Entsorga West Virginia has announced the ground-breaking of the U.S.’s first resource recovery facility utilizing mechanical biological treatment (MBT). The state-of-the-art waste-to-solid fuel plant will be located at 870 Grapevine Road in Martinsburg, W.Va., and is expected to be operational in early 2017. Entsorga West Virginia is a joint venture between Apple Valley Waste Technologies LLC, Entsorga USA and Chemtex Intl.
“This is a significant milestone for the United States, and we are truly thrilled to be providing this proven technology to convert waste into an EPA-recognized alternative fuel source,” said Pietro Cella Mazzariol, CEO and director, Entsorga.
By utilizing the HEBioT MBT system, Entsorga West Virginia will recover biomass, plastics and other carbon-based materials from the mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) stream and convert them into a safe alternative fuel source. When processing the MSW, Entsorga West Virginia will remove other valuable recyclable commodities, such as ferrous and nonferrous metals, utilizing its proprietary system.
The MSW received will be converted to a clean-burning alternative fuel—solid recovered fuel (SRF)—that will be used as an alternative or supplement to fossil fuels. It is ideal for co-processing plants, such as cement kilns and steel mills, as a source for the production of renewable energy.
At capacity, the plant will be capable of producing approximately 50,000 tons of SRF annually, which will be delivered to the Essroc Cement Plant and used in conjunction with coal in the production of Portland cement. The companies have entered into a long-term contract for the provision and acceptance of the SRF.
The use of SRF from the Entsorga process has been proven to generate emissions comparable to or less than those found in traditional U.S. fossil fuels. The reduction of waste that would be disposed of in landfills thanks to the Entsorga facility will result in a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 28,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide (or carbon dioxide equivalent).
The Entsorga MBT technology creates an EPA-recognized “engineered fuel.” This means that facilities using this specific SRF as an alternative fuel will not be subject to the EPA incinerator rule (the Commercial/Industrial Solid Waste Incinerator Rule) and that the SRF meets certain standards that other fuels cannot meet.
The vertical integration of the model that will be deployed in Berkeley County further adds to the plant’s innovativeness and functionality. Residential waste collected by Apple Valley Waste—which previously was destined to be landfilled—will be transported locally to a facility owned partially by the hauler and converted and used within the county as an alternative, renewable fuel. Additionally, a minimum of 100 temporary jobs will be created during the construction period of the plant and up to 20 permanent positions will be created once it is operational.
“We are extremely excited about the future of Apple Valley Waste and Entsorga,” said John Decker, chief executive officer of Apple Valley Waste. “With the support of Berkeley County and the State of West Virginia, Apple Valley Waste will set an example as the ‘new-age’ integrated waste company. We will collect and dispose of waste to be used to manufacture a clean alternative fuel and then deliver it to its ultimate user, all within the same county of West Virginia. To my knowledge this is unprecedented.”
“The Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority is extremely enthusiastic about the Entsorga project,” said Clint R. Hogbin, the authority’s chairman. “The project represents the future of solid waste management, as this new facility may enable Berkeley County to become the first in the state to exceed West Virginia’s 50% landfill diversion goal for its residential waste stream.”
“The Entsorga technology is revolutionary,” said Frank E. Celli, director, Entsorga and chairman of the board, Apple Valley Waste. “We believe this is a ‘sneak peek’ at the next generation of waste collection and disposal, and one that will have a meaningful impact on the country’s fossil fuel dependency.”
There are currently more than 330 MBT plants in operation throughout Europe, processing more than 30 million tons of municipal solid waste annually.
The project is being financed with $25 million in tax-exempt, private activity bonds issued by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority on behalf of Entsorga West Virginia LLC.
Source: Entsorga West Virginia
