Ze-gen
Boston, Massachusetts , USA | |
Key people | Walt Howard (CEO) Mark Prendergast (CFO) |
|---|---|
Number of employees | 28 (2009) |
| Website | www |
Ze-gen, Inc. was a
The company aimed to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce
Today Ze-gen appears to be defunct, and the company website was taken down in 2014.[1]
Technology
The liquid metal gasification process begins with feed material entering the gasifier through a gas-tight airlock into a refractory-lined vessel containing liquid copper, which is held at about 2200 °F. Material entering into the liquid metal gasifier undergoes a series of thermo-chemical reactions, which are auto-thermal under stable operating conditions. Initially, pyrolysis occurs and volatiles are driven into the headspace of the gasifier. In the subsequent gasification reaction, hydrogen (H
2) and carbon monoxide (CO) are favored as final products, along with carbon dioxide (CO2) and a small amount of methane (CH
4). This product gas is called synthesis gas, also known as syngas.
The inorganic constituents, which are generally lighter than liquid metal, form a slag layer on top of the liquid metal bath and are removed as a vitrified non-leachable slag byproduct. The slag is either recycled or disposed of as an industrial by-product. While some metals and oxides present in the feedstock accumulate in the liquid metal bath, others will exit as vapor and are captured in the gas cleanup process.
The syngas produced can be used for several different end-use applications including: steam generation, electricity production, making industrial hydrogen gas, as chemical building blocks for
Pilot Facility
Ze-gen's demonstration facility is colocated with a processing facility owned by New Bedford Waste Services, LLC in New Bedford, Massachusetts.[2] The facility was built to test the key parameters of the gasification process in order to more fully understand the chemistry of the system and the operating parameters. The plant became operational in November 2007, and Ze-gen achieved target synthesis gas quality in June 2008.[3] The data and analysis collected during the Phase I testing helped to inform modifications and upgrades in the facility. Phase II testing began in September 2009. As of June 2011, the demonstration facility has logged over 4200 hours of operation, including 30 days of consecutive runtime.[4]
Commercial Facility
Ze-gen plans to develop its first commercial facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Funding
As of 2009, Ze-gen has received $30 million in funding from sources including: Omar Zawawi Establishment, Flagship Ventures, VantagePoint Venture Partners, and Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation.[8]
See also
- Gasification
- Fischer-Tropsch
- Syngas
- Landfills
References
- ^ Closed Ze-gen company website on Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ze-gen Opens $9.8M N.B. Facility, Secures $4.5M in Series A Funding". The New England Business Bulletin. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ "Ze-gen Reports Consistent High-Quality Syngas Production". Biomass Magazine. 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- SouthCoastToday.com. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Ze-gen Gasification Facility to Power Industrial Park". Environmental Leader. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- Boston Globe. 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "Ze-gen drops plans". The Sun Chronicle. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by_technology/energy_efficiency/ze-gen-raises-20m-in-series-b-financing.html [dead link]