Mainstream Engineering Awarded Contract from the U.S. Air Force for the Development of a Portable Biomass Liquid Fuel Reactor
ROCKLEDGE, FL – September 9, 2009 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, has been awarded a Phase II SBIR contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a portable fluidized-bed reactor for flash pyrolysis of landfill waste.
The Main Base Landfill at Edwards Air Force Base will reach full capacity by no later than 2017, and many other landfills across the country are facing the same situation. Waste streams need to be redirected to extend the lives of these facilities. An ideal solution to the problem is to reduce the volume of waste while producing an alternative fuel.
During the Phase I effort, Mainstream demonstrated that a portable, flash-pyrolysis, fluidized-bed reactor could significantly reduce the amount of biomass material entering the landfill and produce a useful liquid fuel. In Phase II, Mainstream plans to design, build, and fully characterize a continuous pilot-scale flash-pyrolysis reactor capable of converting 35 kg/hr of green waste into bio-oil. Upgrading the raw bio-oil produced to improve its stability, miscibility, and materials compatibility will also be investigated.
The Main Base Landfill at Edwards Air Force Base will reach full capacity by no later than 2017, and many other landfills across the country are facing the same situation. Waste streams need to be redirected to extend the lives of these facilities. An ideal solution to the problem is to reduce the volume of waste while producing an alternative fuel.
During the Phase I effort, Mainstream demonstrated that a portable, flash-pyrolysis, fluidized-bed reactor could significantly reduce the amount of biomass material entering the landfill and produce a useful liquid fuel. In Phase II, Mainstream plans to design, build, and fully characterize a continuous pilot-scale flash-pyrolysis reactor capable of converting 35 kg/hr of green waste into bio-oil. Upgrading the raw bio-oil produced to improve its stability, miscibility, and materials compatibility will also be investigated.