BioCycle February 2011, Vol. 52, No. 2, p. 55

W2E AD In SC
Waste-to-energy company W2E has received a solid waste permit from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), making way for construction of a $12 million state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility in Columbia, where the company is headquartered. The facility will process food, grease, produce, yard trimmings and other organic waste using a digester system supplied by Eisenmann Corporation. Start-up is anticipated later in 2011. Daniel Rickenmann, CEO of W2E, characterized the Columbia facility as the flagship of W2E’s national build-out of anaerobic digestion facilities. “We have developed a significant group of partners with waste streams for our system, and we look forward to beginning this brand new effort to process Columbia waste into energy,” he said. Power purchase agreements for the biogas are being negotiated for electricity, green natural gas and potentially green compressed natural gas. Learn more at http://waste2energynow.com.

Mix Master
The new Cyclone Compost Series mixers by Roto-Mix thoroughly and efficiently mix materials such as municipal biosolids and wood chips to produce quality compost. Cyclone mixers are equipped with patent-pending double-flighted twin augers that mix material in half the time, uniformly distributing nutrients and microorganisms. A rear-mounted conveyor fed from a rear gate and controlled by the operator builds compost piles. Cyclone Compost Series mixers are available in sizes ranging from 625 cu. ft. to 1505 cu. ft in trailer, truck-mounted or stationary units. Learn more at www.rotomix.com.

Italian Bioplastics Company Discovers America
Novamont S.p.A, a bioplastics manufacturer based in Italy, recently launched Novamont North America, Inc., headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut. The company operates across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, and considers North America to be a strategic area of development. Strategies include a prospective biorefinery integrated into the North American territory and full support of Novamont’s network of partners and stakeholders. “We will market our main product family, Mater-Bi, a compostable and biodegradable family of bioplastics containing renewable resources,” says Tony Gioffre, president of Novamont N.A. Find out more at www.novamont.com.

Urban Growing System
The UrBin Grower, available in 6- and 12-gallon sizes, is a flexible raised bed/organic growing system designed for urban gardeners. Constructed from recycled plastic, the containers employ a self-watering system. A package of two growing containers comes with soil separators, watering and seed trays, pumice, coir containing trace minerals, and coir chips and mulch. “You will need to supply your own compost and good quality garden soil,” says the sales brochure. Cascade Sales, which markets the growing system, also created the Worm Factory 360, “an upward migration composting worm bin system.” For details, visit www.cascadesales.com.

New Florida Composting Facility
A new organics recycling facility in Okeechobee, Florida is being opened by Waste Management Inc. (WM), adjacent to the company’s existing landfill. The 8-acre facility will process yard trimmings, food waste and clean wood waste to produce soil amendments as well as bagged lawn and garden products. It is WM’s first dedicated organics composting site in Florida, and will offer organics recycling services to the South Florida region. Operations are expected to begin in spring 2011. For more information, visit www.thinkgreen.com.

Log And Stump Screw
For wood recyclers with a stump to grind, CBI’s new Log and Stump Screw could make the task easier. The screw is designed to split stumps and logs into more manageable-sized material to be further processed into mulch or composting amendment. Sizes are available to fit almost any machine with auxiliary hydraulics. Two optional attachments include the CBI Stump Grinder and the Drilling Auger. For more information, visit www.cbi-inc.com.

Drum Screener
The new Komptech Cribus 3800 drum screener has a 7-foot 3-inch drum with a large hopper that avoids “bridging” of material, and is easier for larger bucket loaders to load. The oversized conveyors and 5.5-inch spacing between the drum and sidewalls facilitate smooth screening of larger particle sizes. The extra-large tires provide better mobility and stability on soft ground, while still meeting road-mobile exterior dimensions. The patented Wheelgrip friction drive has no extra bearings or cogs to minimize servicing requirements. Drum cleaning access has been simplified with fewer lube points. For details, visit www.komptech.com/usa/products.