French agriculture official visits Pa. gasification company

A gasification technology designed by Mechanicsburg, Pa-based Enginuity Energy may be headed to France after a recent visit by two French agriculture officials to the company’s headquarters. “We were pleasantly surprised by the beneficial impacts of the Ecoremedy technology,” said Christophe Malvezin, an agricultural counselor from France who joined Catherine Rogy, deputy agricultural counselor on the visit to witness Enginuity Energy’s technology used to convert poultry litter and other waste products to renewable power.

“We were unaware that this technology exists today,” according to Malvezin, adding that such technology “seems to be a good fit with France’s agricultural and energy strategy.” The technology uses advanced conveyor systems, an automated touchscreen control interface and a four-stage gasification process. Since 2008, an Ecoremedy pilot plant has been in operation at a Tyson Foods Georgia facility where the gasification technology was used to convert over 500 tons of poultry litter to 110 pounds per square inch (psig) process steam.

Dave Heck, vice president of operations and global business development, said the company isn’t letting the international interest in the technology stop after the visit from French agriculture officials. “We are planning to make a trip to a couple of the EU targeted countries,” he said. In addition to company-based research focused at targeting potential suitor countries that could benefit from the poultry litter conversion technology, Heck said the Center for Trade Development of the Office of International Business Development for the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, played a large role in setting up the visit as well as organizing a trip to Europe.

Although Heck said the visit will help the company grow and expand in the next year, he also implied that the growth trajectory for the gasification system supplier is already underway. The company has already partnered with Cyclone Power Technologies, an external combustion engine supplier, to build a small-scale modular unit. The company is also in talks to form partnerships in Australia, Northern Ireland, Maryland, West Virginia and other regions in the U.S. “The next year is going to be an unbelievable year for us.” Based on the technology’s fuel tolerant technology, he added, the company believes it has the opportunity to shift the way people view waste produced in agricultural settings.