한 사람의 쓰레기는 다른 사람의 보배라고들 말한다. ‘지구의 날’에, 폐수를 연료로 변환하는 한 신설 재활용시설에서는 이 말이 분명히 사실인 것처럼 보였다. 필라델피아에 본사를 둔 블랙골드 바이오퓨얼스(BlackGold Biofuels)사가 지역 음식점 폐수의 재활용 시설을 노스캐롤라이나주 샬럿(Charlotte)에 준공했는데, 이 시설은 그 과정에서 물을 정화하고 바이오연료를 회수한다. deep fryer의 기름을 재활용하는 것은 흔한 일이 되었지만, 주방 배수 내 기름의 재활용은 훨씬 어려운 것으로 판명되어 왔다. 이 시설은 그런 종류로는 지역 내 최초의 것이다.
1-77번 도로와 1-85번 도로의 교차로 근처에 위치한 샬럿 시설은 설거지와 음식 조리 과정에서 상업적 주방과 기관 주방에서 생성되는 그리스 트랩 폐기물을 지역 폐수 수거업체들로부터 입수한다. 블랙골드 바이오퓨얼스 사는 이 폐수로부터 쓰레기와 음식물을 제거한다. 그런 다음에 회수된 식물성기름과 동물성기름을 추출, 정화한다. 회수된 기름은 바이오연료 생산에 활용되어 석유 기반 연료 사용을 보충하면서 지역 에너지 안보와 국내 에너지 자립을 강화한다.
[원문보기]
New NC recycling facility converts wastewater into biofuel
They say one man's trash is another man's treasure. On Earth Day, it certainly rang true for a newly open recycling facility converting wastewater into fuel. BlackGold Biofuels, a Philadelphia-based company, has opened a recycling facility in Charlotte, N.C., for area restaurant kitchens' wastewater, cleaning up the water and recovering a biofuel in the process. While it has become common practice to recycle deep fryer oil, the recycling of oils that are in kitchen wastewater has proven much more elusive. The facility is the first of its kind in the area.
The Charlotte facility, located near the intersection of I-77 and I-85, receives grease trap waste from local wastewater haulers that is generated in commercial and institutional kitchens during dishwashing and food preparation. BlackGold Biofuels removes trash and food particles from this wastewater. It then extracts and purifies the recovered plant- and animal-based oils. The recovered oil is utilized in the production of biofuels, helping to offset the use of petroleum-based fuels, strengthening regional energy security and domestic energy independence.
By cleaning the water prior to discharge, the BlackGold Biofuels facility reduces the burden on the region's wastewater treatment plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency names blockages from this grease as a top culprit in sewer overflows nationwide. It is estimated that grease is responsible for 50 to 60 percent of Charlotte area sanitary sewer overflows. Currently in the U.S., grease trap waste is often landfilled or spread on fields. The material can be sent to anaerobic digestion to produce biogas for energy use, but the digestion process results in the loss of more than 70 percent of the energy contained in the grease, and few facilities have the expensive infrastructure to convert it into energy. Lacking compelling alternatives, much of this waste ends up in the sewer system. BlackGold Biofuels' state-of-the-art facility transforms this nuisance waste into a valuable resource, to the benefit of the local community.
"Proper grease trap maintenance is critical to the efficient functioning of the wastewater treatment system." Explained Jackie Jarrell, Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities' Superintendent of the Environmental Management Division. "Creating high-use beneficial reuses helps divert this waste out of our sewers and into compliant pathways, creating a financial and environmental win for the region."
BlackGold Biofuels, the developer behind BlackGold Biofuels of Charlotte, is based in Philadelphia but is building a network of these recycling facilities throughout the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. Additional North Carolina facilities are under development in Winston-Salem and Raleigh.
"We are proud to provide Charlotte area businesses with the lowest cost, most reliable and environmentally friendly solution for recycling this waste," explained Emily Landsburg, CEO of BlackGold Biofuels.
즐겨찾기 추가 
시작페이지로 설정
