Dive Brief:
- Lockheed Martin has opened a new waste-to-energy facility in Owego, NY which will help power its local aerospace manufacturing operations, as reported by Renewable Energy from Waste.
- The facility uses advanced gasification technology from Concord Blue. Once commissioning is completed, the facility will begin processing wood waste and eventually transition to municipal, commercial or industrial waste.
- Experience gained during the construction of the Owego facility is now being used in a new bioenergy project which the two companies have teamed up on in Herten, Germany.
Dive Insight:
The two companies formed an agreement in 2013, which they have since extended until 2026, making Lockheed Martin the exclusive manufacturer of this particular Concord Blue technology. This led to Concord awarding Lockheed the $43 million construction job in Germany and could result in future facilities.
According to Lockheed, the gasification technology creates no harmful byproducts and limited emissions. The process involves removing metal, glass and other materials before drying the waste, then mixing it with high heat. The waste then turns into synthesis gas which fuels a combustion engine to produce electricity or can be used to make hydrogen and biofuels.
Though the technology has yet to become widespread in the U.S. it is already more prevalent in Germany and seen as a cleaner option than some other methods. The U.S. Air Force is working on a demonstration gasification project in Hawaii and others are also in the works.
