Zeus Virtual Energy Library - Zeus Technology Magazine

Editor's Letter

Waste-to-Energy

[2010/07/29]

Prospective Waste-to-Energy (WTE) projects in the U.S. have an enemy. The enemy is landfills. The U.S. has an abundance of landfill space that provides most U.S. households a reasonably inexpensive way to dispose of garbage and household waste.

But there are regions in the U.S. that have a land shortage and may be candidates for new WTE facilities. One such place is southeast Florida.

The Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority (PBSWA) is expected to issue about US$820 million in municipal bonds for the construction of one of the first waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities to be built in the U.S. in many years, according to a July 29 Bond Buyer report. The facility would deploy incineration and recycling technology. ... Read more

Biomass

Ethanol Subsidies in the US

2010/07/29

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published several studies regarding the energy return of corn ethanol that overstate the efficiency of ethanol production in the U.S., according to a July 7 The Energy Collective blog by Robert Rapier and other commentators. The energy return on energy invested (EROEI) is the value of the energy outputs for a process divided by the energy inputs into the process. For example, if one Btu of energy is required to produce two Btus of ethanol, the EROEI is 2. ... Read more

Carbon Management

Carbon Management – Going Local?

2010/07/29

The Japanese government is considering developing its own version of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) -the offset / project mechanism instrument within the Kyoto Protocol for reducing carbon emissions – according to a July 14 blog by Royal Dutch Shell’s Climate Change Advisor, David Hone. ... Read more

Carbon Capture Controversy

2010/07/29

Many CCS proponents (for UCG and any other large CO2 emitters) have focused attention on potential for CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers. ... Read more

Coal Gasification

UCG Firestorm in Australia

2010/07/29

The underground coal gasification industry (UCG) is roiling in Australia after traces of two dangerous chemicals were found in bore water at Cougar Energy’s Kingaroy, Queensland UCG site – though the latest government tests show water quality is safe, according to a July 26 Big Pond News report, a July 27 Australian Broadcasting Company report and numerous other news accounts beginning July 16. ... Read more

Zeus UCG Conference in Houston

2010/07/29

Zeus Development Corporation hosted a two-day conference on underground coal gasification (UCG) on June 28-29. ... Read more

DME/Methanol/GTL

DME/Methanol Notes

2010/07/29

Gulf Coast – Refill ... Read more

LNG

Emerson Process Management Advances FLNG

2010/07/29

Emerson Process Management (EPM) announced that it has been appointed by the Technip Samsung Consortium to serve as Main Automation Contractor for the Shell "Prelude" project, which will potentially be the world’s first Floating LNG (FLNG) development, according to a July 7 EPM news release. ... Read more

Waste to Energy

Waste-to-Energy in Maryland (and Tahiti)

2010/07/29

Waste to energy (WTE) technologies are increasingly being deployed by municipalities across the U.S. to help reduce the costs of waste management, according to an article in the July 2010 issue of the American Recycler. ... Read more

UK Robot Feeds on Waste

2010/07/29

Researchers at U.K.-based Bristol Robotics Laboratory (Bristol Labs) have spent three-and-a-half years developing EcoBot-III - a robot that powers itself by feeding on simulated wastewater materials, according to a July 21 cnetnews report. ... Read more

WTE Woes in Harrisburg

2010/07/29

A potential bankruptcy filing by the City of Harrisburg, Pa. (City) related to its modern municipal waste incineration facility operated by Covanta Energy (Covanta) (Reuters, May 12) has had effects on a similar project in Dublin, Ireland, according to a July 4 ThePost.IE report. ... Read more

Palm Beach Moves Toward Waste-to-Energy

2010/07/29

The Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority (PBSWA) is expected to issue about US$820 million in municipal bonds for the construction of one of the first waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities to be built in the U.S. in many years, according to a July 29 Bond Buyer report. ... Read more

Plasma Gasification Advances in Alberta

2010/07/29

Ottawa, Canada-based Plasco Energy Group’s (Plasco) plan to build a plasma gasification-based 200-300 t/d waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Red Deer County in Alberta, Canada has advanced because of a proposed Alberta government grant of CA$10 million (US$10.4 million) and a recent CA$110 million (US$114 million) equity private placement , according to a June 17 Red Deer Advocate report, a July 28 CBC report, and many other news sources. ... Read more