SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Eco Capital and Invest, Inc. of Michigan City, Indiana and Green Oil Technologies of Denver, Colorado have made next generation gasification systems available to the North American markets, using the patented German Technology called KUG Thermolysis. Gasification plants convert many types of waste products into gas and electricity cleanly and efficiently.
Specifically designed to convert used tires into clean burning, high quality gas in an environmentally friendly process, these plants can easily be converted to gasify waste plastics, paper, biomass, wood waste and certain other waste products that would otherwise wind up in our landfills.
The new patented gasification technology resolves the problems that plagued older processes because of their undesirable byproducts such as exhaust fumes and gases. There have been hundreds of different gasification processes tried over the years and each had problems with environmental or cost issues. The new KUG Thermolysis technology solves these problems while generating valuable by-products such as carbon black and industrial coke that is used in the manufacturing processes of iron and steel.
The gasification process heats a feedstock such as used tires or plastic waste indirectly in an oxygen free environment. This causes a chemical reaction to take place that produces the usable gas. Gas quality or its ability to generate heat is usually measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units) and the quality of the gas generated using the new technology can reach almost 100% of the BTU ratings achieved by natural gas depending on the feed stock used. This makes it perfect for industrial applications to heat boilers, kilns, and other processes where a lot of heat is needed.
The gas can also be used in gas engines and turbines to generate electricity. The added benefit is that because of the internal redundancy in this new technology a complete conversion is achieved which produces a by-product of carbon black or industrial coke. Both of these by-products have excellent commercial value creating additional revenue for the operator.
Gasification should not be confused with incineration which takes place in the presence of oxygen and can produce toxic gases and other waste products that have little if any commercial value and must ultimately be disposed of in our landfills.
In San Diego, Jan Nanning, the representative for Green Oil Technologies, the distributor for Eco Capital in the United States says “We must keep an open mind to advances in technology. The technology continues to improve because we have a clearer understanding of what the past problems were and how to correct them.”
There are many potential applications for the use of this new technology. A KUG gasification plant is relatively small and could benefit landfill owners by diverting a substantial amount of landfill trash into gas or electricity; creating an additional revenue stream. Trucking firms with large fleets could recycle (gasify) their own tires, saving the disposal fees, and generating gas or electricity for their own use or for sale to the electrical grid.
A gasification plant that converts about 150 tons of tires per day (an 18 wheeler semi-truck produces a ton of waste tires per year) could produce about 15MW (megawatts) of electricity or enough power to supply about 15,000 to 18,000 average San Diego homes. A basic plant such this would cost around $14 million plus the cost of specialized equipment to process the particular type of feedstock being used and end products being produced. Once operational these plants should realize an 18-24 month payback of their capital investment; a very quick return of start-up costs.
For more information, contact: Jan Nanning, jan.nanning@greenoiltech.com.
[tags]KUG Thermolysis, Gasification plants, Eco Capital and Invest Inc, Green Oil Technologies LLC[/tags]
