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Custom Environmental Technologies Signs Strategic Alliance with Green Castle Energy to Construct Ethanol Plant.
Process turns Food, Paper Waste into Ethanol
Statesville, NC - April 8 2009. With a concept straight out of Hollywood where futuristic cars are powered by banana peels and soda pop, a Charlotte Area company has begun construction on a 5M gal/year ethanol plant. Unlike conventional ethanol plants that convert food crops to fuel, this plant will use garbage.
"This is as green as it gets," says Ronald V. Grayson, founder of Custom Environmental Technologies (CET). "We take waste that would ordinarily be sent down the sewer or buried in a landfill and make ethanol out of it."
Mr. Grayson has been providing wastewater treatment solutions to manufacturing industries for 30 years. His systems could be found in many of the textile plants that once flourished in the southeast. As the textile industry's presence diminished, CET shifted its focus to Food Processing plants.
"Food processors by definition deal with organic material. This organic material can find its way into the plant's wastewater discharge and wreak havoc with a municipality's treatment facility. CET has developed a proprietary process to remove these organics." says Mr. Grayson.
That solved one problem but created another. The process created a large amount of organic sludge. CET turned to Green Castle Energy, a developer of cellulosic ethanol plants designed to convert paper waste into ethanol. CET sent samples to Green Castle Energy and found that the sludge is a perfect complement to the paper waste.
"There are definite synergies." according to James Bleyer, engineering manager of Green Castle Energy. "The typical paper waste is very dry and must be mixed with water to create the proper slurry. The organic sludge is not only high in water but also high in fermentable solids. When the two streams are mixed, they produce the perfect feedstock."
The technology to create ethanol from these feedstocks is not new. It is an adaption of the process used to convert corn into ethanol. It can convert any liquid or solid waste product that contains sugar or starch to ethanol. The process utilizes specialized enzymes supplied by another North Carolina company, Novozymes.
The ethanol plant will be located in a shuttered textile plant, a former customer of CET. The irony is not lost on Mr. Grayson. "This proves the need to be resilient in this economy. We are using an abandoned plant of North Carolina's past and constructing a plant of North Carolina's future. We have a North Carolina Supplier helping us make energy here in North Carolina while we help local food processors become more competitive. This is what is meant by a green economy."
CET has agreements in place with several area food processors and is in talks with more. They are also reaching out to beverage companies, bakeries, supermarkets, restaurants and cafeterias.
The plant expects to create 13 direct and up to 20 indirect jobs. Construction of the plant is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Ethanol is used as an oxygenate and octane booster in gasoline. All cars manufactured after 1970 are designed to use at least 10% ethanol.
Custom Environmental Technology, Inc. (CET) is a manufacturing company that specializes in providing wastewater pretreatment solutions, including water recovery and reuse. CET offers a complete range of industrial wastewater treatment systems for virtually any flow rate, application or fluid quality. CET also offers upgrading of existing processes, technical training and consulting to achieve the environmental goals of the industrial market. For further information, contact James Bleyer, (419) 276-3301 or Ron Grayson, (704) 562-1753.