First Waste to Biofuel Demonstration Plant for Abengoa

Multi-national renewable energy specialist, Abengoa (MCE: ABG.B) has opened a demonstration facility which will process 25,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste (MSW) into 1.5 million litres of bioethanol in Salamanca, Spain. According to the company the demonstration scale facility uses technology which it developed to produce second generation biofuels from MSW using a fermentation treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. During the transformation process, the company said that organic waste is subjected to various treatments to produce an organic fibre which is rich in cellulose and hemicellulose and can subsequently be converted into bioethanol. Abengoa added that its technology is not just limited to treating the organic fraction of MSW but also enables the remaining components to be used, whether recyclable, non-recyclable, by means of different technologies to obtain biodiesel and to recover energy to generate steam and electricity. The new plant incorporates a biomass plant, which Abengoa said has been run continuously for more than 6000 hours in order to validate the technical and economic viability of the technology. The plant was also designed to allow flexible operations in order to assess the performance and costs of different configurations. The company added that the technology deployed at the demonstration facility has also been proven at the its pilot plant in York, Nebraska. According to Abegoa the technology is also being implemented at its plant in Hugoton, Kansas - one of the first commercial scale plants producing second generation bioethanol, with a capacity of 100 million litres per year. The Hugoton plant is expected to be operational by the end of this year. Read More Accelerating Waste to Fuels: A Commercial and Viable Solution? Trial projects have successfully converted municipal solid waste into a useable, second generation biofuel. Commercialization is now in full swing with the UK, US and Canada leading the way. Tune into WMW’s new webcast to find out more! Speakers to include the NNFCC, Solena Fuels and Enerkem... Waste to Energy Demo Facility for Abu Dhabi A demonstration waste to energy is to be built on Abu Dhabi’s Dalma Island following the extension of a partnership betweenTAQA and The Center for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi. Bacteria that Turn Waste to Energy in Microbial Fuel Cells Studied Microorganisms which consume waste while generating electricity in a microbial fuel cell are being studied by researchers at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. Video Spoof of Machine that Produces Gold and Energy from Waste A spoof video purporting to herald the launch of a waste digesting 'Disertator', which is made from meteorites and can transform waste into energy, petroleum and gold, was among this year's April Fools internet pranks.