Project will turn waste wood into gas to power sewage treatment equipment
By Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver SunSeptember 11, 2009
Vancouver-based Nexterra Systems Corp. has been selected by the city of Stamford, Conn., to develop a biomass gasification system for the city's sewage treatment plant that will replace natural gas with clean-burning synthetic gas made from urban wood debris.
Gas from Nexterra's system, developed originally for use in the B.C. forest products industry, will be used by the Stamford water pollution control authority to dry wet biosolids in the authority's existing biosolids dryer.
"This is the first application [of Nexterra's technology] in a municipal waste water treatment plant and it's a big market," Nexterra president Jonathan Rhone said in an interview. "We estimate the total scale of the market is $4 billion to $5 billion.
The Stamford project is to be funded by U.S. Department of Energy grants and matching funds from the Stamford authority.
It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010. After that, Stamford and Nexterra may proceed with a second phase that would use the dried biosolids as fuel for the plant, creating a closed loop. A third phase would use Nexterra's synthetic gas to fuel a generator to create electricity, making the Stamford facility energy-independent.
"This project showcases the potential to transform the wastewater treatment industry into a major producer of renewable heat and power from waste fuels," Jeanette Brown, executive director of the Stamford pollution control authority, said in a news release.
The Nexterra system burns wood waste at a controlled temperature to slowly release gases that can then be used to replace fossil fuels. Stamford, with a population of 100,000, estimates that the Nexterra system will lower its fuel costs by up to $1 million a year. It is expected to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by about 4,000 tons annually, equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off the road.