1) What is the cost of a plant and how quickly will it pay for itself?
An average 100 TPD plant including the cogeneration system costs approximately $22 - $25 million and should pay for itself in 5 to 7 years. There are a number of factors (fuel, feedstock, byproducts, permits, site location) that make answering that question dependent on a set of variables (tipping fees, electric rates, fuel cost, local regulations/incentives, etc.).
2) Where do you sell your plants?
Worldwide. We are establishing a network of qualified representatives. If you wish to purchase large numbers of plants we will discuss licensing and royalty agreements for international sales.
3) What size is the material that you feed into the plant?
Our plants can be designed to handle a wide variety of feed-stocks and capacities. The feedstock typically needs to be in the range of .25” to 2” square. The smaller material size reduces the fuel costs for processing. The BTU value, moisture content and applicable regulations will all affect the material sizing to a certain degree.
4) What type of material should not go in the plant?
Unless they are specifically designed for, certain hazardous and highly corrosive materials should be avoided. Large amounts of inorganic non-carbon based materials such as metal, glass and cement should be avoided to optimize plant efficiency. If required, a plant can be built to handle multiple/varied feed streams, but in most cases to optimize the equipment cost a plant is designed for specific material(s) and volumes.
5) Are emissions a problem or hazard?
NO! The technologies meet or exceed current EPA and EU standards. See the emission results posted with the details of each technology. Notice that they are cleaner than required by a large margin of safety even when disposing of one of the most difficult materials to recycle environmentally and safely – Municipal Solid Waste.
6) How long does it take to get a plant up and running once we place an order?
Approximately 9 – 12 months once the feasibility studies, engineering, design, permits and approvals are complete.
7) How reliable are the plants?
The plants are designed with a 24/7 operation in mind. There is a life expectancy of 15 -20 years based on quality and design. Plants are monitored via the internet with self correction feedback, safety and shut down features. Redundant controls are incorporated to maximize safety and prevent problems.
8) How much space does one of your plants take up?
A 50 ton per day plant would have an approximate footprint of 250 ft. square. This would be all the key equipment but would not include the truck scales, material handling and processing equipment.
9) What are the beneficial by-products that are produced?
This depends on what the customer wants to produce.. The primary output is a high BTU clean gas from which there is a multitude of potential uses. There could be any or a combination of the following: electricity, steam, large space heating, drying, saleable carbon char, syn-gas distillates/ bio-oils/fuels, distilled water, green tag energy credits, and carbon credits once the trading programs are implemented.
10) How safe is the unit to have near a residential area?
Emission and test data show that the plants exceed the toughest air quality standards such as those of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). They are much cleaner and greener than many factories, generating stations and other common industrial facilities. Our facilities are designed with multiple built-in safety redundancies.
11) How many people does it take to run the plant?
A typical plant in the size range of 100 – 200 ton/day requires a minimum of three and a maximum of eight people on site.
12) How is the plant constructed?
The basic plant package and other key major components are designed and sized for the feedstock and quantity (TPD) of your choice. Engineering, supervision, training and support are available as needed/requested to construct and operate the plant. The power generation portion is designed and built by others to work with our equipment. For the assembly phase we can work with your team to draw on local, qualified specialty contractors to construct and assemble all the other necessary components, thereby creating a faster response time and cost savings. If needed, highly qualified contractors are available that could travel to the construction site to insure the job is completed quickly, professionally and correctly.
13) What are the major site requirements?
The plants need access to the major utilities - electric transmission lines (interconnection facilities), gas (or landfill gas) and water. The site must be serviced by road and/or rail to allow both delivery of feedstocks and shipping of saleable by-products. The site must have sufficient space for feedstock storage and processing, the plant and the saleable by-products.
14) How does Waste to Energy technology differ from other clean energy sources like Wind and Solar?
While all these technologies produce clean power, these waste to energy technologies have the added benefits of recycling already discarded resources, reducing pollution and being able to generate power or fuels near urban centers from otherwise unusable sites like landfills.
