Converting waste to energy to meet the needs of the future

Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, e.g. organic materials, biomass or petroleum products, into a synthetic gas by reacting the raw material at high temperatures. The resulting gas mixture is called synthesis gas or syngas and is itself a fuel. Gasification is a very efficient method for extracting energy from many different organic materials.

The advantage of gasification is that creating syngas is more efficient than direct combustion of the original fuel because more of the fuel’s energy is extracted. Syngas may be burned directly in internal combustion engines, used to produce methanol and hydrogen or converted into synthetic liquid fuel, like bio-diesel.

Gasification can also begin with materials that are not otherwise useful fuels, such as biomass or organic waste. In addition, the high-temperature conversion refines out corrosive ash elements such as chloride and potassium, allowing clean gas production. Gasification of fossil fuels is currently widely used on industrial scales to generate electricity. However, almost any type of organic material, such as wood, biomass, or even plastic waste, can be gasified.

Importantly biomass gasification is carbon neutral, as carbon dioxide will have been extracted in the process of growing biomass.

Gasification relies on chemical processes at elevated temperatures above 700°C. This distinguishes it from biological processes such as anaerobic digestion that produce biogas, at ambient or slightly above ambient temperatures.

A technology to meet our future needs

Below are some basic principles about  why it truly represents an answer for the future.

• As there is no oxygen present, nothing burns and no dioxins are created.
• As there is no oxygen involved in the process, materials remain in their elemental form, which means chlorine cannot be converted into a dioxin, for example. Without oxygen, dioxins cannot be generated.
• There is no gas dilution, which means that you can start with the highest calorific value gas and can achieve the cleanest possible gas pyrolosis. This makes running an engine easier as it does not need to be adjusted or require special parts. No gas dilution.
• As no pollutants are generated, there is no need to spend time, effort and energy in dealing with them or mitigating their impacts.
• Char, a by-product of the process, is basically charcoal (carbon and ash), a clean-burning material, which is why people use it for BBQs.
• 100% of the gas is available for the engine, which improves its efficiency.
• The only by-product of the process is vitrified slag, a non-leaching and inert material that is usable by the construction industry as an aggregate.

$225 million project in Milwaukee announced Tuesday would convert municipal and industrial waste into renewable energy.

Alliance Federated Energy of Milwaukee announced that it plans to build Project Apollo, a project that is expected to create more than 250 construction jobs and 45 full-time jobs once it is operational.

The 25-megawatt project would go online in 2013, and would deploy a plasma gasification technology developed by Westinghouse Plasma Corp.

Under this technology, the municipal waste is not burned but is instead converted into a syngas that can be used to generate electricity, steam or biofuels.

Several facilities are operating around the world, but there are no commercial plants operating yet in the United States, company spokesman Josh Morby said.

The firm has an option on a site in the city of Milwaukee but the location is not being announced at this time, Morby said.

The first phase of the renewable energy facility is expected to process approximately 1,200 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,” Christopher Maloney, Alliance chief executive, said in a statement. “And we are pleased to be building our first project right here in Wisconsin, a state committed to promoting environmental stewardship and technological innovation.”

Alliance said it has gotten initial commitments from Badger Disposal of Wisconsin to supply about 30% of the waste feedstock for the energy project. Badger Disposal is an industrial waste management services company. Discussions are under way concerning the sale of power and syngas from the project.

“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 of CorVal-Ryan, the firm hired to design and construct the facility. “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.”

By Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel

http://www.feeds4all.nl