Earthcare – Thermal Processing

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Earthcare – Thermal Processing

Creating an environmentally conscious revenue stream from your waste material

About the Company:

Earthcare, previously known as Coaltec Energy, aims to improve the environment by eliminating byproducts from industrial and agricultural applications, create alternative disposal options, and provide benefits from fuels that would otherwise be a cost for the customer. There are very few actual waste products in the world; the key is to recognize their potential. Earthcare takes the byproducts of minimal value and creates revenue streams that benefit their customers and the environment.

About the Solution:

The products coming out of Earthcare’s technology are energy and Ecochar. The energy is in the form of hot air and can be used in a variety of applications (steam, building heat, power, etc.). Ecochar, the solid product, is a combination of carbon and mineral ash from the feed material. This byproduct can be used in many applications - soil amendments, soil/water remediation, contaminated soil remediation, odor control, as an animal feed supplement, and animal bedding, just to list a few. They have developed a formulated fertilizer (Vital Force) utilizing all natural products, including Ecochar as a primary component in the blend.

Earthcare 1508 Regents Park Road Evansville, IN USA 812-455-9258 Visit Company Website

Solution Type

  • Gasification

Vendor

  • Equipment Vendor

Product

  • Concentrated Nutrients
  • Energy

Problem

  • GHG
  • Odor
  • Pathogens
  • Phosphorous
  • Storage

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Solution Strengths, Weaknesses and Critical Indicators

Gasification:

  • Produces a soil amendment in the form of biochar
  • Biochar does not yet have an established, stable commercial market
  • There is significant variation in energy use and recovery depending on feedstock
  • There is significant variation of operational intensity by site and by technology, many technologies require pairing with other technologies to offer a comprehensive manure management solution
  • There is significant variation of cost depending on site and by technology
  • Proven technology for phosphorous recovery, storage reduction, GHG reduction, odor control and pathogen reduction
  • This technology loses nitrogen to the atmosphere

Newtrient Comments/Opinions:

Thermal process technologies:

  • Produce a soil amendment in the form of biochar, ash and other products
  • These products have not yet established a stable commercial market
  • Include pyrolysis, torrefaction, gasification and hydrothermal carbonization
  • There is significant variation in energy use and recovery depending on feedstock
  • There is significant variation of operational intensity by site and by technology
  • There is significant variation of cost by site and by technology

The CoalTec Energy gasification system has been installed at several sites and at least one dairy related location that uses a deep pack manure bedding system. The technology appears to be designed and constructed for robust and reliable performance. The lack of a stable market for the biochar produced by the system has limited its operations.

This technology has the potential for transforming dairy manure into products that have value outside of the traditional uses of manure based products. Depending on the dry matter of the feedstock this system can also produce energy and dried bedding.

This technology is most suitable for dry manure solids or manure with a significant amount of organic bedding material like straw, dried manure solids or sawdust.

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1. OPERATIONAL HISTORY