CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. (CLTH.OB) is taking a step at reducing the amount of waste communities dispose of into landfills. From the 250 million tons of garbage American produce annually, about 14% is burned at combustion facilities while 32% are composted or recycled. Rather than placing the remaining 54% of municipal solid waste (MSW) directly into landfills, CleanTech has a set of technologies that is capable of converting the cellulosic material in MSW into locally produced biofuels. One main element of the process is CleanTech’s Pressurized Stem Classification (PSC) technology that separates and cleans the usable material.
MSW consists of a variety of waste material from air conditioners to yard waste to aluminum cans. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 50 to 60 percent of MSW is made of cellulosic material that can be converted into usable biofuels. Currently, the only operating waste-to-energy facilities use pick and pull lines to separate the material that is burned to produce electricity. Unfortunately, high levels of toxins are present in the output from the burning process that requires sophisticated, high-cost scrubbers and cleaners to keep air quality within local, state and federal requirements.
CleanTech’s PSC technology uses a steam classification process to separate and clean various types of MSW. The MSW is first placed on a tipping floor where oversized bulky items, such as furniture and appliances, are removed by hand. The remaining material is placed into a PSC vessel that is sealed and pressurized. The MSW is then agitated, like in a washing machine, while steam is injected into the vessel. The excess moisture and volatiles are then vented and captured for destruction at the end of the process.
After the vessel is depressurized, the sterile material is conveyed to shaker screens that separate the materials into specific groups. A large portion of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is strategically separated. The VOCs are then burned in a standard thermal oxidizer to avoid the release of any toxins into the atmosphere. Steel, glass, and aluminum are recovered and sold for reuse. Any of the non-solid material placed into the PSC vessel is transformed into a cellulosic mass, called Processed Engineered Fuel (PEF), with the same consistency as compost and a moisture content of about 50%. The PEF is easily separated in the separation process as it falls through the shaker screens and is then converted into ethanol.
CleanTech has found that less than 20% of the original MSW is typically sent to a landfill. Amazingly the PSC technology allows a facility to recover between 80-90 percent of the original MSW for commercial use. The CleanTech technology is benefiting the environment in a number of ways – creating raw material for the production of ethanol, reducing the amount of toxins being released into the atmosphere through its VOC processing, and increasing the amount of recyclable materials for reuse. CleanTech has definitely found a way to turn trash into something useful.
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