Firm plans garbage-to-ethanol plant in Storey County

One of the first commercial plants in the country to turn garbage into ethanol is expected to break ground at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County early next year after receiving state and local government approvals.

Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif., plans to start construction next spring on a $120 million refinery that would employ up to 60 permanent workers and convert 90,000 tons of separated organic garbage a year into 10.5 million gallons of ethanol.

While facing competition from BlueFire Ethanol of Irvine, Calif., Fulcrum could be the first commercial plant in the country to economically produce ethanol for motor vehicles, said Rick Barraza, company administrative vice president.

In early September, Fulcrum announced it could economically and reliably convert gas produced by the garbage into ethanol. It expects production costs to be less than $1 a gallon and to sell the ethanol in Northern Nevada and California.

The company would accept chopped, fresh garbage after recyclable and other unwanted materials have been removed. It would not accept hazardous materials or medical waste.

Anything containing carbon could be used, including food, vegetation, paper and plastics.

Of the material accepted, 90-95 percent would be processed into fuel and the remaining 5-10 percent would be a glasslike, obsidian material that could be
crushed and used in constructing roadbeds, Barraza said.

The Fulcrum Sierra BioFuels plant received Storey County permits for the operation in July and a state environmental permit for air quality last week. The company bought licensed technologies from InEntec, which inititally purchased land at Tahoe-Reno and sought the state environmental permits.

The plant has moved from 11 acres to a 16.7-acre site at the industrial park. About 450 to 500 workers would be involved in construction, Barrazza said.

The plant would use scrubbers to remove sulfur and other technology to control emissions. About 17 tons of particulates and seven tons of sulfuric dioxide would be produced a year. The plant is classified as a minor source of pollutants under state air quality regulations.

After operations begin, Barazza said the company plans to build up to 20 plants near population centers with a combined production of a billion gallons of ethanol a year.

source: rgj