Mississippi to open trash-to-ethanol plant

Rather than stay in the ground, trash from the Three Rivers Landfill in Ponotoc, Miss., will be turned into ethanol.

Montreal-based Enerkem on Thursday announced plans to produce 20 million gallons a year of ethanol from waste at the Mississippi landfill in a project valued at $250 million.

This is some of the equipment used in Enerkem's multistage process for convering waste to fuel.

(Credit: Enerkem)

The "feedstock" for the ethanol will be municipal solid waste, as well as wood residues from forest and agricultural activities, according to Enerkem.

The company's process can sort household trash, diverting material that can be recycled and processing the rest into ethanol, a liquid fuel blended with gasoline.

The project is one of only a few in North America to convert waste products into ethanol or electricity using processes that waste-to-energy companies say is cleaner than existing technologies such as incineration.

After sorting and drying the waste, Enerkem breaks down the material with heat and pressure using a gasifier. The gasifier creates a synthesis gas that is a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. That synthesis gas, or syngas, is then converted into ethanol or other chemicals.

The company, which was founded in 2000, has built a few demonstration facilities in Canada using both municipal solid trash and utility poles as a feedstock. At a conference earlier this month, company CEO Vincent Chornet said the technology is largely developed and that Enerkem is now looking to commercialize the process more broadly.

Coskata and BlueFire Ethanol are two other cellulosic-ethanol companies that plan to turn both wood chips and municipal solid waste into ethanol.

[BogusBasin]

I have such optimism these days. I realize there are those that want to throw cold water on ideas such as these. I also realize that some of our green energy ideas are not efficient enough. But we have to move in that direction if we are ever going to discover the improvements in efficiency that will be required. Those that think we should use domestically drilled fossil fuels and nuclear energy fail to see the effect of those sources on the progression of these cleaner sources. Cheap, dirty energy sources prevent clean energy sources from moving forward because of the cost difference. Which prevents the progression toward more efficient and cost effective solutions. Catch 22. We have to suffer the higher prices now, which will pay huge dividends in the future. We have to be the worldwide leaders in order to create the high paying jobs that our country has lost.

[shanedr]

Why Mississippi? A Montreal based company wants to build a plant to convert trash and wood chips to ethanol? Canada already has a serious problem with its export of trash. So why not use that trash and their vast supply of wood chips and build that plant near one of their major cities like Toronto or Montreal. It would kill multiple birds with one shot.

An end to exporting trash, wood chip re-use, more jobs in Canada, better relations with the US.

The "why Mississippi" should be investigated as it does not make sense.

Could it be Canada's pollution laws would prevent it being operated in Canada?

[Jrob8000]

Why not Mississippi? What's to investigate? The state and county probably offered incentives and actively courted the company to locate here. This is done by just about all governments throughout the country. Mississippi has sucesssfully used these incentives before particularly with Nissan and with Toyota (who is going to build a plant to build the Prius nearto this plant described. And with an unemployment rate north of 10% in this state right now, jobs are desperately needed especially in the northern part of the state. Other factors probably entered into the company's decision to locate here such as an ready and somewhat less expensive workforce (due to a relatively low cost of living) and location near the major shipping hub of Memphis. The article did say the company was preparing to use its technology on a wider scale, That didn't sound like it wouldt exclude the possibility that it would build other plants as time goes on.

Mississippi has the right to participate in the global economy just as much as any other state, Canadian province, or any other country.

[jlynn33]

Fantastic! Let's take all that economic stimulus money and put one or more of these in every state!

[gggg sssss]

Of course the stupid Canadians wont run these things in ther own country because of some green tinged guilt. Or maybe because they have baught David Suzukis government financed eco snake oil , who would rather freeze and starve in the dark than burn something - anything to keep warm. But Suzuki loves those mercury laden made in China CFL bulbs. LOL

[JayWes]

Well, how about that. Harrisburg, PA hasan incinarator plant that seems to burn money faster then trash. Right now it is barely operating and the trash dumping fees are out of sight.

Now comes new technology from a private-muncipal partership which renders the whole incinerator model obsolete.

Anyone want a white elephant, contact Mayor Reed in Harrisburg.

[dentcat]

Ethanol producing companies and their pollution will not be in the forefront of alternative energy progress. The alternative energy drive and guidance in the twenty-first century will be by the likes of Sustainable Power Corp. (SSTP), brash, not afraid to take on the ?biggies?. SSTP will be a major threat to the current kingpins of the oil industry.?Suggest you look into SSTP which is the only US green company commercially capability of transforming garbage pellets into high grade biofuel with it?s side product of fertilizer (the highest grade fertilizer with no pollution) via its proprietary reactor?. and to have it?s fuel directly fed into the most powerful generator yielding electricity. Siemens has already concurred to SSTP?s capabilities. The cycle from garbage to fuel takes eight and one half minutes. Production capabilities are unlimited..And there is no pollution. Is garbage limited? Municipal Waste companies will pay SSTP to take it away!?SSTP currently stands unnoticed, just prior to deals being disclosed. Company will break loose shortly with mind-boggling news with heavy investment from recognizable names. A major deal is just being completed in the Dominican Republic. When Obama?s electrical grid is in place in about 3 years?watch out. Now this is something to read about.?SSTP has also created a ?Black box? that involves a self regenerating hydrogen injection system (only water needed) that can be retrofitted to cars, boats? and yes, even to the garbage to electric proprietary process. They have vehicles running with the black box at a 50% increase in gasoline efficiency. No other company comes close??Good things are coming to us. I clearly see us being rid of oil cartels?. We?ve certainly have had no help from our domestic oil companies much akin to the problems we?ve had with the car industry over the years accepting electric power and in fact concealing it?s benefits from the public.
Fact to consider and compare: The SSTP process in 8 1/2 minutes can produce from 1 ton of a particular food crop is about 70-80 gallons of biofuel. SSTP can produce approximately 200 gallons of fuel oil from one ton of crop waste, almost three times more that the conversion ratio of food crops to fuel. Not only can SSTP produce clean burning cost effective fuel that places no strain on the environment or natural resources, we can now actually help to reduce the total amount of municipal waste, a major concern to all modern societies
I am looking for other "green" companies that can match SSTP. I have yet to find comparable figures. In fact I have yet to find a garbage (no incineration or pollution please) to fuel/electric process that is even commercially viable with close to the same results as I have indicated. The more SSTP's we have , the better off the world will be.