Industry News
BioCycle June 2010, Vol. 51, No. 6, p. 39
Exporting Gas Conditioning Technology
FirmGreen, Inc. and Guild Associates, Inc. announced a partnership that will create 135 green jobs at Guild’s manufacturing plant in Dublin, Ohio, while exporting green energy technology to Brazil in the form of landfill gas cleaning equipment. Under the
agreement, FirmGreen will supply its patented CO2 wash equipment to Gás Verde AS of Brazil. It will be installed at the Novo Gramacho Landfill near Rio de Janeiro. Guild will manufacture the equipment. The CO2 wash system yields pipeline quality natural gas to a purity that meets or exceeds OEM standards for biomethane, says FirmGreen. The patented technology was developed in Ohio by Acrion Technologies, Inc. Visit Guild Associates, www.moleculargate.com and FirmGreen, www.firmgreen.com for more details.
Vermeer Launches New Multilingual Website
Vermeer Corporation launched a new website, www.vermeer.com, with content available in six languages. The redesigned site provides detailed information on the current line of Vermeer products, including 360-degree walkarounds of select models. Customers have the ability to compare features, benefits and specifications for all models to determine the equipment that best meets their specific needs. www.vermeer.com also provides information on market trends, equipment maintenance and operational tips, as well as customer case studies.
Gore Compost System Achieves Epa Pfrp Equivalency
On April 29, 2010, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. received a letter from the USEPA Pathogen Equivalency Committee agreeing that the GORE Cover System is capable of meeting and/or exceeding criteria for achieving Class A biosolids as described in Alternative 5: Use of PFRP [503.32(a) (7) and (b) (1) of Appendix B], in a covered aerated static pile without use of an insulating layer of material (such as finished compost). PFRP is the Process To Further Reduce Pathogens.
“This is a big win for compost operators wanting to use GORE® Cover technology for composting biosolids into a Class A product,” says Brian Fuchs of GORE in North America. “Our technology can easily meet PFRP and Vector Attraction Reduction requirements as well as control odors and VOC emissions.” For additional information, visit www.gorecover.com.
High Volume Drum Chipper
The 4310 drum chipper from Peterson is suited for high-volume biomass producers with a wide variety of feed material, from logs up to 26 inches in diameter, to brush and smaller limbs. Powered by a 765 HP C18 Caterpillar engine, the 4310 is designed for operations requiring high production and tracks for frequent moves between jobs. The chipper utilizes a 36-inch diameter by 40-inch wide drum. Traditional babbit-type knife systems are standard equipment. Chip length can be changed from half-inch to one inch by adjusting knife extension and feed speed. Other key features include a sloped deck for ease of feeding the chipper and wear resistant surfaces on the drum pockets and shell. Optional material sizing grates minimize oversize twigs and branches in the chips; an optional chip accelerator helps with loading. More details at www.petersoncorp.com.
Business Booming For Belgian Biodigester
Organic Waste Systems (OWS) of Belgium recently received two significant orders for the company’s patented anaerobic digester technology, one in Portugal and another in the Netherlands. In Portugal, the company Residuos de Nordeste EIM organized a competition for the engineering, construction and first five years of operation of a parent project that will treat 55,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually. Approximately 10,000 tons will go to a plant utilizing OWS’s DRANCO technology, where both mixed MSW and source separated organics will be processed. And for the company’s first foray into the Netherlands, OWS will provide a DRANCO anaerobic digester to an existing composting facility, allowing it to process an additional 50,000 tons of biowaste annually. The projects are valued at approximately 4 million Euros and 10 million Euros, respectively. Additional OWS AD projects under construction in France and Poland represent an additional 24 million Euros. OWS has constructed 25 plants in 12 countries to date. More details available at www.ows.be.
Department Of Energy Solar Contract Award
Meister Consultants Group (MCG) is part of a consortium of sustainability organizations awarded a five-year U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contract to coordinate solar education and outreach for municipalities across the nation. Meister, an international consulting firm founded on the principle that global best practices can inform even the most localized decision, will work with a team of national nonprofits to help dozens of cities and towns across the country implement wise solar policies. The technical outreach is part of the DOE-funded Solar American Cities Program and will cover topics from streamlining permit and zoning procedures to securing financial assistance for municipal projects. More details are available from MCG (www.mc-group.com).
Remote Monitoring Of Recycling Containers
Wireless sensors placed in recycling containers located in dispersed sites provide real-time information about the exact level of fill in the bins, dramatically reducing the cost of materials collection. SmartBin’s Recycling Bank Solution includes a web interface that provides a full service view of all the sites being monitored. Cornwall County in the United Kingdom pilot-tested the SmartBin system on 16 widely dispersed recycling banks over a ten-week period throughout the county. Prior to the pilot, only one of the county’s bins had an average fill-level close to 100 percent when it was serviced; most other bins were emptied when they were only 40-percent to 70-percent full. As a result of the pilot program, trucks are now dispatched only when the central office can clearly see, based on data shown via the SmartBin web portal, that each bin is at or near capacity, saving significant amounts of manpower, fuel and time. To learn more, visit www.smartbin.com.
Copyright 2010, The JG Press, Inc.
