Sludge Watch ==> Dunedin Florida - Plasma Arc - Energy from Sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Plasma arc is of great interest in Canada, too.  It is being tested on trash 
in Ottawa.
The technology is showcased in the one hour film documentary  "Sludge Diet" 
available from Thalie Films.

..........................................


Suncoast Pinellas News

Dunedin Ponders Alternative Energy Source


By Mark  Schantz of The Suncoast News

Published: December 29, 2007

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Dunedin hopes to get in on the ground floor of cutting-edge 
technology that City Commissioner Deborah Kynes notes "can make gold out of 
gross."

Usually only waste-water officials get excited treating biosolids, the end 
result of sewage disposal, but there are good financial and environmental 
reasons to plan for the future, advocates of the fledgling technology say.

First, it is getting increasingly expensive for cities to have the sludge 
hauled away for proper disposal. Second, there are fewer and fewer places 
willing to accept wastewater residue.

Building a traditional biosolid treatment plant is expensive and takes up a 
lot of space.

City Manager Robert DiSpirito said aides to state Sen. Mike Fasano, R- New 
Port Richey, recently encouraged the city to apply for a $2.6 million grant 
to test space-age technology that transforms biosolids into an alternative 
fuel.

The grant money would be used to design, build and operate a Plasma Arc Flow 
recycler biolsolids treatment system.

Last week city commissioners approved staff filing of the grant.

If selected, Dunedin will become a test site and demonstration center for 
this futuristic technology that eliminates costly sludge disposal.

The city would have to match the grant with $100,000 of its own funds.

The Plasma Arc Flow process, created by Tarpon Springs-based MagneGas Corp., 
turns liquid waste into environmentally friendly, usable byproducts such as 
natural gas and liquid fertilizer. The technology involves flowing the 
liquid waste through a submerged electric arc created by electrodes made 
from coal.

A byproduct of the process is a gaseous fuel known as MagneGas, the firm 
explains on its Web site.

MagneGas is a cost-competitive and environmentally friendly fuel that is 
interchangeable with natural gas, according to the company.

City officials say the process has been successful in pilot testing.

If the city receives the grant to test the Plasma Arc Flow process, it 
should be ready for start up by September 2010. There would then be a 
demonstration period of from 12 to 15 months.

The project's technical and economic viability would then be evaluated in 
2012.

Commissioner Deborah Kynes said the MagneGas technology is "really cutting 
edge."


http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/29/dunedin-ponders-alternative-energy-source/