Ze-gen
Encyclopedia
Ze-gen, Inc. is a renewable energy
company developing advanced gasification
technology to convert waste into synthesis gas. Founded in 2004, Ze-gen is a venture-backed company based in Boston, Massachusetts.
The company aims to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce landfills and find beneficial use for waste material by converting waste-to-energy
and nutrients, using advanced gasification in a way that reduces environmental degradation.
(CO) are favored as final products, along with carbon dioxide
and a small amount of methane
. This product gas is called synthesis gas, also known as syngas
.
The inorganic constituents, which are generally lighter than liquid metal, form a slag
layer on top of the liquid metal bath and are removed as a vitrified non-leachable slag byproduct. The slag is either recycled or disposed of as an industrial by-product. While some metals and oxides present in the feedstock accumulate in the liquid metal bath, others will exit as vapor and are captured in the gas cleanup process.
The syngas produced can be used for several different end-use applications including: steam generation, electricity production, making industrial hydrogen gas, as chemical building blocks for synthetic diesel or ethanol
, synthetic natural gas, methanol
, or as a chemical feedstock into a variety of industrial processes.
. The facility was built to test the key parameters of the gasification process in order to more fully understand the chemistry of the system and the operating parameters. The plant became operation in November 2007, and Ze-gen achieved target synthesis gas quality in June 2008. The data and analysis collected during the Phase I testing informed modifications and upgrades in the facility. The data and analysis collected during the Phase I testing helped to inform modifications and upgrades in the facility. Phase II testing began in September 2009. As of June 2011, the demonstration facility has logged over 4200 hours of operation, including 30 days of consecutive runtime.
manufacturing facility and now the home to a number of businesses. Through the conversion of 44,000 tons of specific waste streams annually, the syngas produced at the facility will be used to generate approximately 7MW of alternative energy
. The thermal and electrical power will be sold to tenants within the corporate campus, allowing the campus to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In April 2011, Ze-gen announced its decision to suspend its project in Attleboro in order to focus on developing its commercial facility project at a site with stronger energy markets and one that's more receptive to alternative energy development.
, and Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation.
facilities, compete with Ze-gen facilities for carbon-rich waste streams.
Other gasification competitors include:
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
company developing advanced gasification
Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures , without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam...
technology to convert waste into synthesis gas. Founded in 2004, Ze-gen is a venture-backed company based in Boston, Massachusetts.
The company aims to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce landfills and find beneficial use for waste material by converting waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
and nutrients, using advanced gasification in a way that reduces environmental degradation.
Technology
The liquid metal gasification process begins with feed material entering the gasifier through a gas-tight airlock into a refractory-lined vessel containing liquid copper, which is held at about 2200°F. Material entering into the liquid metal gasifier undergoes a series of thermo-chemical reactions, which are auto-thermal under stable operating conditions. Initially, pyrolysis occurs and volatiles are driven into the headspace of the gasifier. In the subsequent gasification reaction, hydrogen and carbon monoxideCarbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
(CO) are favored as final products, along with carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and a small amount of methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
. This product gas is called synthesis gas, also known as syngas
Syngas
Syngas is the name given to a gas mixture that contains varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Examples of production methods include steam reforming of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen, the gasification of coal, biomass, and in some types of waste-to-energy...
.
The inorganic constituents, which are generally lighter than liquid metal, form a slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
layer on top of the liquid metal bath and are removed as a vitrified non-leachable slag byproduct. The slag is either recycled or disposed of as an industrial by-product. While some metals and oxides present in the feedstock accumulate in the liquid metal bath, others will exit as vapor and are captured in the gas cleanup process.
The syngas produced can be used for several different end-use applications including: steam generation, electricity production, making industrial hydrogen gas, as chemical building blocks for synthetic diesel or ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
, synthetic natural gas, methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
, or as a chemical feedstock into a variety of industrial processes.
Pilot Facility
Ze-gen’s demonstration facility is colocated with a processing facility owned by New Bedford Waste Services, LLC in New Bedford, MassachusettsNew Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. The facility was built to test the key parameters of the gasification process in order to more fully understand the chemistry of the system and the operating parameters. The plant became operation in November 2007, and Ze-gen achieved target synthesis gas quality in June 2008. The data and analysis collected during the Phase I testing informed modifications and upgrades in the facility. The data and analysis collected during the Phase I testing helped to inform modifications and upgrades in the facility. Phase II testing began in September 2009. As of June 2011, the demonstration facility has logged over 4200 hours of operation, including 30 days of consecutive runtime.
Commercial Facility
Ze-gen plans to develop its first commercial facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The proposed facility is to be located within the Attleboro Corporate Campus, a former Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
manufacturing facility and now the home to a number of businesses. Through the conversion of 44,000 tons of specific waste streams annually, the syngas produced at the facility will be used to generate approximately 7MW of alternative energy
Alternative energy
Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
. The thermal and electrical power will be sold to tenants within the corporate campus, allowing the campus to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In April 2011, Ze-gen announced its decision to suspend its project in Attleboro in order to focus on developing its commercial facility project at a site with stronger energy markets and one that's more receptive to alternative energy development.
Funding
As of 2009, Ze-gen has received $30 million in funding from sources including: Omar Zawawi Establishment, Flagship Ventures, VantagePoint Venture PartnersVantagePoint Venture Partners
VantagePoint Capital Partners is a firm with investments in the cleantech, information technology and healthcare sectors.Founded in 1996, by Alan E. Salzman and Jim Marver, the firm has raised over $4 billion with more than $1 billion dedicated specifically to CleanTech...
, and Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation.
Competitors
The traditional waste handling sectors, such as landfills and waste-to-energyWaste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
facilities, compete with Ze-gen facilities for carbon-rich waste streams.
Other gasification competitors include:
- Energy Products of Idaho (EPI) in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
- Rentech (SilvaGas) in Los Angeles, California
- Diversified Energy / http://www.alchemix.net/Alchemix in Carefree, Arizona