The food processing industry generates billions of pounds of organically rich wastes per year associated with both the processing of animal and plant products. The industry continues to face significant economic and environmental pressures to find productive alternatives for their waste. The need and climate appear favorable for the food industry to adopt an efficient and economical process to convert food processing wastes into useful, high-value products.
Waste disposal is a major issue within the food industry, highlighted by recent natural disasters and outbreaks of bird flu, mad cow, foot and mouth, and pesticide poisoning, forcing a re-evaluation of how we deal with food chain issues. Animal and agriculture companies around the world are grappling with food safety issues. Crop residuals, along with waste from large and small poultry plants, hog and cattle slaughterhouses, animal confinement operations, feedlots and food processors continue to put stress on our environment. Disposing of these wastes and reducing the risks to human health caused by exposure is expensive, both to the producer and the government entity that must deal with the ensuing environmental problems. The TCP can successfully divert animal wastes away from the food chain by converting fats, bones, cartilage, feathers and other wastes into renewable diesel and fertilizers.
Although the company’s initial focus has concentrated on agricultural waste facility developments, the onset of substantial commercial interest has caused CWT to broaden its focus to include potential utilization of shredder residue, scrap tires and computer/multimedia waste (“E-waste”). The TCP can successfully convert PVC, PET and HDPE plastics, along with mixed-plastic feedstocks into valuable products. This technology can benefit the automobile industry, E-waste producers (computers, cell phones, etc.), utility companies, and a wide range of specialized industrial and manufacturing companies.
TCP technology will eventually have widespread application over a number of industries as research continues in other market sectors. The common link across all market sectors is the challenge to develop more efficient, environmentally friendly technologies that reduce or eliminate the current waste streams produced. No where is this challenge felt more than in cities and municipalities where the accumulation of large amounts of landfill waste and the treatment and/or disposal of sewage sludge pose huge problems.
By establishing TCP plants designed to utilize MSW, municipalities could have a solid foundation upon which to expand their other core businesses, while eliminating the costly ones. The TCP can enhance the success of municipal recovery facilities (MRF) by taking the low-value recycled materials and processing them into valuable oils and solids. It is expected that landfill costs and liabilities can be reduced or eliminated. Sludges and other organic material, including mixed plastics, can all be processed after valuable materials such as ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals and glass are separated at the MRF.
