Frequenty Asked Questions
- How is the S4 Energy Solutions joint venture structured to develop projects?
- Where do you see the business opportunity in the PEM™ technology?
- Why is there an interest in gasification when the technology has a spotty track record and there hasn't been a new energy-from-waste plant built in North America over the last ten years?
- Where has InEnTec's PEM™ technology been used?
- What does the "S4" stand for?
- How is this different from other waste-based energy technologies?
- Are PEM™ facilities safe for the environment?
- Is there any waste you cannot process in a PEM system?
- Is energy from a PEM™ system considered "renewable" like energy from landfill gas?
- Can these systems provide base load power?
- What is the emissions profile of a PEM™ system?
- Are the products from the PEM™ process environmentally safe?
- How does the PEM™ system fit within the context of an integrated waste system? Is PEM™ compatible with recycling?
- How is the S4 Energy Solutions joint venture structured to develop projects?
S4 Energy Solutions is a 50-50 joint venture between Waste Management and InEnTec. With some exceptions, all projects using PEMTM technology must first be offered to S4 Energy Solutions and the joint venture will have the right of first refusal. However, the joint venture will not have an exclusive license on InEnTec's PEM™ technology.back to top
- Where do you see the business opportunity in the PEM™ technology?
We are focusing on processing medical and other segregated commercial and industrial waste streams. These waste streams are of high-energy value and can produce renewable fuels and products, and we may be able to generate electricity. The PEM™ systems are designed as modular, compact units that can be constructed in a range of sizes that could be located at commercial or industrial facilities. Additionally, S4 Energy Solutions' future commercialization plans include the processing of municipal solid waste once the technology has been demonstrated economical and scalable for such use.
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- Why is there an interest in gasification when the technology has a spotty track record and there hasn't been a new energy-from-waste plant built in North America over the last ten years?
The waste stream is becoming increasingly segmented with high-energy value streams in the commercial and industrial sectors being available. Gasification is a promising technology to process those particular waste streams with rising waste disposal prices, a demand for more renewable fuels and customer's interest in sustainability.
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- Where has InEnTec's PEM™ technology been used?
InEnTec's PEM™ system has been configured for use by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan to demonstrate the destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's). InEnTec customer Global Plasma in Taipei, Taiwan, has also been using the PEM™ for processing of medical waste and industrial waste. We also have a test facility in Richland Washington and plant under construction at a Dow-Corning facility in Michigan.
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- What does the "S4" stand for?
S4 represents the fourth state of matter that is at the core of our conversion technology - plasma. The mission of S4 is to offer our customer's flexibility of addressing both their waste disposal needs and their renewable energy needs. Therefore we expanded the S4 play to incorporate words that underpin our offering: systems, solutions, sustainable, syngas.
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- How is this different from other waste-based energy technologies?
Waste Management has three waste-based energy technologies. Landfill-gas-to-energy converts methane from landfills into renewable electricity or an alternative fuel source. Waste-to-energy plants use mass combustion technology and produce steam and clean, renewable electricity. The US EPA has recognized landfill gas as an environmentally wise alternative energy resource and waste to energy as having less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity.
With the PEM™ process, waste materials are fed into a closed chamber where they are superheated to temperatures of between 10,000 and 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit using an electricity-conducting gas called plasma. The intense heat of the PEM™ rearranges the molecular structure of the waste, transforming organic (carbon-based) materials into an ultra-clean, synthesis gas (syngas). The clean syngas could be converted to transportation fuels such as ethanol and diesel, industrial products like hydrogen and methanol or used as a substitute for natural gas for heating or electricity generation. In a secondary stage of the PEM™ process, inorganic or non-carbon-based materials are transformed into environmentally beneficial products.
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- Are PEM™ facilities safe for the environment?
Yes. Stringent, US EPA emission standards ensure that this process is an environmentally sound method of recovering energy from waste.
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- Is there any waste you cannot process in a PEM system?
The PEM™ technology can process a wide range of wastes that have sufficient energy value content to produce a range of renewable energy and environmentally beneficial fuels and industrial products. The only constraints are volumes and geographic considerations.
- Is energy from a PEM™ system considered "renewable" like energy from landfill gas?
Yes, because the system's fuel – waste – is sustainable and indigenous.
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- Can these systems provide base load power?
Yes. The PEM system's ability to provide base load power, as opposed to intermittent power like solar or wind, is one of its greatest appeals for our potential customers.
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- What is the emissions profile of a PEM™ system?
The direct emissions from the PEM™ system itself are negligible. Primary emissions from the PEM™ system would be those of the generator set if the syngas were used to generate electricity, in which case all emissions would comply with US EPA standards.
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- Are the products from the PEM™ process environmentally safe?
Yes. Syngas can be used to generate renewable energy in the form of electricity for the grid or liquid fuels such as ethanol, methanol and even diesel. The inorganic materials form an inert glass slag that can be used as a substitute for a number of construction applications.
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- How does the PEM™ system fit within the context of an integrated waste system? Is PEM™ compatible with recycling?
PEM™ systems are fully compatible with recycling. Waste Management has found that in communities served by our Wheelabrator waste-to-energy plants recycling rates are generally higher than those using other waste disposal options.
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