MANILA, July 12 — A Philippine registered, privately-owned company formed a joint venture with the Pampanga provincial government for the construction of the US$ 60-million zero waste to energy plant in Lubao, Pampanga. The joint venture between Mackay Green Energy Inc. (MGE) and the provincial government of Pampanga also hopes to ease the perennial problem of waste management in the province.
MGE Chairman James Mackay and Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda headed the ground breaking rites of the integrated waste management facility, dubbed as Zero Waste to Energy project, in Barangay Sta. Catalina, Lubao, Pampanga on Monday.
"We address the ever-growing problem of landfills by removing the need for them. All components of the MSW (municipal solid waste) are recovered and sold or converted to electricity", MGE president and chief executive Terry Brown said in a statement.
The municipality of Lubao has agreed to become partner in the venture and ratified the project of the Sangguniang Bayan of Lubao last April 15, 2011 for further development of the facility.
MacKay Green Energy will initially install its leading edge-waste to renewable energy technology. The plant will use the MacKay Energy Waste Processing System, which has been operational in Germany for 30 years, so as to allow the processing of 800 tons per day mill. The process enables raw waste to be classified into component parts, recyclables and refuse derived fuel (RDF).
The ferrous and non-ferrous metals are recovered and refined back to almost purity by the process. Any usable metals are also recovered and purified for sale. The MacKay Energy System can also be expanded to allow the processing of e-Waste.
Another Mackay-controlled technology that processes used tires, shipping diesel, carbon black and steel, may also be installed at the facility.
The fuel (RDF) that is recovered during the waste processing is then used to produce Renewable Energy by processing it in the MacKay Indirectly Fired Gas Turbine (IFGT). The technology is world first and has been developed in Australia.
The major advantage of the IFGT over conventional renewable energy processes is the conversion efficiency of energy fuel to electricity.
The IFGT uses almost half the fuel that would be required to produce the same amount of electricity using a Boiler Steam Turbine system. On raw fuel usage it is 45 percent more efficient.
The IFGT system also allows more opportunites for co-generation of further electricity without burning any more fuel.
The other major advantage of the IFGT system is that the temperature of combustion is between 1,200 and 1,800 degrees centigrade. At these temperatures combustion is almost total and emissions are undetectable. This removes the problems associated with the incineration of raw garbage, as the temperature of combustion is much lower (700 – 9000 C) and combustion is less complete. At these levels toxic by-products can be created and emitted to the atmosphere.
The IFGT system removes this problem and clearly satisfies all requirements of The Clean Air Act.
After the municipal solid waste is processed, enough RDF is recovered to produce 22 megawatts of green electricity.
The facility will be established at no cost to the government. Project cost is expected to reach US$ 60 million.
Provided all the required approvals are received by end-August 2011, MGE expects completion and commissioning of the facility before June 2012. (PNA) DCT/RMA/ASF/mec