Comments on: Ze-gen’s Waste to Energy http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/ Ed Ring's EcoWorld Posts Thu, 4 Dec 2008 19:53:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: John Brigham http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-84625 John Brigham Wed, 07 May 2008 18:31:42 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-84625 Range Fuels has yet another technology. The feedstock is gently heated to about 450F to react the internal oxygen. It is then blasted up to 1500 with steam which decomposes the feedstock to syngas. The inorganic material is left as an ash rather than slag and can be recycled as fertilizer or whatever. And they are looking toward catalytically converting the syngas to ethanol. Range Fuels, of Broomfield Colorado, is using $200M in venture capitol money to build a plant in Georgia. It is designed to run on wood chips, plentiful in that part of North America. Their technology appears simpler and requires less energy input. At any rate, the implications of this technology are immense. . http://www.rangefuels.com Range Fuels has yet another technology. The feedstock is gently heated to about 450F to react the internal oxygen. It is then blasted up to 1500 with steam which decomposes the feedstock to syngas. The inorganic material is left as an ash rather than slag and can be recycled as fertilizer or whatever. And they are looking toward catalytically converting the syngas to ethanol.

Range Fuels, of Broomfield Colorado, is using $200M in venture capitol money to build a plant in Georgia. It is designed to run on wood chips, plentiful in that part of North America.

Their technology appears simpler and requires less energy input. At any rate, the implications of this technology are immense. . http://www.rangefuels.com

]]> By: Jesus Quintana http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-81180 Jesus Quintana Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:26:59 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-81180 How does the Ze-gen technology work? Is it based off of induction melting of the metal components of the waste? Also, the article mentioned waste into fuel. Which type of fuel? F-T diesel? Or did they just mean waste-to-syngas? I agree with Marc that there are many other gasification companies further along than Ze-gen. Thermoselect, Hitachi/Westinghouse Plasma, and perhaps Plasco in the next few months. (Just to name a few of the many companies with plants in Asia & Europe.) Did the article mean 'further along in the US' ? I wish Ze-gen the best of luck in demonstrating their technology and proving the economics of waste-to-energy or waste-to-liquid fuels. By the way, I saw an add for "Natural Capitalism" along the side of this website. For anybody reading this blog, check out that book. It's a great read and full of optimism for the idea of environmental capitalism. How does the Ze-gen technology work? Is it based off of induction melting of the metal components of the waste?

Also, the article mentioned waste into fuel. Which type of fuel? F-T diesel? Or did they just mean waste-to-syngas?

I agree with Marc that there are many other gasification companies further along than Ze-gen. Thermoselect, Hitachi/Westinghouse Plasma, and perhaps Plasco in the next few months. (Just to name a few of the many companies with plants in Asia & Europe.)

Did the article mean ‘further along in the US’ ?

I wish Ze-gen the best of luck in demonstrating their technology and proving the economics of waste-to-energy or waste-to-liquid fuels.

By the way, I saw an add for “Natural Capitalism” along the side of this website. For anybody reading this blog, check out that book. It’s a great read and full of optimism for the idea of environmental capitalism.

]]> By: Roberta Murphy http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-80891 Roberta Murphy Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:40:33 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-80891 Wouldn't it be great if this technology were the answer to cleaning up the continent size mass of trash that is whirling about in the Pacific Ocean. Talk about horror stories! All one has to do it show this to the human race so that they can see what their carelessness produces. maybe then they would clean up their act. Wouldn’t it be great if this technology were the answer to cleaning up the continent size mass of trash that is whirling about in the Pacific Ocean. Talk about horror stories! All one has to do it show this to the human race so that they can see what their carelessness produces. maybe then they would clean up their act.

]]> By: Marc http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-70100 Marc Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:45 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-70100 PlascoEnergy Group (<a href="http://www.plascoenergygroup.com" rel="nofollow">www.plascoenergygroup.com</a>) is much farther along than ZeGen in the process of waste-to-energy conversion to syngas and electrical power. They have a demonstration plant operating on 85TPD in Ottawa, Canada, and signed MOU's with 2 Canadian cities and 1 Spanish city. They have also completed an equity round of $54M, with another $115M committed for next year, and were one of only 3 companies invited by the Canadian government to the recent conference on climate change held in Bali. Plasco's system converts MSW to syngas, cleans the syngas, makes electricity, and does so at less than 1/3 the pollution of the stiffest North American air regs, with nearly twice the efficiency of other waste-to-energy processes. It has been in development over 20 years, and has nearly 20 patents protecting the technology. Final conversion products are vitrified slag (non-leaching), electricity, salt, and sulfur. Only about 1% of the original MSW goes to landfill. While ZeGen's technology is interesting because of the huge heat reservoir contained in the molten metal, there will be a significant partial pressure of metal in the gas above the melt that must be treated with the Syngas, and a significant amount of slag that must be tapped and float off the bath, just as it would in a blast furnace. The economics of the process and the effect on the environment of the metal in the gas and the slag still must be proven. Marc Bacon, P. Eng. PlascoEnergy Group (http://www.plascoenergygroup.com) is much farther along than ZeGen in the process of waste-to-energy conversion to syngas and electrical power.

They have a demonstration plant operating on 85TPD in Ottawa, Canada, and signed MOU’s with 2 Canadian cities and 1 Spanish city. They have also completed an equity round of $54M, with another $115M committed for next year, and were one of only 3 companies invited by the Canadian government to the recent conference on climate change held in Bali.

Plasco’s system converts MSW to syngas, cleans the syngas, makes electricity, and does so at less than 1/3 the pollution of the stiffest North American air regs, with nearly twice the efficiency of other waste-to-energy processes. It has been in development over 20 years, and has nearly 20 patents protecting the technology. Final conversion products are vitrified slag (non-leaching), electricity, salt, and sulfur. Only about 1% of the original MSW goes to landfill.

While ZeGen’s technology is interesting because of the huge heat reservoir contained in the molten metal, there will be a significant partial pressure of metal in the gas above the melt that must be treated with the Syngas, and a significant amount of slag that must be tapped and float off the bath, just as it would in a blast furnace. The economics of the process and the effect on the environment of the metal in the gas and the slag still must be proven.

Marc Bacon, P. Eng.

]]> By: My First Solar Panel | Become An Environmentalist http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44762 My First Solar Panel | Become An Environmentalist Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:13:53 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44762 [...] Ze-gen?s Waste to Energy Last week we had the chance to talk with Bill Davis, the President of Ze-gen.  This three year old company is possibly the furthest along in the race to develop technology to turn waste into fuel - eliminating the need for landfills in the bargain. Each year, the United States produces about 100 million tons of construction debris, […] [...] [...] Ze-gen?s Waste to Energy Last week we had the chance to talk with Bill Davis, the President of Ze-gen.  This three year old company is possibly the furthest along in the race to develop technology to turn waste into fuel - eliminating the need for landfills in the bargain. Each year, the United States produces about 100 million tons of construction debris, […] [...]

]]> By: Ed Ring http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44545 Ed Ring Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:26:18 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44545 Jeff - the assumption is that eventually construction debris and municipal solid waste will go into this stream. As we note in the post, there are still several obstacles to proving this technology (1) ensuring the waste stream has a consistent amount of water content, (2) developing and deploying equipment to shred the feedstock into a consistent "mulch," (3) processing the syngas and removing impurities so it becomes a viable and clean source of power to generate electricity, and finally (4) doing all this and ending up with a plant design that an investor can finance based on a viable internal rate of return from tipping fees and electricity sales. Who said this is going to be easy? If there is a company who is further along in this process than Ze-gen, please let us know. Jeff - the assumption is that eventually construction debris and municipal solid waste will go into this stream. As we note in the post, there are still several obstacles to proving this technology (1) ensuring the waste stream has a consistent amount of water content, (2) developing and deploying equipment to shred the feedstock into a consistent “mulch,” (3) processing the syngas and removing impurities so it becomes a viable and clean source of power to generate electricity, and finally (4) doing all this and ending up with a plant design that an investor can finance based on a viable internal rate of return from tipping fees and electricity sales.

Who said this is going to be easy?

If there is a company who is further along in this process than Ze-gen, please let us know.

]]> By: Jeff http://ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44536 Jeff Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:25:32 +0000 http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/10/23/ze-gens-waste-to-energy/#comment-44536 How exactly are landfills eliminated when this gasification process only deals with the construction debris? Also - author quotes 'furthest along' in the race from waste to fuel...These guys self admitted that they haven't even started the gasification process...let alone the feed mechanism or boiler/turbine/generator phase. This article is just an ad for a company that is 'losing' the race. How exactly are landfills eliminated when this gasification process only deals with the construction debris?
Also - author quotes ‘furthest along’ in the race from waste to fuel…These guys self admitted that they haven’t even started the gasification process…let alone the feed mechanism or boiler/turbine/generator phase.
This article is just an ad for a company that is ‘losing’ the race.

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