Temarry Recycling Upgrades Waste-to-Energy Unit

Waste and recycling firm Temarry Recycling has upgraded its waste-to-energy (WTE) operation in Tecate, Mexico, just over the border from its Tecate, Calif., headquarters.

Temarry Recycling is investing $100,000 to improve efficiency at the operation, called Recicladora Temarry. The WTE process there is a key part of its closed loop recycling system that uses hazardous waste solids such as rags and debris to generate steam that powers recovery stills, according to a news release.

During the past 12 months the company said the amount of flammable solids shipped to Temarry by generators in the western United States has doubled. That and anticipation of future increases necessitated the renovation. The system provides an alternative to the standard practice of shipping waste solvents and flammable solids to the Midwest for fuel blending.

Temarry Recycling said adding a new injection system was the most significant innovation with the project. The new system reduces the amount of acquired water needed for cooling down the combustion chambers, increases the ability to feed waste faster and a reduces propane use.

Waste to energy continues to see growing activity. In August Sevier Solid Waste Inc.  said it is building a WTE plant in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., at a cost of $2.25 million. The facility will convert composted material into thermal energy while also producing a high-carbon biochar. The new biomass gasification plant will be capable of converting more than 30 tons of organics daily.

In July the first ground-up large-scale WTE project in 20 years opened. It’s the largest such facility in the country.

Also, Blue Sphere Corp., an Israeli-based company active in the fields of organic waste to energy, began construction on its first two U.S. projects this year. It broke ground on a $19-million 3.2-megawatt waste-to-energy facility in Johnston, R.I., and on a $27-million, 5.2-megawatt facility in Charlotte, N.C., where it maintains its U.S. headquarters.