Industry News :: BioCycle, Advancing Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy

Industry News

BioCycle April 2004, Vol. 45, No. 4, p. 79

CORROSION PROTECTION WITH RENEWABLE PRODUCTS
All purpose biodegradable lubricants made from renewable soybean derivatives are used for industrial, shop and institutional applications. Available from the Cortec Corporation, one
EcoLine rust preventative product is targeted for salt spray and high humidity environments to protect against all types of corrosion and oxidation. The company describes it as having "excellent penetrating properties which aid in loosening frozen or rusted parts." Visit www.Cortec VCI.com; E-mail: info@cortecvci.com.

TIME/TEMPERATURE WINDROW READINGS
A new device for monitoring windrows helps organize data to maintain temperature, oxygen and moisture; and calculate C:N ratios, track feedstocks, schedule turnings, etc. Features and pricing of the Windrow Manager, available from Green Mountain Technologies (GMT), are designed to meet needs of small or large composting facilities. Premium package includes a field sampling probe and pocket PC that automatically stores temperature samples so data can be downloaded directly to the Windrow Manager. Contact GMT at 1-800-610-7291; www.gmt-organic.com.

BUSINESS WASTE REDUCTION PARTNERSHIP
To achieve mutual goals of providing recycling assistance to businesses, WasteCap of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have formed a strategic partnership. The MIT Department of Facilities will donate office space and other services to WasteCap in exchange for its technical assistance in expanding MIT’s waste management program. WasteCap will also provide MIT students with real world experience through its internship program in such areas as commercial food residuals composting. Visit wastecap@wastecap.org.

GREEN WASTE COMPOSTING IN THE NETHERLANDS
After starting with a single facility near Schijndel in the southeast region of The Netherlands, the five Den Ouden brothers operate four green waste composting sites all over the country. They also used their mobile equipment as grinding contractors traveling to sites in Belgium, France and Germany. Because of their high volumes and clients needs, the Den Ouden facilities currently process 130,000 tons/year of grass, leaves, logs, stumps, etc. They are using a Backhus windrow turner that can be transported on a low-loading trailer. The longest distance this machine has travelled was more than 500 km from Schijndel. For details about the unit, contact Karsten Runge, Backhus Kompost-Technologie; e-mail — karsten.runge@backhus.de.

FLEXIBLE SCREEN
Designed to provide flexibility by turning out four or five products in a single pass, the Finlay Hydrascreens’ Supertrak 694 model features a 20’ x 5’ triple deck screen box, four on-board stockpiling conveyors and a 14’ belt-feed hopper. The manufacturer says the unit can accommodate larger loaders and allows for the choice of a single- or double-deck vibrating grid. An optional crusher inlet chute permits feeding with loader to maximize production. Contact Finlay Hydrascreens USA, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky at (502) 736-5200; or e-mail — sales@finlayhydrascreens.com.

PROCESS MIXING SYSTEMS
Using custom engineering software with mechanical jet mixing, Vaughan’s Rotamix can be applied in anaerobic digesters, sludge blend tanks and pump stations. Continuously chopped solids eliminate nozzle clogging and enhance sludge quality. Digester efficiency is increased by further reducing solids size and increasing surface contact. Visit: www.rotamix.com; Vaughan Co., Inc., 364 Monte-Elma Road, Montesano, WA 98563. (888) 249-2467.

BOTTLE RECYCLING
The corporate group of Teijin, Ltd. — a major polyester manufacturer in Japan — has-opened a plant to recycle used bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Used PET bottles will be chemically converted back into raw materials for polyester and then recycled into raw materials for PET resin. The plant has an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of PET resin from approximately 62,000 tons of used PET bottles (equivalent to about 2 billion 500-ml PET bottles). For more information e-mail Japan for Sustainability: jfs@japanfs.org.

LATEST DIGESTER START-UP
At the Northern Plains Dairy in Minnesota, RCM Digesters, Inc. has installed a two cell plug flow anaerobic digestion system to process manure from 3,000 dairy cows. The biogas is being used to fuel naturally aspirated Caterpillar 3406 engine generators with an output of 260 kW and full heat recovery. According to Mark Moser, digested solids are separated and stored for utilization as bedding or compost. RCM Digesters based in Berkeley, California can be contacted at (510) 658-4466 or via e-mail at rcmdigesters@att.net.

NEW ORGANIC CARTS
Of the more than 21 million tons of garbage generated in Canada, close to 65 percent is comprised of food, paper and garden residuals, according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report. Illustrating the potential for recovery, the composting industry in Canada is reported to have tripled in growth since 1995. Recognizing the organics recycling interest, Rehrig Pacific is marketing a new 40-liter Organics Cart in Canada that has no internal catch points, has multiple grab areas, and lid locking mechanisms that make carts highly rodent resistant. Contact Rehrig Pacific Co. (800) 421-6244; e-mail — info@rehrigpacific.co.