Central Contra Costa Sanitary District in Martinez, Calif., is about to launch a pilot at its wastewater treatment plant to make renewable liquid transportation fuels from mixed, wet organic waste that would otherwise ship to landfill.
Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Genifuel, manufacturers of organic waste conversion equipment, the process, called hydrothermal liquefaction, is leveraged to convert wet organic wastes at high temperature and pressures into renewable crude. This crude can be upgraded with hydrogen into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
