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 Here's a photo I shot while visiting GPI's 100 ton/day model plant in Pasco, WA, in May of 2008. |
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For a couple of years,
Green Power,
Inc
(GPI) has had a 100 ton per day model plant in Pasco, Washington that turns municipal solid waste
(MSW) and other like feedstock such as biomass into high grade fuel. This
technology enables the replacement of limited, fossil-based oil with fuel that
comes from garbage, which can be thought of as a form of free, sustainable
energy, because as long as there are people on the planet, there will be
waste. What's more, usually communities pay to get rid of it, so it is a
cash-generating feedstock that with GPI's technology produces a cash-generating
product, self-powered by the process as well.
GPI has had their ups and downs, but now they have huge news, and we get to tell
it to you first. (In spirit of full disclosure, I should inform you that
GPI has been a major sponsor of us at PES
Network, Inc.. CEO, Michael Spitzauer, is a good friend of mine.
So this report can't be considered unbiased journalism. But I have seen
the plant in operation, and I have NDA information at my disposal, so that
should add some assurance for the accuracy and credibility of this report.)
Green Power Inc. has had third party testing of their 100 ton/day plant by
the United States military (Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines joint effort).
The results of the tests that they ran last November, which are now being
published for the first time here [link below], confirm
the claims that the company has been making via their own measurements regarding the output capability of the plant.
Here's a synopsis diagram showing the input/output at each stage of the
process.
Simply put, the incoming feedstock is first prepared by
removing the metals, glass, and dirt as much as possible (those non-organic
materials don't turn to
fuel). About 1/3 of a typical MSW incoming stream would be thus removed
before going into the GPI device. Much of what is removed is recyclable
material. The remaining feedstock, broken into particles 1/4-inch or
smaller, is then fed into a hopper where GPI's proprietary nanotechnology
catalyst that resembles gymnast chalk (made from environmentally benign
components) is added to the mix in a small ratio, i.e. 1% catalyst, 0.3% lime. That is then passed through the primary reaction vessel that involves
a relatively low temperature and pressure where the catalytic cracking takes
place -- speeding a process that takes millions of years in nature to take place
in just a few seconds. Therein lies the heart of their technology.
Ten percent of what emerges from the reaction vessel is "ash" which
can be used as raw material for cement or asphalt. The rest goes into a distillation
column of a fairly standard design, where the remainder of the slurry is
separated out into its various levels. Seventeen percent of this is water;
fourteen percent is "producers gas" which is used to run an on-site
turbine to generate 2.5 megawatts of electricity, 1.5 MW of which is needed to
run the plant. The remaining liquid (accounting for 59% of the original
feedstock) separates into 8 parts Naphtha, 24 parts Kerosene, 45 parts Diesel,
and 19 parts Fuel Oil. (The discrepancy of the remaining 4 parts for a
100% total is because the weight of the fuel is different. If you calculate the real weight of the
fuel you get a complete weight balance).
Naphtha is used primarily as
feedstock for producing high octane gasoline. Kerosene is
the typical feedstock for making jet fuel but is also commonly used as a heating fuel.
The diesel that emerges from the process is classified as #2, of ASTM standard
level D975, which is the commercial diesel fuel specification.
(Ref.) The
fuel oil that emerges from the bottom of the column is classified as #4 fuel oil
of ASTM standard level D396,
which is the commercial heating oil specification. (Ref.)
You would think from these descriptions that we are talking about the products
emerging from an oil field refinery, but instead we're describing the fuels
emerging from what hitherto has been piled in a heap of trash and dumped in the
ground or incinerated or "accidentally" dumped at sea. And who
verified these input/output production volumes and qualities? The U.S.
government! Not bad. (Kudos to them for actually doing something
deeply significant.)
Imagine this plant converting 100 tons of trash each day into 1240 gallons
of Naphtha, 3700 gallons of Kerosene, 6900 gallons of Diesel and 3000 gallons of
Fuel Oil. And even the ash can be used for cement or asphalt. In addition, you are producing
1 MW of electricity to sell to the grid 24/7, running three shifts
per day to keep the plant going, employing approximately five people per shift.
So you're getting paid for the trash, you're getting paid for the fuels, you're
getting paid for the ash, you're getting paid for the electricity, you're
getting paid for the recyclable materials. No wonder the return on
investment of this $25 million dollar plant is estimated to be in just over
three and a half years, after which it is pure profit -- all while cleaning up
the planet (these plants can eventually be deployed to clean up old land fills
as well as the seven huge ocean
gyres), and reducing our dependence on foreign/hostile oil; so there is the
feel-good aspect as well.
Talk to your municipality about getting one of these. The lead time for
delivery and commissioning is under a year.
As a fair warning (Mike won't appreciate me saying this, but I think it will
help him by people not having their expectations set too high), you need to know
that while Spitzauer is a great guy with a good heart, he does have a problem
with following through in a timely way on his commitments. He does
typically come through eventually, but not always when and how he first
describes. If you're aware of that, then you can be more patient when
things take longer than indicated. Don't get emotionally tied to any set
dates.
That attribute may have contributed to the misunderstanding he had with
Washington state Department of Ecology who ended up shutting down his plant last
summer. They wrongfully classified his plant as an incinerator, which it
is not. It's a new process. GPI is re-filing their application.
So far, all of his 72 contracts are foreign, guaranteed by letters of
credit. None in the U.S. yet. What does that say? With this new development, though, that is likely to change in a major
way. If you are successful in getting a plant in your municipality, you might be able to be written into some of the proceeds or finders fee
or something like that. Or you might just do it as a concerned citizen
wanting to make the world a better place for our children. This is a
seventh generation technology -- something that is sustainable to at least
seven generations.
# # #
On Feb. 19, 2010, 11:25 am Rome, Sepp Hasslberger wrote:
This seems strange. If he has 72 contracts (to construct plants), what about any finished plants in operation anywhere? If those plants are all under construction, it would seem that he hardly has any space for making new commitments. Otherwise, those "contracts" should perhaps be called contacts, in the sense of being leads, rather than commitments to construct, which the word "contract" implies.)
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| Page composed by Sterling
D. Allan Feb. 18, 2010 Last updated March 13, 2010
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