Clean World Partners Opens Solid Organic Waste Conversion Plant

Clean World Partners, Gold River, Calif., has opened a commercial high-solid organic waste conversion facility at American River Packaging's (ARP) Sacramento, Calif. headquarters. 
 

The Clean World Organic Waste Recycling Center is based on anaerobic digestion (AD) technology developed at University of California Davis. It converts food waste, agricultural residue and other organic waste into renewable energy, fertilizer and soil enhancements. 
 

The Clean World system, installed at American River Packaging, will convert more than seven tons of food waste from Campbell Soup and other regional food producers along with unrecyclable corrugated material from ARP into natural gas. The natural gas will be used to generate about 1,300 kWh of renewable electricity per day, supplying about 37 percent of ARP's electricity needs. 
 

More than 2,900 tons of waste will be diverted annually from landfills, and 1,000 tons of organic soil amendments will be produced per year for regional agricultural and horticultural applications, according to the company

Clean World says that its digesters can process organic solid waste with up to 50 percent solid content without adding water. With minimal preprocessing and a highly efficient digestion process, Clean World's systems are more efficient and flexible than other existing AD systems. Rapid waste throughput also requires less water for processing, reducing tank size and manufacturing costs, enabling economical AD applications in a wide range of industries and settings. 
 

“Our technology is revolutionary because it enables businesses and communities to tap their own waste streams in their desired environment to generate affordable renewable energy. We expect that it will lead rapidly to more widespread implementation of commercial organic waste conversion solutions,” Michele Wong, Clean World Partners chief executive officer, says. 
 

Clean World systems are designed to be located at client facilities and easily sized to match a variety of urban, industrial and agricultural needs. The modular systems are built in a factory and can be installed at a permitted site in six weeks to eight weeks. 
 

The Clean World system installed at ARP is the product of an innovative public-private partnership. Support for research and feasibility studies was provided by UC Davis, CalRecycle and the California Energy Commission, with private investment funding the facility's construction and installation. 
 

“Installing the Clean World Partners system at our facility makes sense from an environmental and economical standpoint,” Tom Kandris, American River Packaging CEO, says. “We now provide our own plant with clean energy which comes from scrap byproduct that we'd otherwise pay to send to landfills.” 
 

The City of Sacramento played a key role in the project's implementation through its project-approval and permitting role. 
 

“This project puts Sacramento at center stage in the development of new, globally significant clean technologies. Businesses and communities around the world are already showing interest in what we've developed here,” Wong says. 

 

More information is available at www.packageone.com or www.cleanworldpartners.com.