Excerpt from: Do Business in Vail!
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September 10, 2008 | | Pine Beetles in the Vail Valley | The issue: Using pine-beetle wood for biofuel Who they talked to: Dino Milli, a representative from the biomass fuel company Enerkem; Robin Littlepage, of the nonprofit Leadville Institute of Science and Technology; Ron Rasnic, Eagle County’s solid waste and recycling manager ; and Adam Palmer, county environmental planner
What they talked about: All the trees killed by pine beetles can be used to produce ethanol and other fuels, according to the Canadian-based Enerkem company.
Enerkem specializes in using municipal solid waste and other biomass to produce biofuels, and the company pitched its idea to county commissioners on Tuesday.
When pine-beetle wood runs out, Enerkem’s technology can use waste that could end up in the landfill, such as plastics, textiles, table scraps, and construction wood, to make fuel.
The idea is that local materials could produce fuel for the county, Milli said.
The process requires several facility plants, which Milli said Enerkem would pay for, as long as the county provided the land and fuel materials.
However, the plants and the process are costly, and it takes about 20 years to see pay back, Milli said.
Similar plants have been built in Canada, including in Edmonton, where the city invested $60 million in one of the treatment facilities.
Milli said the company is looking to expand the technology across the country.
“We’re trying to develop everywhere,” he said. “We need a grassroots facility.”
However, county officials had reservations about the idea, saying the county might not be able to afford the plant.
Sorting the materials could be incredibly costly, and tipping fees, the charge to handle the waste, would probably have to be increased, Rasnic said.
Palmer said he was interested in learning more and comparing Enerkem’s technology to incineration projects, which burn waste to create electricity.
County officials said the idea could be an alternative once the landfill reaches its limit. They also discussed partnering with neighboring counties for a plant.
Staff Writer Melanie Wong can be reached at 970-748-2928
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