Rentech To Convert Urban Waste To Green Power
Thought this whole "green" thing was just a fad? Think again. Rentech, Inc. announced today a plan to construct a plan to build a plant in Rialto, California for the production of ultra-clean synthetic fuels and electric power from renewable waste biomass feedstocks. Pretty sophisticated, no?
The Rialto Renewable Energy Center (Rialto Project) is designed to produce approximately 600 barrels per day of pure renewable synthetic fuels and export approximately 35 megawatts of renewable electric power that is expected to qualify under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program, which requires utilities to increase the amount of electric power they sell from qualified renewable-energy resources. According to Rentech, the plant will be capable of providing enough electricity for approximately 30,000 homes.
The facility will be responsible for producing RenDiesel, a renewable synthetic diesel that meets all applicable fuels standards, is compatible with existing engines and pipelines and burns cleanly, with emissions of particulates and other regulated pollutants significantly lower than the emissions from the combustion of CARB ultra-low sulfur diesel. If you're curious about the carbon footprint, Rentech's aiming to make it "near zero," as the fuels and power would be produced only from renewable feedstocks.
D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech, had this to say about the occasion: "The Rialto facility places Rentech at the forefront of the next generation bio-energy industry. The renewable energy conversion technology package we have secured for synthetic drop-in fuels production is ready for commercialization. Previous generation technologies for bio-fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol used valuable feedstocks that compete with food to produce fuels of varying quality. This plant will be able to transform low-value waste streams into high-value green power and pure synthetic fuels that can be used in today’s engines and distribution infrastructure." The primary feedstock for the Rialto Project will be urban woody green waste such as yard clippings, for which Rentech is currently negotiating supply agreements. The location of the project will provide local green waste haulers with a cost-effective alternative to increasingly scarce landfills for the disposal of woody green waste. The plant is designed to also use bio-solids for a portion of the feedstock which is expected to be provided under a supply agreement with EnerTech Environmental.
The Rialto Renewable Energy Center (Rialto Project) is designed to produce approximately 600 barrels per day of pure renewable synthetic fuels and export approximately 35 megawatts of renewable electric power that is expected to qualify under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program, which requires utilities to increase the amount of electric power they sell from qualified renewable-energy resources. According to Rentech, the plant will be capable of providing enough electricity for approximately 30,000 homes.
The facility will be responsible for producing RenDiesel, a renewable synthetic diesel that meets all applicable fuels standards, is compatible with existing engines and pipelines and burns cleanly, with emissions of particulates and other regulated pollutants significantly lower than the emissions from the combustion of CARB ultra-low sulfur diesel. If you're curious about the carbon footprint, Rentech's aiming to make it "near zero," as the fuels and power would be produced only from renewable feedstocks.
D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech, had this to say about the occasion: "The Rialto facility places Rentech at the forefront of the next generation bio-energy industry. The renewable energy conversion technology package we have secured for synthetic drop-in fuels production is ready for commercialization. Previous generation technologies for bio-fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol used valuable feedstocks that compete with food to produce fuels of varying quality. This plant will be able to transform low-value waste streams into high-value green power and pure synthetic fuels that can be used in today’s engines and distribution infrastructure." The primary feedstock for the Rialto Project will be urban woody green waste such as yard clippings, for which Rentech is currently negotiating supply agreements. The location of the project will provide local green waste haulers with a cost-effective alternative to increasingly scarce landfills for the disposal of woody green waste. The plant is designed to also use bio-solids for a portion of the feedstock which is expected to be provided under a supply agreement with EnerTech Environmental.
