Apr 23 2008
PEAT International, Inc., a global leader in plasma-based waste remediation solutions, announced today it has successfully commissioned its first PTDR-100 system located at the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation near the Jayaben Modi Hospital in Ankleshwar, India. PTDR stands for Plasma Thermal Destruction and Recovery.
The 60-kilogram-per-hour (130 lb/hr) PTDR-100 system, developed to primarily treat biomedical waste and other industrial/universal waste streams, represents a first-of-its-kind system -- a permanent, fully self-contained platform for hospitals and industrial facilities.
"The PTDR-100 system is an ideal, turn-key solution for small to medium-sized waste generators looking for stable yet flexible on-site solutions to their waste management challenges," said Joseph Rosin, PEAT International Chairman. "Most importantly, the PTDR-100 matches environmental superiority with cost-competitiveness. It's efficient, it's environmentally benign and it's economical."
Using its proprietary PTDR technology, PEAT's environmentally clean process utilizes plasma torches to convert waste into a synthetic gas, comprised mainly of Carbon monoxide and Hydrogen which is a valuable source of Alternative Energy and can be used for electricity and/or hot water generation and other useful end-products. The PTDR-100 system comes equipped with a 100-kW plasma heating system.
The entire system, which can be generally be operated by just one control-panel operator, occupies just 50 square meters (under 550 square feet), sitting on two skids and standing just 4.5 meters (under 15 feet) high. There is no secondary pollution, just usable end-products generated: all feedstock is 100% waste diversion, totally eliminating the need for landfill disposal and/or further processing.
"The PTDR-100 provides generators with a best available treatment technology, deployed at their own sites, that is cost-effective, technologically and environmentally superior to any other available methods," said Jose Capote, PEAT Chief Technical Officer. "Using a PTDR-100 system allows waste generators to minimize liability issues associated with the transportation of waste streams along with potentially generating some carbon credits along the way."
Wastes processed through a PTDR-100 system typically see high volume (over 200 to 1) and weight (over 10 to 1) reductions in conjunction with a high destruction and removal efficiency of organic materials (greater than 99.9999%).
Throughout February and March, PEAT successfully processed a combination of waste streams (individually and co-mingled), including biomedical wastes, dye intermediates, various pharmaceutical industry wastes, distillation bottoms and municipal wastes over a continuous period to complete the commissioning validation tests and collect operational data that will be valuable assets for obtaining any and all future regulatory approvals.
"This technology is truly amazing," said Atul B. Buch, President of the Ankleshwar Industries Association in Gujarat, India, responsible for providing PEAT with the access to the facility site. "It destroys any and all toxic material and there is no secondary pollution. We are excited about its commercial prospects as this system can help all kinds of companies and hospitals address their current waste issues."
The PTDR technology has received numerous approvals from various regulatory agencies throughout the world, including it being listed as an approved Alternative Medical Waste Treatment Technology by the California Department of Public Health and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
"This is another tremendous step forward for plasma technology as a whole," said Dr. C.B. Upasni of the Jyoti Om Chemical Research Centre, who oversaw the entire third-party testing program, which included expert oversight from academia and government regulators. Further, the Ankleshwar Environmental Preservation Society also was provided access to the test site for additional comprehensive monitoring. "The PTDR-100 system is the future of waste remediation."