WHAT IS THE EDEN ENERGY PROCESS? PART 3: THE PRODUCTS
Now that we have reviewed what separates our technology apart, and how the process itself works, the last part of this three part series is to tell you what the process produces. The key and most important attribute of the Eden Energy Process vs other waste-to-energy technologies like pyrolysis or even incineration is the fact that there are NO HARMFUL BYPRODUCTS as a result of the process, and in fact, in most cases there are no byproducts period, outside of some minor non-condensable gases produced as a result of the breakdown of the organic materials (i.e. CO2).
WHAT WE PRODUCE:
The EEP will always produce 4 main products, our Regenerative Fuel Oil (RFO), Regenerative Natural Gas (RNG), Biochar, and Process Water. No matter what type of material is fed into the process these 4 products will always be produced, but, if “organics” (and organics is in “ “ because anything carbon based for our process is considered organic including plastic but for this example I mean the traditional usage), such as food and/or human/animal wastes are utilized you also produce a Liquid Fertilizer Concentrate, which gallon for gallon is by far our most valuable product.
HIGH-QUALITY FUEL, EVERY TIME!
Now a question we often receive is “What about the yields and product consistency?” Which if you’ve looked at other waste-to-energy technologies before, this is a major issue for most processes. Systems like pyrolysis are very finicky, and cannot handle a wide range of feeds like the EEP can, so based on what is known, most would expect with the EEP processing everything at once you would see huge fluctuations in product quality and composition. Well, this is where the EEP shines once again above the rest.
REGENERATIVE FUELS
The RFO (Regenerative Fuel Oil) and RNG (Regenerative Natural Gas) remain extremely consistent, no matter what is fed into the system. Meaning food waste, and plastic waste produce the same quality fuel, the only thing that changes for these two fuels is the quantity produced. Due to the process steps previously mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2, the fuels are classified as carbon-neutral, as they are made from carbon already above the surface of the earth - also known as Above Ground Reserves - which is carbon already a part of the biosphere. Another very important attribute of the fuels produced is the fact that they are straight-chain, clean-burning hydrocarbons, free of the harmful “bad actors” present in the vast majority of fuels - such as heavy metals, dioxins, furans, chlorinated compounds, heterocyclic carbon rings, PAHs and more. The RFO is a light/medium crude with an API between 26 and 30, with an average BTU value of 128,000 BTUs/gallon. The RNG is a mixed fuel gas comprising mostly of methane, ethane, with some propane, and butane and has an average BTU value of about 16,000 BTUs/lb. These fuels are chemically identical to hydrocarbons drilled from below the surface of the earth, just without the harmful compounds associated with those fuels, and can be used in any infrastructure or equipment designed for hydrocarbons.
BIOCHAR
The next product to discuss is the Biochar, now unlike the fuels, the Biochar does change in composition depending on what kind of materials are fed into the system. The caveat of this however is the fact that whatever the composition of the biochar is, it has a value, as it comes out of the system activated, in an amorphous and crystalline form. If waste with smaller carbon chains (cellulose) is utilized you create a biochar which has a low btu value, but can be utilized as an amazing soil amendment. Whereas if you use a waste feedstock with large carbon chain, such as rubber, you create a very high BTU value biochar - as high as 15,000 BTUs/lb - on par with Anthracite coal, the highest BTU value coal found - except our biochar is clean-burning, and once again carbon-neutral.
THE WATER
The final product produced is our Process Water, now you might have just asked yourself, how is process water a product? Well, the EEP is actually a net water producer! While our process does require a certain amount of water to create optimal products, there is water contained in virtually all wastes that we process - i.e. sludges (poop) are on average 80-90% moisture, meaning that if you are processing 20 lbs of sludge, you have on average 16-18lbs of water in it. The EEP captures this water so it doesn't go to waste (via evaporation). If you look back at Part 1, we discuss how all pathogens, viruses, and bacteria are destroyed, this means the water is completely sterile and safe for handling. Now some of you who are paying close attention might jump and say but what about the heavy metals that were oxidized and transferred into the water phase, aren’t they still a hazard? Well, the answer is they are there, but as they are oxidized, they are no longer the harmful compounds they were prior to hydrolysis. The process water can be utilized in several ways, first, if you are processing food and human/animals wastes, you typically have micronutrients in the wastes such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, etc. This water is put through a simple concentration stage where the nutrients are tied up and concentrated into our Liquid Fertilizer Concentrate - an organic, concentrated liquid fertilizer that as mentioned above is pound for pound the most valuable product of the EEP. The remaining water is utilized as process make-up water for the main process (if the waste doesn’t contain enough moisture), it can be utilized as irrigation water, and will meet all COD and BOD requirements for city discharge if neither is needed. This water can also be put through water purification pathways, like a reverse osmosis system to be upgrade to drinkable/potable water.
ZERO WASTE
As the EEP is a reverse engineering of mother nature, nothing goes to waste, the only item that some may point a finger at and claim is a by product is CO2 which comes from 2 sources, one is the breakdown of the carbon material during our hydrothermal liquefaction stages, and 2 is from the combustion of the fuels to make our energy. While it is true that CO2 is released, we are currently exploring carbon capture systems, including a very promising one that can convert CO2 back into energy. The biggest thing to remember about CO2, and this is something that not everyone will agree with, but based on my research and knowledge of carbon (and if you have made it this far its safe to say you know I understand carbon), the more CO2 we have, the greener and more abundant our earth will become. True historical records and data do not show any evidence that show any correlation that CO2 is what is harming our planet.
BEYOND JUST ENERGY
Our system truly is one that can be a true force for good for the world, tackling a true environmental issue, WASTE. Even when the day comes, where easily accessible, clean energy, likely from Hydrogen (wind and solar will never be more then supplemental power) is readily available, waste will still be immensely abundant, but the Eden Energy Process and the systems that utilize it provide the ultimate pathway to a cleaner and brighter future!
The Future will be Green!
The Future will be Pristine!
The Future will be…. POWERED BY WASTE!
Jonathan Appel
Founder and CEO
