WCCWC: Technology Considerations

As solid waste districts examine switching from a land-filling model to an energy-from-waste model, there is no shortage of technology providers stepping forward to offer potential solutions.

At the Waste Conversion Congress West Coast 2011 event, held in December in San Jose, Calif., two consultants offered advice on how to navigate these waves of technology.

Harvey Gershman of Fairfax, Va.-based consulting firm Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. listed biochemical, plasma arc, autoclave and gasification technologies as among those competing for attention, funding and market share.

As companies and investors examine the different technologies, Gershman said municipal officials and investors have to be cautious and conduct considerable due diligence. “Vendors may not always tell you the whole truth,” he commented. “This is why you’ll want to commission an independent review.”

As well as providing an unbiased opinion, said Gershman, a review by a consulting firm such as GBB benefits “non-technical decision-makers” such as elected officials by drawing upon a deeper well of technical knowledge and experience. “We look at it from the garbage side,” he noted.

One ton of municipal solid waste (MSW) has the equivalent btu (British thermal unit) value of “one barrel of oil, a half-ton of coal or 80 to 90 gallons of ethanol,” said Gershman. When considering the estimated 130 million to 200 million tons of municipal solid waste currently landfilled each year, it “has significant energy value and could create a lot of production,” he stated.

Consultant Michelle Nicholls of SCS Engineers, Los Angeles, told attendees that communities considering their energy-from-waste options should ask themselves several questions, including:
•    How would this approach fit into the current collection and recycling infrastructure?
•    Is the amount of inbound feedstock guaranteed, and is the tipping fee reasonable?
•    Who may be affected negatively by this new approach and thus may lobby against it?
•    What is the back-up plan to handle MSW when the energy-from-waste plant is down?

Investors, technology providers and project developers have their own set of questions to ask, said Nicholls, including:
•    Can the facility be permitted?
•    Can the facility work in coordination with current operations?
•    Are there safeguards if the energy or product revenue is below expectations?

In the rapidly emerging sector, said Nicholls, all stakeholders have good reasons to be wary. “There are some 500-plus technologies; they’re not all going to work,” she stated.

Waste Conversion Congress West Coast 2011, held in December 2011 at the Convention Plaza Hotel in San Jose, Calif., was organized by Eye for Energy.