Zero Waste Energy, Bulk Handling Systems Partner on Waste-to-Energy Processing Systems

Zero Waste Energy (ZWE), a San Jose, Calif.-based waste industry company specializing in the recovery of recyclables combined with energy production, has announced an exclusive partnership with Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Ore., to supply waste-to-energy processing systems, including the Kompoferm anaerobic digestion process that creates biogas from organic waste.

“The new affiliation enables ZWE to offer its customers complete processing systems that start with municipal solid waste (MSW) and end with energy production while recovering valuable commodities from the waste stream and minimizing residue,” according to a press release issued by ZWE. According to the company, these systems are expected to more than double industry norms for operating margins and return on investment while helping communities meet the growing “zero waste” public policy demands.

“The relationship with Bulk Handling Systems is part of our customer commitment to provide the best available technologies and support for our innovative diversion solutions,” says Eric Herbert, CEO of ZWE. “We will be working collaboratively with BHS to ensure that our operating platform will be continuously improved with their equipment innovations.”

BHS is a leading manufacturer of recycling processing equipment and a supplier of systems for the solid waste, recycling, wood products/compost and waste-to-energy industries. The patented BHS MSW systems use separation, optical and air technologies to recover recyclables and size an organic fraction ready for further processing by the Kompoferm dry fermentation system, which BHS distributes exclusively in North America.

“As we continue to move forward in our efforts to extract more value out of the waste stream, we could not ignore the renewable energy potential available from the organic portion of solid waste,” says BHS President Steve Miller. “The Kompoferm system is the leading technology of its type in the world and enables BHS to provide its customers with systems that extract high-value recyclable materials from the waste stream, to make these systems energy neutral and to provide additional renewable power to the communities where the waste is generated.”

The Kompoferm system uses anaerobic digestion to break down organic waste (including urban food and yard debris), creating methane gas and leaving a digestate product that can be further processed into compost.

ZWE combines commodity recovery and energy production through waste-to-energy processing systems using a variety of patented technologies to capture and recycle material streams with an emphasis on transforming the organic fraction into electricity or compressed natural gas through a dry anaerobic digestion process.