Covanta, Global Energy partner to test waste-to-diesel system; 50 percent lower capex potential compared to other waste-to-energy systems and a drop-in fuel

In Massachusetts, Covanta will test Alphakat catalytic depolymerization technology for conversion of municipal solid waste the diesel fuel. Covanta is the largest US-based developer of waste-to-energy systems, but has previously focused on incineration of biomass for power generation. In this test, the company will use KDV 500 units from Germany at its SEMASS RDF facility, and expects to process 25-50 tons per day of municipal solid waste into 1 Mgy of diesel fuel.

The process will involve only limited increases in emissions compared to the existing process at the Covanta plant, and according to sources will have roughly half the capital cost of waste-to-ethanol systems, or around $2.50 in capex per gallon of fuel. The company said it may add an additional desulphurization module to the process to ensure meeting he EPA’s 15 ppm sulphur cap. The test is part of an extensive agreement signed with Global Energy, which has licensed the KDV technology for the United States.

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