Municipal Solid Waste = MSW to BioFuel? NOW! #3

ALERT – I made a mistake. I did not research enough of this “Natural Gas” issue.
Natural Gas = Methane.
You can find out what needs to be done, HERE, to be sure we can Happily go ahead with waste to fuel.

a supply = Municipal Solid Waste
and
a demand= Fuel!

In this post:
Biofuel Basics used in MSW to BioFuel,
FastOx^® gasification – SierraEnergy,
Enerkem – We’re building the Bioeconomy
Fulcrom – Our Feedstock: Municipal solid waste, our product: Fuel
Velocys – bio-jet fuel
…a list at the bottom of other posts about WasteRushes…..

Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel

a supply and a demand!

All those countries with all that trash and all those drivers who need fuel.

The cities could take care of fuel with landfill gases.
Can we rid the world of landfills by making green fuel?

We know people are working on it.
Where are we with this? ……closer than you think!

This is how one technology works………..

Waste to Fuel
As I said before, there are now, a number of companies out there that have developed equipment that literally takes the ‘Residual Waste’ ( including the organics, dirty plastics, paper, cardboard, and diapers) and sends it directly to a facility/technology that turns it into non-fossil fuel.   They are rather sophisticated complicated machines that for the most part have only recently proven their technology.

>But, what they do is so exactly what this burning planet needs.<   

Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel

This is a Waste Rush ! (like the Gold Rush) The faster we get this technology working in every big city in the world ,the cleaner planet Earth will be on the ground and in the air!

Return on Investment, Return on Investment, Return on Investment

• Everyone continues to worry about “Return On Investment” (ROI) .
• Scared to try. I do not blame them, but….
• If you ask me, the time has come to take all the risks!
• Governments, at any level, citizens/businesses with significant waste volumes, should find a “trash to biofuel” solution and spend the money.
• Most of them yield some kind of product at the end of the cycle, if not only fuel…. there is more to ROI than just expenditures!

We’re almost there! We need to move faster!

They are building a network across the USA for dispensing greener fuel! ………. So the demand has outlets…..

Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel not only in the USA!

There are already biofuels in the pipes! RNG, as cng and lng = bio-methane, natural gas and fleets of trucks to use it, Syngas and ethanol, all to replace petroleum in the global fuel pool.

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Biofuel Basics
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass converts directly into liquid fuels, called “biofuels,” to help meet transportation fuel needs. The two most common types of biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel, both of which represent the first generation of biofuel technology. But there others………..

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles
More than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development for use in alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles. Government and private-sector vehicle fleets are the primary users for most of these fuels and vehicles, but individual consumers are increasingly interested in them. Using alternative fuels and advanced vehicles instead of conventional fuels and vehicles helps the United States conserve fuel and lower vehicle emissions.

Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles
More than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development for use in alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles. Government and private-sector vehicle fleets are the primary users for most of these fuels and vehicles, but individual consumers are increasingly interested in them. Using alternative fuels and advanced vehicles instead of conventional fuels and vehicles helps the United States conserve fuel and lower vehicle emissions.Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is a renewable fuel made from various plant materials, collectively known as “biomass.” Ethanol is an alcohol used as a blending agent with gasoline to increase octane and cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions. The most common blend of ethanol is E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline). Some vehicles, called flexible fuel vehicles, designed to run on E85 (a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51%–83% ethanol, depending on geography and season), an alternative fuel with much higher ethanol content than regular gasoline. Roughly 97% of gasoline in the United States contains some ethanol. Most ethanol comes from plant starches and sugars, but scientists are continuing to develop technologies that use cellulose and hemicellulose, the non-edible fibrous material of plant matter. In fact, there are commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefineries operating. The US Dept. of Energy has a brief guide to help you determine if your vehicle runs on E85 (Flex Fuel).

Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a fuel gas mixture consisting primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and very often some carbon dioxide. The name comes from its use as intermediates in creating synthetic natural gas (SNG) and for producing ammonia or methanol. Syngas is usually a product of coal gasification and the main application is electricity generation. Syngas is combustible and used as a fuel of internal combustion engines. Historically, syngas replaces gasoline, when gasoline supplies are limited; for example, wood gas powered cars in Europe during WWII (in Germany alone half a million cars were built or rebuilt to run on wood gas). Syngas, however, has less than half the energy density of natural gas.

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Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel

No more landfills by making green fuel?
How Great!
There are a number of companies working on it….

#1 Here is one!
FastOx^® gasification from SierraEnergy

Powering communities with trash

Scaling Up Davis, CA – July 29, 2019 Sierra Energy Corporation announced today that it has closed a $33 million Series A investment round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and joined by Cox Investment Holdings, Inc., BNP Paribas SA, Twynam Investments Pty Ltd, Formica Ventures AB, and The March Fund I LP. The funding will help Sierra Energy further develop and commercialize its revolutionary FastOx® gasification technology, which converts virtually any waste into clean, renewable energy and fuels without burning.

Sierra Energy’s FastOx technology, developed by Sierra Energy and supported by grant funding from the Department of Defense and the California Energy Commission, uses oxygen and steam to heat waste to 4,000°F (2,200°C). At this temperature, all waste breaks down to the molecular level, converting organic material into an energy-dense syngas and allowing the recovery of inorganic material as either a non-leaching stone or molten metal. Sierra Energy’s FastOx technology, which is modular and scales to large size, does not produce any process emissions and all outputs are saleable as end products. The company’s first commercial-scale demonstration facility located at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County, California.

“The world is drowning in trash which, when landfilled, is a leading generator of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 86 times more harmful to our climate than carbon dioxide.” said Mike Hart, Sierra Energy’s CEO. “Our FastOx gasification technology efficiently and cost-effectively converts this trash into electricity, hydrogen, renewable natural gas, diesel, ammonia, and a variety of other valuable end-products. When you combine our technology with recycling and other waste diversion strategies, you have the solution to the world’s waste problem and a valuable source of renewable energy.”

Sierra Energy End Products
the products you create with syngas from FastOx gasification are:
Electricity – Using FastOx gasification, the 250 million metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) sent annually to landfills in the U.S. could power close to 14 million homes.
Diesel (and other Fischer-Tropsch liquids such as gasoline) Diesel produced by the FastOx gasification system is up to thirty times cleaner than typical diesel produced from fossil fuels.
Hydrogen – If California’s landfilled waste was converted into hydrogen and used for transportation fuel, it would offset emissions equivalent to half of the state’s automobile fleet.
Ammonia – The base of most fertilizers, ammonia is conventionally produced using fossil fuels. Gasification-derived ammonia and chemicals are sustainably produced and aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Byproduct of Inert Stone

SierraEnergy website has some useful Tools:
Calculator
Knowledge Base

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We need investors for these systems…even if they have few projects to date. We need to find as many opportunities as possible to try them out…….

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#2 and here is another! – Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel
Enerkem – We’re building the Bioeconomy. 

Enerkem
replaces petroleum transportation fuels and chemicals from garbage.

We’re building the Bioeconomy.  Turning trash into clean fuels and chemicals.

Since 2000, Enerkem has tested and validated a number of different feedstocks – from solid waste coming from several municipalities to dozens of other types of residues. In Enerkem’s system, these feedstocks are converted into methanol, ethanol or other renewable chemicals.

Enerkem’s exclusive process is environmentally sound. It requires relatively low temperatures and pressures, which reduce energy requirements and costs. Enerkem’s proprietary technology was rigorously scaled up from pilot to demonstration to commercial stage during an unprecedented period of 10 years of disciplined efforts.
Enerkem’s 4-step thermochemical process:
1. feedstock preparation
2. gasification
3. leaning and conditioning of syngas
4. catalytic synthesis

Enerkem – more BioFuels from Waste projects are in development.

Several Enerkem biorefineries are now in development around the world, based on the company’s modular and standardized manufacturing approach. In addition to licensing its technology, Enerkem provides fully fabricated modular equipment and handles assembly on site.

The developments includes a series of publicly announced projects in North America and Europe. Tell us about your project or interest in Enerkem technology.

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#3 and here is another! – Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel

Fulcrom – Our Feedstock is Municipal Solid Waste our product is Non-fossil Fuel.

Our Feedstock – Municipal solid waste
Our Process:

Fulcrum has developed and demonstrated a proprietary thermochemical process that converts municipal solid waste, or MSW, feedstock into low-carbon renewable transportation fuels including jet fuel and diesel. Our process has been reviewed by numerous third parties including BP, United Airlines, the U.S. Department of Defense and independent engineers Leidos and Black & Veatch.

Fulcrum’s process combines gasification technology with a Fischer-Tropsch (“FT”) fuel process for the efficient, low-cost production of renewable transportation fuels. MSW is delivered to the Company’s plants where it is processed to remove recyclable products and other material not suitable for processing. A prepared waste feedstock then enters the gasification process where it is converted to a synthesis gas. This syngas then enters the FT process where it reacts with a proprietary catalyst to form a FT product which is then upgraded to a transportation fuel.

Fulcrum’s synthetic crude (syncrude) product is a replacement for crude oil and will be upgraded to jet fuel and diesel. This low-cost, low-carbon drop-in fuel has several distinct advantages compared to conventional crude oils:
Environmentally Friendly: expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent compared to conventional crude oil.
Cost Effective: Our fuel contains very few metals and nitrogen compounds, and no sulfur. This eliminates costly refining steps keeping our product competitively priced.
Certified: Fulcrum’s fuel is tested, certified and approved for aviation worldwide.

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#4 and here is another!

From bin bags to planes: Shell, BA plan EU’s first waste-to-jet fuel plant

LONDON, 20, Aug 2019 (Reuters) – Airplanes could be powered by jet fuel made from household rubbish from 2024 under plans by Shell, British Airways and Velocys to build Europe’s first large-scale plant to produce jet fuel from domestic and commercial waste.

Shell, BA and Velocys – who have applied for planning permission for the plant from local authorities in North East Lincolnshire – are targeting domestic or commercial black bag waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators.

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Municipal Solid Waste to Fuel

Other posts on the subject of WASTE to Energy

Anaerobic Digestion In Full Swing – #1 Waste To Energy?
CNG, LNG, RNG Fuelling Stations – #2 Waste To Energy
#3 Municipal Solid Waste – MSW To BioFuel? Yes!
ALL Islands: Just Go Zero – NOW! – Like Tilos
We CAN Deal With The #1 Mistake: Fossil Fuel – Today
The “Relief” Of Phasing Out Fossil Fuel! …Now!

Other approaches to waste to energy in these posts
Useful Green WASTE Business Ideas That Scale To Any Size
Harvesting Waste Ideas. Waste Rushes? NOW!
Climate Retrofits On Land Or At Sea
Shipping’s Carbon Footprint And Your Small Business >> Your Vote
Industrial Zone – Closed-Loop Networking
Cellulosic Ethanol – One Of Many DSM Sustainability Projects

what needs to be cleaned
Too Much Methane !
The Greenhouse Gases List …..A Re-Review

cleaning up the mess
Can We, Are We Pulling In The Excess CO₂ ?
Fuel From Air? – Capture CO₂
Carbon Dioxide – Who Else Has Ideas To Pull It DOWN And OUT?

Urban Mining for clean energy
Urban Mining ! – More Important Than Ever
Critical Minerals & Rare Elements! ….. COLOSSAL WASTE RUSH

(Remember our disclaimer: Any company or website mentioned herein are only examples and should NOT be taken as recommendations or endorsements, unless specifically notated.)

The above companies are not the only ones working on Waste to Energy!
If you would like me to find one near you, feel free to request HERE. Lesley