is expected to process approximately 1200 tons of municipal and industrial waste per day, generating enough clean energy to power roughly 20,000 homes in the Milwaukee area. “This commercially proven technology is the ultimate in recycling, said Christopher Maloney, CEO of Alliance Federated Energy, and we are pleased to be building our first project right here in Wisconsin, a state committed to promoting environmental stewardship and technological innovation.”
“We are pleased that AFE has selected Wisconsin for their first renewable energy project,” said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. “This technology has real potential to help us address the growing need for clean renewable power. Project Apollo will create new clean energy jobs in our state, reduce the need for continued land filling of our wastes, and reduce greenhouse gases.”
“The site AFE has chosen for this project is well suited for this facility”, said Mike Zebell P.E. of AECOM (NYSE:ACM), a Fortune 500 company serving clients in more than 100 countries and a global provider of professional technical, environmental and management support services. “We believe that this technology is not only environmentally friendly but ready for large-scale commercialization. We are excited to partner with an entrepreneurial firm like AFE, one of the industries leading developers focused on building environmentally responsible energy projects using plasma gasification technology.”
CorVal-Ryan (CorVal), a leading EPC firm in the alternative energy sector, has been selected to design and fabricate the facility, bringing their 85-year history of performance excellence to the AFE team. “We believe that plasma gasification technology has the potential to be a major player in the renewable energy market and are excited to be working with AFE on their Apollo Project” said Bob Cutshall, President at CorVal-Ryan. “We have a number of plasma gasification based renewable energy projects in design or under construction and see that number growing in the coming years” he added.
About Alliance Federated Energy
Established in 2005, Alliance Federated Energy is a developer of renewable energy and related infrastructure projects focused on environmentally sustainable technologies, with a specific focus on plasma gasification technology for electric generation and energy production.
http://alternrg.com/plasma_technology/independent_engineering
Independent Engineering Support
The performance of the Alter NRG gasification system have been independently reviewed. Over the past 24 months, Alter NRG has engaged a number of industry-leading third-party engineering and consulting firms to review the Company’s plasma gasification technology.
The third-party reports resulted in a number of key findings related to the Alter NRG technology. This information will allow Alter NRG to:
- · Provide customers, strategic partners and regulators with detailed and independent information on the technology
- · Assist developers in permitting facilities
- · Help Alter NRG engineers optimize our technology to ensure we remain a market leader in plasma gasification
The following is a list of firms that completed environmental reviews of Alter NRG’s technology:
Setting the Industry Standard with our Product Offering
Alter NRG’s Plasma Gasification Technology is a Market Leader
Alter NRG “is pursuing opportunities to use its own plasma gasification technology, which has recently been acquired from Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, who are widely regarded as a leading supplier of plasma torch technology.”
Juniper
Plasma Gasification is a Clean Energy Solution – Energy Recovery from Waste
Alter NRG’s 750 tonne-per-day waste-to-energy plasma gasification facility “will result in substantial renewable energy production from post consumer waste streams that would normally have to be land filled, while providing state-of-the-art emission control…
“These emissions will be substantially lower than traditional mass burn or refuse derived fuel processes commonly used in the waste to energy industry. Diversion of MSW from solid waste landfills (where the potent greenhouse gas methane is formed) will result in substantial net decreases in greenhouse gas emissions as CO2 equivalent. Since the proposed organic feed stocks are post consumer waste streams, the project represents a renewable and sustainable clean energy resource.”
ENSR-AECOM
Alter NRG’s Plasma Gasification Technology is Commercially Proven
Utashinai and Mihama-Mikata are the only plasma gasification plants processing MSW in the world on a commercial basis at this time.
Juniper
Plasma Gasification Design Validation – Power Plant Retrofits
Clean coal plasma gasification technology is an innovative application of proven technology. The commercial application of plasma gasification as a clean coal technology is the collaboration of a number of advanced technologies…
ENSR-AECOM
…the Plasma Technology appears to be a sound method of gasifying organic feedstocks and producing fuel gas compatible with boiler combustion.
RW Beck
AlterNRG has 20 MSW plasma gasification projects in pipeline
admin | June 30, 2010
In Canada, AlterNRG’s June 18 corporate presentation shows strong growth: the Canadian owner of Westinghouse Plasma technology notes that they currently have 20 projects in the engineering stage with a potential total sales value of ~$500 million, and several projects expected to order gasifiers in 2010 and 2011 valued between ~$10 to $90 million in sales.
The company reports that ENSR – AECOM completed an engineer’s review verifying that Alter NRG’s assumptions of emissions from a 750 tpd MSW Plasma Gasification Combined Cycle WTE facility will be below emission limits for North America.
The report confirms that processing waste through plasma gasification results in “emission levels substantially below mass burn processes.” On June 15, the firm announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with SMS EnvoCare Ltd (“SMS”) which has constructed and operates two hazardous waste to energy facilities in India using the Westinghouse Plasma technology.
Plasma.3-10-10
Success for Korean Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell Demo
Success for Korean Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell Demo
27 October 2011
The fuel cell system supplied by Canadian fuel cell company, Ballard Power Systems to Korean plasma gasification firm GS Platech for a waste to energy demonstration facility is now operating successfully to provide power to the local South Korean electricity grid.
GS Platech’s pilot plant in Cheongsong is South Korea’s first commercial plasma gasification and vitrification system which utilises the GSplatech’s proprietary non-transferred plasma torch (200 kW X 2) and plasma cyclonic gasifier technology.
The facility is capable of producing sufficient high purity hydrogen to generate 50 kW power through the Ballard fuel cell stacks – supplied by Dantherm Power, Ballard’s backup power systems company.
“This is the first ever demonstration of a waste to energy system incorporating both of these technologies,” claims Jesper Themsen, managing director and CEO of Dantherm Power.
GS Platech says that it intends to further promote this solution to new customers worldwide and, to this end, recently hosted tours of the demonstration site in conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association World Congress 2011.
Attendees were shown the potential for this waste to energy system to address two key environmental issues in tandem: environmentally responsible waste treatment; and clean power production.
The project was undertaken as a national research project of the Korean Ministry of Knowledge and Economy with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment, under the framework of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.
Read More
Solid Waste Powered Fuel Cell Demonstration
Ballard Power Systems, has partnered with GS Platech a subsidiary of GS Caltex to produce hydrogen from municipal solid waste to power fuel cells.
Landfill Gas for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pilot Project in U.S.
BMW has launched the first phase of a program that it to validate the feasibility of converting landfill gas into hydrogen for use in fuel cell powered materials handling vehicles at its South Carolina facility.
The Fexibility of Plasma
Vitrification using a plasma torch can transform waste material into an inert, environmentally stable product. And what’s more, this product has a market in the construction industry, as Bénédicte Amiel explains
The flexibility of plasma
Thermal treatment of asbestos waste and fly ashes
Vitrification using a plasma torch can transform waste material intoan inert, environmentally stable product. And what’s more, thisproduct has a market in the construction industry, as BénédicteAmiel explains
One company that has put this concept to good use in the treatment of residues from the incineration of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and asbestos wastes is France-based Europlasma.
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Figure 1. Dissecting the non-transferred arc plasma torch
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What is plasma?
Plasma is a very hot gas characterized by the ionization of its atoms. Lying in a fourth state (compared with standard solid, liquid and gaseous phases), thermal plasma has higher energetic densities and capacities of heating than conventional heating tools such as burners with fuel oil, gas etc. It is obtained by heating air with an electrical arc maintained between two electrodes.
Torches manufactured by Europlasma are of tubular type with a non-transferred arc. This technology is characterized by a complete separation between the electrical arc, which remains confined in the torch between the two electrodes, and the bath of products that undergo fusion in the furnace. Only the plasma plume is in contact with the wastes being treated.
Europlasma’s plasma torch technology (see Figure 1) was first developed in the 1980s by EADS — a French aerospace company — to simulate the intense heat encountered by missiles and spacecrafts during atmospheric re-entry. Europlasma was founded in 1992 to develop and apply this specific lab plasma-torch technology to industrial processes such as waste treatment. As part of this technology transfer, torch performances and maintainability have been highly improved, particularly in the development of specially designed maintenance tools and in the increase of electrode lifetime.
For over a decade Europlasma has been working on hazardous waste destruction using the high temperatures provided by its blown arc, high-power plasma torches. While tests have been performed on asbestos, ashes (from incinerators and gasifiers), low radioactive waste, chemical weapons, medical waste and organic chlorides, the company has invested particularly in the handling of asbestos-containing materials and ashes. This has resulted in the erection of industrial vitrification plants in both France and Japan.
Using plasma in the disposal of asbestos
Asbestos is a natural fibrous rock, valued for its resistance to high temperatures, chemical attack, micro-organisms and wear. The danger represented by asbestos does not lie in its chemical composition, but in its physical properties. Asbestos fibres settle at the bottom of the lungs and remain in the pulmonary fluid for more than 30 years after inhalation. Asbestos is a carcinogenic fibre and is classified as a hazardous waste.
The process of asbestos vitrification
Interestingly, France was the first country in Europe to ban asbestos (banned from 1 January 1997), and a treatment plant for asbestos wastes in Morcenx, France has been active for over ten years. Run by Inertam, a subsidiary company of Europlasma SA, the facility began operation by treating up to 8000 metric tonnes of asbestos-covered waste per annum. Since 2001, throughput has increased to more than 25,000 tonnes of asbestos-covered waste and more recently the site has expanded further, with the addition of a third processing line. Inaugurated in November 2005, the new line alone is able to treat up to 42 tonnes of asbestos-covered waste per day.
Waste arrives at the treatment plant pre-sorted. All waste is then crushed to the correct dimensions for entry into the vitrification process and is introduced to the furnace by an automatic system. This is what makes vitrification of such interest — 100% of the waste is processed and totally transformed into the resulting glass-like product. The furnace is heated by three plasma torches (two torches of 2MW and one of 500kW) and maintained at a temperature appropriate to the physicochemical characteristics of the wastes being treated. The piloting of the installation is carried out by computers in a dedicated control command room. Regulation of the functioning parameters of the furnace and torches is overseen by a posted operator. The furnace works semi-continuously: waste is constantly added to the furnace and the output is tapped about every hour. After exiting the furnace, the vitrifiat produced — termed Cofalit by Europlasma — is kept in a storage area for cooling.
Cofalit has been shown to be non-hazardous, and has the appearance of black glass or a basaltic rock. With excellent chemical, physical and mechanical qualities, it is sold as an aggregate for road foundations or incorporated in the manufacture of other construction products, such as flagstones.
The costs of plasma treatment for ashes
The costs per tonne of treating fly ashes using plasma-torch technology are highly dependent on the capacity of the installation, its availability, the consumables used, and the nature of the ashes. Such costs are specific to each project. The price is between 15% and 25% higher than that of landfilling when the unit is integrated in an incineration centre. Nevertheless, this extra cost should be seen against the environmental advantages of the process and the fact that the vitrified waste is a useable product that is sold as a road building aggregate.
Ash melting with Europlasma
As mentioned earlier, Europlasma has also targeted its technology to the disposal of ash from incineration, which is generally hazardous because of the many heavy metal pollutants (lead, zinc, copper, mercury) that are concentrated in the ash during incineration.
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above Vitrifiat at its melting point
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Treatment of such wastes is becoming increasingly important in today’s environment. Waste-to-energy facilities are being increasingly scrutinized and held accountable for the image they convey and for their environmental impact. Indeed, many stakeholders within and outside the waste industry are sensitive to the issues associated with incinerating waste. Solutions must be considered in the context of sustainable development. As a result, in more and more countries worldwide, regulations are evolving that focus upon the disposal of residues from waste-to-energy plants as well as from older incinerators that do not recover energy. Ash melting technology keeps pace with this thinking, offering a disposal solution that meets such tough standards.
The process of ash melting
Fly ashes are introduced continuously into the furnace (as before). In the central part of the furnace, one plasma torch generates thermo-chemical reactions and brings the ash material to its melting point. In this case, the temperature of the melting bath tends to be 1400°C to 1500°C, i.e. about 500°C above the temperature of incineration of the MSW. (The temperature required in plasma treatment depends on the melting properties of the materials being treated.)
The impact of the plasma plume on the ashes leads to thermal transfer and the generation of good quality vitrifiat in an oxidized environment. After rapid cooling of the vitrifiat — in this case termed Plasmalit by Europlasma — the pollutants contained in the material are once again immobilized so that the vitrifiat can be considered inert.
Europlasma has developed its activities in ash treatment principally in Japan in conjunction with partner companies Kobe Steel and Hitachi Zosen. It has offered diverse input, including the provision of the torch, designing the furnace, licensing use of the technology, and providing technical assistance for smooth operation. Four sites in Japan have been developed along these lines, with capacities between 10 tonnes and 42 tonnes per day. Also, in France, Europlasma has built a unit in Cenon, Bordeaux, (see photos, above) with a capacity of 10 tonnes per day
A useful and valuable end product: Plasmalit
The end product from plasma treatment of fly ash is termed Plasmalit and, like Cofalit, it is considered non-hazardous (according to the European classification of wastes). Plasmalit is attracting interest from manufacturers of concrete products because of its shiny black appearance, as well as its mechanical and environmental qualities. It is possible to integrate this material in the production of flagstones or paving stones to produce a natural-granite substitute. Plasmalit differs from Cofalit in that the former has been cooled down rapidly and appears like glass. Cofalit has been cooled down more slowly and looks more like basaltic rock.
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left to right The asbestos vitrification line run by Inertam in Morcenx, France n Cofalit: an inert and non-hazardous vitrified product n The ash melting unit in Cenon, France
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Europlasma is currently working in partnership with an Italian laboratory to use this material in architecture for acoustic and thermal insulation. A special study conducted by a committee of 15 members under the title ‘The Vivaldi programme’ explored the properties of Plasmalit. It highlighted the inert nature of the material (an important property if landfill disposal is required) and when examining long-term behaviour the material showed results similar to natural basalts whereby Plasmalit is non-hazardous over the long-term i.e. it is stable for more than 200,000 years.
Market outlook for plasma treatment
Thermal treatment of waste by plasma offers the industry a new way forward in terms of effective waste management. New applications are emerging, including, for example, the application of this approach to the treatment of sewage sludge. A licence has been signed by Europlasma and a Korean partner to install a sewage sludge treatment unit in the city of Yongin, South Korea.
Also high temperature solutions are being considered for removing tars and improving the purity and energetic quality of the syngas after gasification of wastes. The combination of a high temperature and an ionized gas exiting the torch supports a quick reaction time of the chemical components and the recomposition of the syngas into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The purer the syngas, the better the yield of the gas turbine. Turbines work with CO and H2 (CO2 is an inert gas and is not suitable for driving the turbine), while syngas is composed of CO, H2, CO2 and CH4 (plus a few minor components). Purifying the syngas gives a higher proportion of CO and H2 and thus improves the efficiency of the final process. A dedicated research and development team at Europlasma is working on this new application, which has been named Turboplasma. Two projects using Turboplasma have been launched in 2007 and interest in this field continues to grow.
Bénédicte Amiel is Business Development Manager of Europlasma, France web: www.europlasma.com
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Published on The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online (http://www.mb.com.ph)
Home > Houston Firm Mulls Surigao City Projects
Houston Firm Mulls Surigao City Projects
http://www.mb.com.ph/print/354487 5,000 tonnes per day plasma gasification facility
MANILA, Philippines — Quantum International of Houston, Texas and the City of Surigao have announced to jointly undertake energy and commercial development projects, including a regional plasma gasification plant that will handle treatment of municipal and industrial solid waste while at the same time producing electricity for the Mindanao region.
In a statement, the parties said they will also undertake one model biofuel operation for the treatment of agricultural waste. Both have agreed on the use of Quantum’s Advanced Building Systems in the construction of the planned commercial development projects in Surigao.
“We plan on promoting three types of advance technology which will answer many of the Philippines’ major problems,” said Surigao City mayor Ernesto T. Matugas in a statement.
“We are presently completing contracts for Mindanao’s first Plasma Gasification facility to be located in Surigao,” said Al Johnson, CEO for Quantum International, in the same statement.
According to Johnson, the group was originally planning to build a small plasma facility for Surigao only, but after meeting with the city mayor, “We are now moving to construct a regional plasma center that will serve the needs of all of Mindanao.”
Johnson said, this bigger “model” plasma facility will eventually process up to 5,000 tons of municipal and industrial waste daily, while producing up to 5,000 megawatts of electricity to be supplied to the entire region for its continued growth.
“To supplement this, we will also construct one model Bio Fuel operation to convert the area’s agricultural waste into commercial fuels,” he said.
Once fully operational and utilized at full capacity, Johnson said, this new supply of clean energy is expected to significantly reduce dependence on the normal electricity supply and will make power outages, usually common to the area, a thing of the past.
“I am extremely pleased with our dealings with Mayor Matugas and Surigao. They share Quantum’s desire to see the Philippines totally energy independent in a totally ‘green’ manner within a 5 to 7 year period using Plasma and our advanced Bio Fuel technologies,” he said.
Quantum’s advanced building technologies to be used in Surigao are already slated for numerous Asian commercial projects, but are also to be used for affordable housing projects for the Philippines and other countries throughout Asia.
Based on its website (quantumphilippines), the company has a joint venture for the hotel development and management of Lancaster Suites in Cebu and Manila.
Lancaster will become the international flag for most of Quantum’s resort operations throughout Asia. This will include new hotel projects in India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other locations.
Quantum has also plasma gasification and municipal waste elimination for the City and Region of Cebu as well as in Metro Manila and Luzon.
It has also an international regional hospital, medical training & research center in Cebu. Its hotel and resorts projects in the country are also using its own advanced ICF building systems.
Quantum specializes in various “waste to energy” projects, such as Plasma and Bio Fuels.
It is also heavily involved in advanced high efficiency building systems and construction of “model” construction projects, which serve as international examples of design, operation, efficiency and finance.
Ultimately, its goal is to create high quality buildings, appropriate to their settings, while at the same time being extremely functional and energy efficient. (BCM)
Source URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/354487/houston-firm-mulls-surigao-city-projects
Copyright 2012. Manila Bulletin | All Rights Reserved
1.25 Million Ton Order for Waste Gasification to Fertiliser Firm in U.S.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/kymmcleod
22 March 2012
BioNitrogen (PINKSHEETS:BION), a Florida based developer of gasification technology to produce urea fertiliser from agricultural biowastes has finalised a purchase contract with United Suppliers for the sale of 1.25 million tons (1.13 million tonnes) of nitrogen based fertiliser over a 10 year period.
United Suppliers is a sales, marketing and distribution specialist of chemical and other agricultural products.
BioNitrogen said that it anticipates constructing one or more manufacturing facilities in the West Texas region.
According to the company, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to construct up to three manufacturing plants in the West Texas region that will be devoted to (i) the manufacture of the nitrogen-based fertiliser, and (ii) the fulfilment of the supply obligations set forth in the agreement.
BioNitrogen estimates that it will have output capacity of approximately 125,000 tons (113,000 tonnes) of product annually at each production plant.
United Suppliers agrees to purchase from BioNitrogen the nitrogen-based fertiliser products which shall be in standard granular form and contain at least 46% nitrogen content.
The company said that the term of this agreement shall commence on the date on which it completes construction of its first production plant and begins accepting purchase orders.
According to the company, upon completion it intends to operate its facilities seven days per week, 49 weeks per year.
Texan firm keen to address local power shortage
Eliza J. Diaz
BusinessWorld
March 20, 2012
TEXAS-BASED Quantum International (QI) has moved to strike deals for 10 plasma gasification power plants in the Philippines by 2014 in a bid to fill the electricity gap in Mindanao.
The power firm, which announced projects in Surigao last week, announced yesterday at a press briefing its medium-term plans to produce 13,000 megawatts of electricity daily once five of its plants become operational.
Plasma gasification facilities apply heat to waste to produce combustible gas which in turn is used to fuel electric turbines.
Output is seen to bring down power costs for the country. Furthermore, the use of industrial, commercial and household waste to produce electricity and alternative fuels will also help local government units phase out gradually landfills and improve sanitation.
“I would like to put up 10 plasma plants in the Philippines that you will have so much electricity, you will have to export it. I want five plasma plants in the Philippines this year. Next year, I’d like to do another five,” Al Johnson, QI chief executive officer and director of operations, told reporters.
“There will be five contracts done within the next 45 days. […] From the time the contract is signed, breaking ground will take 45 days. Building a plant will typically take 18 months, while smaller models will only need 12 months,” he continued.
For the first five facilities, QI intends to put up four plasma plants in Mindanao and one in Bataan, each with a waste processing capacity of between 2,000-5,000 metric tons (MT) daily.
The projects, Mr. Johnson explained, will be set up near dumpsites to ensure a steady flow of waste materials needed for the plasma gasification chambers.
QI has built plasma gasification plants for Japan and were later taken over by their local power companies.
The benchmark investment for a 1,000-MT plasma gasification facility is between $250-350 million.
After Surigao, QI is eyeing a power plant project in Davao, Mr. Johnson said further.
Copyright 2012 BusinessWorld Publishing CorporationAll Rights Reserved
BusinessWorld
www.waste-management-world.com
Plasma Arc Waste Gasification Plant to be Made in Marion?
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Roman Pyshchyk
29 February 2012
The city of Marion, Iowa close to agreeing a deal that would see the development of a plasma arc waste gasification facility by Florida based Plasma Power.
According to a report by local newspaper, The Gazette, the City Council voted four to one accept a contract with plasma arc gasification specialist to supply its waste to energy facility, with the proviso that three changes are made to the proposal:
- Lowering Marion’s basic 150 tons (136 tonnes) per day trash supply requirement by a corresponding quantity if Cedar Rapids or the Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency later agree to also provide waste feedstock to the planned facility
- Limiting Marion’s pass-through costs to no more than $150,000 a year
- Guaranteeing that Marion receives incentives worth 10% more than any the company may grant feedstock suppliers.
Despite his dissenting vote, Mayor Allen Bouska is reported to have said that he supports the project.
According to The Gazette, council member Paul Draper added: “I’m pleased we’re moving forward in technology and won’t be sending our waste to a landfill on our north side.”
While the proposed contract sets an operational deadline of 1 January 2015, city manager Lon Pluckhahn is reported to have said that Plasma Power wants to have the plant running by the end of this year to get federal tax credits.
The contract doesn’t stipulate a location for the plant, which is claimed to be the first of its kind in North America. Bouska is reported to have said that the failure to guarantee a Marion location was a factor in his vote.
It’s expected the steam generated by the facility will be supplied to customers near downtown Cedar Rapids who lost their steam supply when Alliant Energy closed its Sixth Street Generating Plant after the Floods of 2008, according to the paper.
The report said that the city’s baseline tonnage requirement has been reduced from 250 tons (227 tonnes) in a previous version of the contract, and the city’s penalty for failure to provide the minimum amounts has been changed from a $1.5 million annual payment to the $38 per ton tipping fee charged by the waste agency.
According to the City of Marion’s website, the Executive Session regarding contract negotiations with Plasma Power, LLC, regarding the Plasma Arc project – as permitted under section 21.5(1)(a) of the Code of Iowa – was found to be an appropriate topic for closed session.
MARION, Iowa – Marion is closer than ever to converting its trash to energy instead of sending it to a landfill.
The City Council voted 4-1 Monday night to accept a contract with Plasma Power LLC, contingent upon three proposed changes, to provide trash for the Florida firm’s plasma-arc waste-to-energy plant. Despite his dissenting vote, Mayor Allen “Snooks” Bouska said he supports the project.
“We’re ahead of the ball game,” Bouska said after the vote, which followed a 90-minute closed-door session.
“I’m pleased we’re moving forward in technology and won’t be sending our waste to a landfill on our north side,” member Paul Draper said. “It’s a terrific thing for Linn County and the state.”
The contract’s approval is conditioned on Plasma Power management agreeing to three conditions:
– Lowering Marion’s basic 150-tons-a-day trash supply requirement by a corresponding amount if Cedar Rapids or the Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency later agree to provide waste to the project.
– Limiting the city’s pass-through costs to no more than $150,000 a year.
– Guaranteeing that Marion receives incentives worth 10 percent more than any the company may grant future trash providers.
– Although the contract sets a Jan. 1, 2015, operational deadline, City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said Plasma Power wants to have the plant running by the end of this year to get federal tax credits.
The contract doesn’t stipulate a location for the plant, which will be the first of its kind in North America. It’s expected the steam generated by the facility will be supplied to customers near downtown Cedar Rapids who lost their steam supply when Alliant Energy closed its Sixth Street Generating Plant after the Floods of 2008.
Bouska said the contract’s failure to guarantee a Marion location was a factor in his vote.
The city’s baseline tonnage requirement has been reduced from 250 tons in a previous version of the contract, and the city’s penalty for failure to provide the minimum amounts has been changed from a $1.5 million yearly payment to the $38-per-ton tipping fee charged by the waste agency
Grid Injection from Plasma Gasification of Wastes
A project that utilises plasma gasification to generate a bio-substitute natural gas for direct injection into the national gas grid is under development by National Grid, Advanced Plasma Power and Progressive Energy.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/942175/alter-nrg-reports-2011-activities-and-financial-results
Westinghouse NRG The Plasma business accomplished a number of important strategic milestones that are illustrative of the larger sales pipeline that continues to mature.
- · Sales of $6.7 million which is the largest annual plasma revenues in the Corporation’s history.
- · Received a $22 million purchase order from Air Products, a US based Fortune 500 company for their Tees Valley project in Northern England which intends to take 950 tonnes per day of processed household waste and convert it into 49 MW of electricity, enough to power over 50,000 homes.
- · Worked with SMS Infrastructures (“SMS”), who already has constructed two hazardous waste facilities in India using the Westinghouse Plasma technology, and is now pursuing two additional projects and a further portfolio of hazardous waste projects which continue to advance.
- · Provided syngas to Coskata, Inc. (“Coskata”) at the Westinghouse Plasma Centre in Pennsylvania. Coskata has a proprietary syngas to ethanol conversion technology that is using the Westinghouse Plasma technology to create syngas from biomass and waste.
- · The Coskata technology has been chosen for a waste to ethanol project in Australia that is being advanced and is expected to be a $50 million technology sale to Alter NRG, upon successful development. The consortium (called Flex Ethanol) performed a successful waste to ethanol test at the Westinghouse Plasma Centre.
- · Executed upon a $1.9 million sale of plasma torches for use in an industrial application.
- · Finalized the detailed engineering for the construction of a demonstration facility by Wuhan Kaidi (“Kaidi”) in the Wuhan province of China and constructed the plasma torches. Upon successful demonstration, Kaidi has up to 150 biomass-to-energy projects which they expect to develop in the Central China market over the next 15 years using the Westinghouse Plasma technology. The revenue to Westinghouse Plasma is expected to be US$3 to US$5 million per facility.
- · Advanced the detailed engineering and construction of the plasma torches for a demonstration facility in Shanghai which will be integrated with an existing incinerator to take the incinerator ash as well as other difficult feedstocks. Upon successful demonstration, the revenue to Westinghouse Plasma is expected to be US$5 to US$10 million per additional facility and they have identified 13 current incinerators around Shanghai as targets.
- · Completed the second phase of engineering on a project in Minnesota being developed by the Koochiching Development Authority. The proposed project which is to be located in Koochiching County in Northern Minnesota is called the Renewable Energy Clean Air Project. This project could result in an approximate US$12 million technology sale.
- · Received the first milestone payment on a license agreement in Australia and New Zealand with Phoenix Energy (formerly Moltoni Energy) for $5.75 million payable in increments over 5 years. Phoenix Energy is a private development company with experience in both waste and large power facilities and they have a dozen planned energy-from-waste projects in the region.
- · Continued the regulatory process and stakeholder relations efforts for the Dufferin County energy-from-waste project in Ontario, Canada, an approximate 6.5 MW facility. This would be an approximate $12 million sale of Westinghouse Plasma equipment.
- · In addition to the above highlights, Alter NRG tours potential new customers to the facilities in Japan, India and the Westinghouse Plasma Centre operated by us Madison Pennsylvania on a regular basis. In the last 6 months, we have had numerous Fortune 500 and equivalent companies perform further due diligence on the Westinghouse Plasma Solution and are negotiating various license agreements. We expect to be adding new strategic, and industry leading customers in 2012.