Biorefining from Waste Plastics, Algae

Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed, Business News/Analysis, Feedstock, Florida, Not Agriculture, Ohio, Precursors/Biointermediates, Process, R & D Focus

October 13, 2011

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by Bryan Sims (Biorefining Magazine) Sean Arnold, chief operating officer for Cleveland, Ohio-based Vadxx Energy and Lawrence Walmsley, CEO of New York-based Culture Fuels Inc. discussed how waste plastics and algae are viable feedstock for the production of green fuels, chemicals and products at BBI International’s Northeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show in Pittsburgh this week.

Arnold explained how his company employs a proprietary thermal depolymerization technology that’s capable of converting recyclable and nonrecyclable waste plastics into a light sweet synthetic crude oil, natural gas, recovered metals and char at its R&D and pilot facility in Akron, Ohio. In addition to waste polymers, Arnold said the company has a diverse waste feedstock stream and signed deals to use scrap tires, medical waste, used industrial solvents and auto shredder residue—the waste material after industrial appliances and automobile components have been shredded after the metal has been removed.

“Out of all those different feedstocks, auto shredder is the highest volume,” Arnold said. “There’s no shortage of this stuff out there.”

…Vadxx has an agreement in place to sell its crude oil to Houston-based energy firm RB Products Inc. where it will be further refined into gasoline and other value-added fuels and chemicals.

…Founded in 2010, Culture Fuels has been conducting testing on the FloatAlgae system at its pilot facility in Florida using selected strains including corporate strains by other integrated companies in the sector.

Advanced BioFuels USA