BioCycle October 2011, Vol. 52, No. 10, p. 63
Rocking The Green
Food waste disposer manufacturer InSinkErator participated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Rock the Green Festival in September by sending about 1,200 pounds of food scraps to the local wastewater treatment plant to be processed into renewable energy and fertilizer. In support of the festival’s zero waste goal, attendees were encouraged to toss food scraps into special bins, which were then transported to four garbage disposal stations designed by InSinkErator. Ground food scraps were converted to slurry and stored in 300-gallon holding tanks. According to a recent life-cycle analysis conducted by InSinkErator, food scraps processed through a wastewater treatment facility with anaerobic digestion and cogeneration can result in reduced global warming potential when compared to incineration or landfilling. www.insinkerator.com
Vendor Network Sale
Waste Management, Inc. (WM) is acquiring Oakleaf Global, which has a North American vendor network of 2,500 haulers. The company specializes in outsourcing hauling, disposal, waste diversion and recycling. The acquisition “substantially increases our national accounts customer base,” says Waste Management CEO and President David P. Steiner, adding that Oakleaf’s vendor hauler network expands WM’s service footprint to new geographies. www.wm.com
Bandit On The Run
At a dealer meeting in August, Bandit Industries unveiled both new and updated equipment for the hand-fed wood chipper and stump grinder markets. New products include a 7-inch capacity disc chipper, several updates and new options for select hand-fed chippers and stump grinders and a forthcoming series of screen chippers specifically designed for biomass applications. The company is also introducing patent-pending hybrid technology for chippers and horizontal grinders designed to capture and store energy when equipment is running but not processing material. That energy can then be returned to the cutting head to supplement engine horsepower, without using “an abundance of batteries or complex electrical components normally associated with hybrid systems,” according to Bandit. Two prototype hybrids were introduced at the dealer meeting – a Model 1680 Electric Beast horizontal grinder and a Model 65XP gas-powered disc chipper. “Companies continue to struggle with high fuel prices and are actively searching for ways to stretch every dollar they make,” says Jerry Morey, president of Bandit. “Our new designs will help make that happen.” www.banditchippers.com
Pellet Partnership
Pellet Technology USA, a biomass processing technology company, has formed a strategic alliance with Vermeer Corporation, a manufacturer of harvesting and processing equipment. Under the agreement, Vermeer will serve as exclusive supplier of the feedstock grinder to be used in Pellet Technology USA’s patent-pending system to manufacture Power Pellets from corn stover, wood, energy crops and other agricultural residues. The Vermeer HG6000 horizontal grinder, equipped with a patented Series II duplex drum, will be integrated with the Pellet Technology air-assisted feed system, allowing higher moisture agricultural residue to be processed, according to Vermeer. The grinder features a self-cleaning “bioscreen” that maintains an even level of biomass throughput while preventing flow blockage, yielding a product consistent in geometric size. “Vermeer also takes an innovative approach to customized improvements that made the strategic alliance decision easy,” said Russ Zeeck, COO for Pellet Technology USA. Both companies said consistent biomass pellet production is critical to providing reliable feedstock supplies to the following industries: cellulosic ethanol and liquid fuels, existing coal-burning generation facilities needing to cofire biomass to eliminate “rerating” of their facilities and meet Renewable Portfolio Standards at a baseload level, engineered alternative feed products and biochemical production. www.pellettechnologyusa.com; www.vermeer.com
