GPHH handling MSW at Canada plant

Growing Power Hairy Hill's (GPHH) biorefinery in Canada can now handle 73,000 tonnes a year of municipal solid waste diverted from landfills in the Edmonton area for use as renewable energy.

The plant was commissioned in 2005 and initially utilised contaminated feedstock including sand laden cow manure and municipal solid waste, in addition to ethanol stillage. GPHH says the opportunity became available to handle a majority of the organics from the Metro Edmonton region and surrounding areas.

The plant uses technology from Himak Biogas.

Eugene Natty, GM of GPHH, says: 'Today the organic material that we are handling is being diverted from landfills around Alberta. These include municipal source-separated organics, food processing waste and sewer sludge. These materials are converted to energy via accelerated natural breakdown processes in Canada's largest anaerobic digester, an Alberta-based technology by Himark Biogas.'

He continues: 'The breakdown process produces methane which is used to power generators connected to Alberta's power grid, as well as boiler fuel for an adjacent industrial plant.'