Dive Brief:

• PHG Energy (PHGE), headquartered in Nashville, TN, announced its acquisition of a municipal gasification facility and intellectual property assets from MaxWest Environmental Systems, Inc.
• The Sanford, FL-based renewable energy company is in the midst of bankruptcy. PHGE purchased confidential technology, financial information, and data, in addition to the patented works and gasification plant, through an auction.
• The president of PHGE, Tom Stanzione, said the assets will enhance the company’s ability to diversify in the waste-to-energy field. “We determined that adding this technology to our portfolio would allow us to both explore new markets and better serve our current and future customers,” he said. 

Dive Insight:

Stanzione said PHGE is now working on evaluating its newly-acquired technology. The firm will focus on meshing MaxWest’s assets with PHGE’s current offerings. PHGE disclosed that it could potentially re-open the closed facility.

While some environmentalists compare gasification plants to incinerators, Covanta has been working on technology to reduce emissions at its facility in Tulsa, OK. The company experimented with post-recycled waste in a process that was touted as increasing energy efficiency. If technology can improve the environmental ramifications of operating a gasification plant, opponents might embrace it as a plausible form of waste reduction.