Ze-gen, Inc. was a

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

company developing advanced

gasification Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting ...

technology to convert waste into

synthesis gas Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in various ratios. The gas often contains some carbon dioxide and methane. It is principally used for producing ammonia or methanol. Syngas is combustible and can be used as ...

. Founded in 2004, Ze-gen was a venture-backed company based in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. The company aimed to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce

landfills A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

and find beneficial use for waste material by converting

waste to energy Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) refers to a series of processes designed to convert waste materials into usable forms of energy, typically electricity or heat. As a form of energy recovery, WtE plays a crucial role in both wa ...

and nutrients, using advanced gasification. Today Ze-gen appears to be defunct, and the company website was taken down in 2014.

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 () and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

(CO) are favored as final products, along with

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

() and a small amount of

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...

(). This product gas is called synthesis gas, also known as

syngas Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in various ratios. The gas often contains some carbon dioxide and methane. It is principally used for producing ammonia or methanol. Syngas is combustible and can be used as ...

. The inorganic constituents, which are generally lighter than liquid metal, form a

slag The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be c ...

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 synthetic diesel or

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

synthetic natural gas Substitute natural gas (SNG), or synthetic natural gas, is a fuel gas (predominantly methane, CH4) that can be produced from fossil fuels such as lignite coal, oil shale, or from biofuels (when it is named bio-SNG) or using electricity with power ...

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

, or as a chemical feedstock into a variety of industrial processes.

Pilot Facility

Ze-gen's demonstration facility is colocated with a processing facility owned by New Bedford Waste Services, LLC in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

. 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. 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.

Commercial Facility

Ze-gen plans to develop its first commercial facility in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The proposed facility is to be located within the Attleboro Corporate Campus, a former

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...

manufacturing facility and now the home to a number of businesses. Through the conversion of 44,000 tons of specific waste streams annually, the syngas produced at the facility will be used to generate approximately 7MW of

alternative energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. The thermal and electrical power will be sold to tenants within the corporate campus, allowing the campus to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In April 2011, Ze-gen announced its decision to suspend its project in Attleboro in order to focus on developing its commercial facility project at a site with stronger energy markets and one that's more receptive to alternative energy development.

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.http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by_technology/energy_efficiency/ze-gen-raises-20m-in-series-b-financing.html

References

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External links