C6 ADVANCED RECYCLING AND
ENERGY CONVERSION (AREC)
SYSTEM
Technology Overview
State-of-the-art in efficiency, flexibility and pollution control
WASTE, ENERGY AND THE FUTURE
THE PROBLEM Among the problems facing world economies in the coming
years are two very significant challenges:
Waste Disposal
Huge quantities of waste are produced around the world, with
amounts increasing due to population growth and change in
consumption patterns. The US alone produces over 250 mil-
lion tons of municipal solid waste per year, plus many hun-
dreds of millions of tons of commercial waste, hospital waste,
used tires and other types of non-recyclable waste. Most
waste is burned in incinerators or dumped in landfills, both of
which are inefficient, costly and lead to a host of environmen-
tal problems.
Contaminated moisture from landfills can leach into the
water table for decades;
The solid remains of landfills are a long-term contami-
nant;
Methane and carbon dioxide (in addition to unpleasant
odors) are released into the atmosphere;
Landfills can catch fire, and are very difficult to extinguish,
THE SOLUTION
C6’s Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion technol-
ogy provides a solution to both of these problems by
turning harmful waste into energy using a state-of-the-
art, pollution-free process that does not burn waste.
BENEFITS OF ADVANCED RECYCLING AND ENERGY CONVERSION
Reduction in Incineration and Landfill and Associated Pollu-
tion: C6 AREC plants provide a more efficient, environmentally-
sound method of disposal of non-recyclable waste, eliminating
the need for incineration and dramatically reducing new land-
fill requirements; even existing landfills can be remediated and
the land re-used for other purposes. This in turn reduces
harmful emissions and other pollutants caused by landfill and
incineration.
Robust Financials with multiple revenue sources: The financial
return is less dependent on the price of competing energy
sources, since only a part of the revenue is derived from the
sale of electricity, with tipping fees making up a significant
percentage of revenues.
2 Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies
resulting in increased pollution;
Incineration can release NOx, SOx, dioxins, furans and
other dangerous pollutants;
Fly-ash from incineration is hazardous and typically must
be buried in specially designated landfills.
In many countries, landfill space is now in short supply. For
example, in 1978 there were around 20,000 landfills in the US.
The US Environmental Protection Agency estimated that by
the end of 2010, only 1,200 landfills remain.
Recycling, while positive, can only address a fraction of the
problem, as there remain many types of waste that cannot be
recycled.
Over-Reliance on Fossil Fuels
The supply of fossil fuels is finite and subject to political uncer-
tainty, which is reflected in the long term upward price trend.
Burning oil and gas to produce electricity is very costly. Fossil
fuel-fired power stations produce large amounts of pollutants
and greenhouse gases.
Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion provides a number
of benefits compared to other types of renewable energy:
Continuous and Predictable “Base Load” Renewable Energy:
A robust and reliable process which produces sustainable en-
ergy continuously and at high availability, not dependent on
wind, sun or other climactic conditions;
Energy Located Close to Consumers: AREC plants can, regula-
tions permitting, be sited in or near population centers, unlike
other types of renewable energy such as solar, wind, geother-
mal and marine which are often located at a considerable dis-
tances from where the energy is required, resulting in in-
creased interconnection costs and transmission losses.
C6’s AREC TECHNOLOGY C6’s Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion (AREC) plants The operating principle of the C6 plants is to pre-process the
deploy an advanced process that integrates two proven ther- waste to remove recyclables and excess water, then generate
mal conversion technologies, autoclaving and pyrolysis, plus an intermediate synthetic natural gas, “syngas”, from the in-
proprietary waste drying, syngas and exhaust clean-up tech- coming waste by means of pyrolysis. This intermediate fuel is
nologies, shown in the process flow diagram on the next page. cleaned, then used in engines to produce electricity.
ADVANTAGES OF C6’s AREC TECHNOLOGY The C6 technology offers several advantages over competing
waste to renewable energy technologies:
Multiple waste streams: The C6 technology is able to treat
many types of waste, such as municipal solid waste, tires and
contaminated oil, concurrently.
More Efficient: The C6 equipment has a higher thermal efficien-
cy (MW per ton of waste) and a lower energy usage (parasitic
load) than competitor products, allowing more of the energy
produced to be sold rather than used to run the plant. It pro-
vides more than twice the energy conversion efficiency of tradi-
tional “mass-burn” incineration, without the adverse side
effects. The C6 equipment also uses water very efficiently and
in most cases returns clean water to the environment.
Further Reduction in Emissions: The syngas is automatically
scrubbed to make it “engine-ready”, thereby eliminating the
need to clean engine flue gases. The C6 Thermal Oxidizer
(patent pending) processes the combined dryer, pyrolyzer and
engine exhaust to further reduce emissions and meet all global
emissions standards with ease.
ADVANTAGES OF C6’s AREC PLANTS Improved Aesthetics: Each plant will be enclosed in a low-rise
warehouse-type building designed to blend in with the environ-
ment. Unlike incinerators, there is no smokestack.
Modular Construction: Plants can be built in phases as addi-
tional waste streams are secured, which reduces initial capital
outlay and the time to plant commissioning.
Attractive to equity investors: With excellent returns, long-
term recurring free cash flows and early exit potential via sale
to other investors upon plant commissioning.
Attractive to banks and debt providers: Strong debt service
cover ratios and other metrics; revenues are not subject to
capacity factor probability estimates, unlike wind and solar.
Turnkey Solution: All necessary equipment and materials to
construct AREC plants are provided by the licensed manufac-
turer, apart from site facilities such as access roads and fencing,
buildings and waste transportation vehicles.
EPC wrap and O&M contract: Provide low risk, integrated solu-
tion that is attractive to potential investors.
Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies 3
Automated Handling of Bio-Hazardous Waste: Sterilization in
the autoclaves destroys pathogens and microbial life, elimi-
nating the health hazards associated with landfill and standard
Mechanical Recycling Facilities. Hazardous waste is processed
in a fully automated, enclosed system, and MSW is treated
without the need to open trash bags.
Automated Recycling: The C6 system automatically sorts waste
constituents and sorts out the recyclables. The recyclables are
sterilized and deglazed and reduced in volume for easy han-
dling. C6 enhanced recycling recovers close to 100 % of all met-
al, plastic, glass, etc. Source separation typically recovers up to
1/3 of recyclables at best.
No Odors: Unlike landfills and incinerators, C6 plants will not
produce any noticeable odors due to their integrated design,
with the only emission point being the smokeless exhaust
stack.
Flexible: The C6 technologies can handle a very diverse range
of waste and can produce energy products in both liquid and
gas forms in addition to electricity.
When the superior C6 technology is applied in practice it re-
sults in plants with several significant advantages over com-
peting systems.
End-to-End Processing: The C6 technology solution combines
sterilization, sorting, drying, pyrolysis and electricity production
under one roof, which is revolutionary in the waste processing
and waste to energy industries.
Scalable & Flexible Plant Design: The technology can be
adapted to create various sized plants; plants can also be built
to process mixed waste types in different quantities.
Multiple Revenue Streams: Plants earn revenues from three
sources: tipping fees, generally charged in developed countries
for disposal of waste; the sale of electricity and the sale of re-
newable energy credits or similar; the sale of recyclables, resi-
due and other outputs such as liquid fuel.
No Odors: Plants are closed systems with no direct air emission
points, therefore they do not emit unpleasant odors, unlike
landfills and incinerators.
OVERVIEW OF
Solid waste is delivered by road, rail or barge. Waste may be loose or in bags. Liquid waste is delivered by tanker, dedicated pipeline, or in barrels. Large size waste such as waste wood, tires and mattresses are shredded.
WASTE RECEPTION & SHREDDING
Autoclaves decontaminate waste. 50 minute cycle per 29.2 US ton load. Destroys most pathogens and microbial life forms. Able to process bio-hazardous waste such as hospital waste, slaughterhouse waste, sewage, etc. Internal agitation reduces waste to hom*ogenous size; eliminates need to open garbage bags or touch waste. Removes labels and glaze; further enhances resale value of recyclables. Sterilization not required for biomass, tires, C&D, etc.
WHAT KINDS OF WASTE CAN BE PROCESSED? The C6 technology can process any type of waste that has a calo-
rific value:
Hydrocarbons such as oil;
Complex sugars such as vegetable waste;
Organic chemicals such as animal fat.
Specific types of waste that can be processed include:
Municipal solid waste (“MSW”): discarded food, bottles, cans,
paper, fabric, hygiene products, plastic packaging and other
household trash.
Commercial & industrial waste.
Construction & demolition debris such as old wooden doors and
window frames, timber framing, wooden forms for concrete,
waste wood products such as MDF, particleboard, Formica, etc.
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THE C6 PROCESS
PROPRIETARY C6 TECHNOLOGIES
STEAM
STERILIZATION
STERILE RECYCLABLES
WATER
SORTING & SEPARATION
DRY STERILE
CELLULOSE DRYING
FIBER
Extract excess moisture and convert the fiber into solid form. Dryers use excess heat from engines to keep feedstock drying costs low. Dry cellulose feedstock increases pyrolyzer efficiency.
Sterilized plastic, glass, aluminum, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and aggregate are automatically sorted into separate bins. Reduces manual handling, increases recovery rate.
Hospital waste: blood, human tissue, used wound dressings, con-
taminated disposable instruments.
Slaughterhouse waste and veterinary waste: animal tissue,
blood, contaminated packaging.
Sewage and cesspool waste. Animal manure and slurry.
Contaminated oil: used oil from engines, transformers and other
machinery, high in hazardous PCBs.
Oil sludge: residue in oil storage tanks that cannot be used in
refinery.
Biomass including household garden waste, forestry waste, agri-
cultural waste and energy crops.
Contaminated timber such as old railway sleepers or fencing
contaminated with oil, tar or creosote.
Pyrolyzer, dryer and engine exhaust are passed over 800ºC ceramic bed. Pollutants are oxidized, reduced to only 16 ppm, well below all global emissions standards.
EXHAUST
EXCESS HEAT FROM ENGINES
SYNGAS OR PYROLYSIS
LIQUID FUEL
TARS & OLEFINS
Pyrolysis is an advanced form of gasification. Dissimilar to burning, which requires oxygen. Feedstock is decomposed at elevated temperatures in an oxygen-starved environment. Organic compounds break down into lower molecular weight compounds, changing physical form. Capable of treating many different hydrocarbon-based and organic wastes.
MARKETABLE OUTPUTS Recyclables The waste preparation process sterilizes and segregates various
types of recyclables including:
Glass;
Plastic such as PET bottles;
Aggregates such as stones;
“Tin” cans, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals;
Steel and ferrous metals from tires, building waste, mixed
waste.
The process enhances the value of the recyclables:
All recyclables are sanitized;
Labels are removed from bottles and cans, and the cans are
deglazed, crushed and may optionally be baled;
Plastics are ground into 1cm chips for recycling or if of low com-
mercial value are included in the pyrolyzer stream.
Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies 5
Approx 10-15% solid residue. MSW, etc. yield solid, inert residue that can be sold as construction aggregate. Biomass yields a beneficial soil improver.
Pollutant-Free
Exhaust
Pollutant-Free
Exhaust
GREEN
ELECTRICITY
Syngas is suitable for use in gas engines to generate electricity, or in steam turbine applications. Syngas burns more efficiently and cleanly than the waste from which it was made. Excess heat and hot water can be used to drive additional steam turbines to increase electricity output.
THERMAL OXIDATION
POWER GENERATION
A gas clean-up system is employed to render the syngas “engine friendly” and serves to reduce overall plant emissions. Tars, olefins and “fines” are cycled back through the pyrolyzer to ensure they are further decomposed into syngas.
INERT RESIDUE, SOIL IMPROVER
Recycled to reduce parasitic load.
SYNGAS SCRUBBER
Pyrolysis Residue The inorganic feedstock materials form an inert, non-hazardous
residue that is approximately 15% of feedstock volume, depending
on the feedstock composition. The residue is of grey granular
form.
The inert residue has several applications including:
Road Aggregate: rocks or sand;
Brick-Making: Low cement type stock bricks;
Combined with resin to make particle board substitute;
In the worst case, the residue is a non-hazardous landfill;
Pyrolysis of biomass produces a potassium-rich organic output
that can be used as a beneficial soil additive.
PROPRIETARY C6 TECHNOLOGIES
The innovative C6 AREC process is built upon 4 key proprietary pieces of equipment that are patented or patent pending.
AUTOCLAVE
Waste is processed in batches of 29 tons.
Pressurized saturated steam (160°C and 5.2 bar) “pressure-cooks” the waste
for up to 50 minutes, giving a very high pathogen and virus kill rate.
[Feedstocks like forestry waste and oily sludges do not require autoclaving.]
Outer pressure vessel is static; inner drum allows reverse / forward rotation
for material hom*ogenization, and continuous reverse for material discharge.
Loading conveyor allows loading to 70% volumetric capacity in 15 minutes
(competitor systems achieve 50%); telescoping feature allows loading from
rear (eliminates bridging with alternative systems); traversing feature allows
loading of up to 4 autoclaves.
High volume offtake conveyor empties vessel in 10 minutes.
Door seals (problematic on competitor designs) are protected by the inner
drum extension into the door.
Internal agitation elimi-
nates need to pre-shred
or open trash bags prior
to loading.
Steam stored at 17 bar
to ensure availability on
demand.
System designed to
duplex, saving 40% op-
erational energy.
Sealed unit; no emis-
sions or odors.
Condensers and vacu-
um pumps enable rela-
tively dry discharge of
cellulose fiber and recy-
clables.
DRYER
DRYER CONTROL SYSTEM
Can process all materials e.g. Refuse
Derived Fuel, cellulose fiber from auto-claves, wood waste, chicken manure etc.
Efficient twin drum design allows loading
and unloading from one end and re-duced overall length.
Sealed hopper and auger for material
handling eliminates dust.
Extremely reliable four wheel drive ro-
tates dryer.
6
HIGH VOLUME OFFTAKE CONVEYOR
DISCHARGE OVER DOOR SEAL
TELESCOPIC CONVEYOR
TRAVERSING TELESCOPIC CONVEYOR
AUXILLIARY HEAT INPUT
ENCLOSED HOPPER
PLUG AUGER
DRY MATERIAL
KNIFE EDGES STEAM STORAGE VACUUM VESSEL
DOOR SYSTEM OUTER PRESSURE ROTATING
VESSEL INNER DRUM
CONDENSER
17 bar
Static and non-tilting
Ensures odor-free operation
Produced using excess heat from engines
Reverses to prevent stagnation and for
unloading
Open trash bags and macerate waste
Allows loading from the rear
5.2 bar
Ensures door seals remain clean
Enables rapid unloading
Allows loading of up to 4 autoclaves
For maximum water recovery
FINES
HEATING MEDIUM
TUMBLERS / COMPRESSION PLATES
TWIN DRUM DRYER
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
Internal tumblers and compression
plates hom*ogenize any feedstock.
Accurate moisture content achieved
through exhaust control.
Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies
SERIES OF CYCLONES
Dust-free engine exhaust, exit gas from dryer and pyrolyzer exhaust
returned to Thermal Oxidizer
Optimum moisture content achieved by
exhaust control
Can be used to supplement engine
exhaust heat if required
Eliminates dust Ensure hom*ogenized
result
Charging and discharging takes place at one end
Provides material seal
Eliminates dust from heating medium
Sent to grinder with 10% moisture content
Slowly rotates dryer Sent on to Pyrolyzer
No gas leaks.
No char (all carbonaceous fraction converted).
Remainder of low grade heat is employed to
preheat the air to the burners.
Pyrolyzer exhaust provides heat to precondi-
tioning system.
Ultra low emissions.
Purifying syngas is simpler and less expensive
than cleaning flue gases from incineration.
Entire system can be pre-assembled to mini-
mize site construction.
FLASH PYROLYSIS CHAMBER
MATERIAL BRAKING AND RADIATION SUPPLEMENT SYSTEM
TAR OIL
CONDENSER CONDENSER
MULTIPLE PORT GAS OFFTAKE
MIST ELIMINATORS
HIGH QUALITY GAS
LIQUEUR SCRUBBER
HOT CYCLONE SYSTEM TAR COLLECTOR
Maintained at temperature for pumpability; tar returned
to pyrolyzer or sold
Most Environmental Agen-
cies require all air emissions to be heated to 850
oC for
more than 2 seconds, typi-cally requiring high energy consumption.
The C6 design reduces
energy consumed to almost 15 % of competitive designs.
Gases acquire heat from a
ceramic bed at one end and deposit it at a bed at the other end prior to discharge to the stack.
Flow is reversed each 90 sec to allow the previous exit heat sink to
heat the incoming gases.
Last 15% of heat is supplied by syngas produced by the pyrolyzer.
The unit removes all volatile organic compounds.
In the event of high concentrations, NOX can be reduced by 90%.
System can be effective from full output to a fraction of output.
Easily meets the very strict EU environmental emissions laws, as
well as US EPA regulations.
Neutralizers can be added to treat otherwise difficult compounds.
Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies 7
PYROLYZER
Very high calorific value gas – typically 22MJ/m3
(competitive systems less than 15MJ/m3).
High volume of gas and thus electrical energy –
typically 1.1 MW per US ton for materials with nominal CV of 16 (competitive systems less than 0.7 MW).
Maximum use of energy with parasitic load of
around 10% (competitive systems typically 25%).
No fines carry over to gas clean-up system.
No high temperature moving parts.
BIOMASS OR
DRIED STERILE CELLULOSE FIBER
FLUE OFFTAKE
PLUG AUGER
PRE-CONDITIONING FEED AUGER
MULTI-BURNER HEAT INPUT
RESIDUE RETENTION & REMOVAL SYSTEM
THERMAL OXIDISER
Waste pre-processed in autoclave and dried to 10% moisture
Energy used to raise steam and to heat
material in the dryer
950oC operation
ensures no dioxins, furans, NOX are formed Prevents ingress
of air, ensures no NOX formed
Air through shell progresses to
burner systems 8 second retention ensures full conversion
and high efficiency
8 minutes retention; heated by spent combustion products to
320oC exit temperature
Highly efficient radiation heat transfer and precise control of
temperature gradient Allows tailoring of gas consituents
Steam from low-grade heat combines with residual
carbon to create CO and H2 for additional calorific value Clean, excellent calorific
value for engines or gas turbines
Provides free energy to the retort; rendering residue as
inert material
Removes aerosols and contaminants
PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED VALVES
TOP-UP GAS
INCOMING EXHAUST GASES
ROUTE 1
850oC
REFRACTORY LINING
DIRECTIONAL WALLS
HEAT SINK
90 sec
OUTGOING
EXHAUST GASES
Conventional refractory provides 20
years extended life
INDUCED DRAFT FAN
ROUTE 2
90 sec
850oC
Typically 250oC
Ensure gases remain within chamber for
2.3 sec
Reverse flow every 90 sec to maximize heat
transfer efficiency
Last 15% of heat provided by syngas
produced in pyrolyzer
High heat absorption ceramic plate
Removes entrained dust (returned to pyroliser) eliminating blockages
OIL COLLECTOR
Oil returned to pyrolyzer or sold
Sends low temperature exhaust gases to smokeless stack
Typically 100oC
DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION & OPERATION
Exceptional technology is only part of a plant’s success. As im-
portant is the ability to design, manufacture, install and operate
the plant efficiently.
C6 has provided a sole manufacturing license to Prestige Ther-
mal Energy South Africa, who are able to provide an end to end
turnkey solution that includes:
Engineering analysis and design to optimize the plant to handle
the specific waste stream and site layout.
Manufacture of all key equipment.
Partner with local suppliers for fabrication of high mass equip-
ment.
Plant construction (construction times vary between 12 months
for a 300 tpd plant and 24 months for a 3,000 tpd plant).
PLANT OPERATING MODEL C6’s Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion plants can utilize
centralized or decentralized operating models:
Renewable Energy Centers provide end-to-end processing to con-
vert waste into renewable energy all under one roof.
Alternatively, Waste Transfer Stations can aggregate, sterilize and
dry the waste using C6’s autoclave and dryer, which reduces its weight and volume by around 65%. Dry sterile cellulose fiber is
then transported to Renewable Energy Centers, where it is pyro-
lyzed and used to produce renewable energy. This approach re-
duces waste transport costs and minimizes the risk of transporting bio-hazardous waste.
RENEWABLE LOCAL WASTE
ENERGY CENTER DELIVERY
DRY STERILE WASTE
WASTE TRANSFER
STATION
C6 Technologies, Inc. (C6) is a W2E technology licensor. For 6 years C6 has been at the forefront of Research & Development into
energy conversion involving pyrolysis and autoclaving equipment specifically designed for black bag and general waste.
C6 secures their return on the development through a licensing arrangement with the end user. The fees per item of equipment
are very modest and the annual license fee can be negotiated as a percentage of total revenue or a percentage of electricity or liquid
fuel income or the gate fee as appropriate. In this manner the plant operator is not burdened with cost without return.
Agreements already signed:
Green Waste Energy Development, Inc. (GWED) is currently developing projects in the U.S. and elsewhere and exclusively employs
the patent pending C6 Technology for their waste to energy opportunities.
C6 Technologies invites other project developers to utilize the C6 Technology, under the same preferential conditions that GWED
currently enjoys. While it is not a prerequisite regarding the use of C6 products, GWED has agreed to co-develop plants with other de-
velopers should they consider this option to be preferable.
For additional information please contact: James D. Burchetta, Esq., 554 Old Post Rd No. 3, Greenwich, CT 06830, USA; +1 (917) 324 9000; [emailprotected].
Richard Bingham, 10 Sherborne Road, Parktown, SA +27 82 701 4592; [emailprotected]
David M. Rainey, 554 Old Post Rd No. 3, Greenwich, CT 06830, USA; +1 (203) 992-1777; [emailprotected]
8 Copyright © 2013 C6 Technologies
EMISSIONS DATA
Thanks to their efficient pyrolysis technology and extremely
effective thermal oxidizer clean up equipment, C6 plants
easily meet all environmental agency pollution standards.
The results below are typical of a C6 plant operating with
one engine.
Contaminant European Waste Typical Result
Incineration
Directive Limits
CO 50 mg/m3 17.7 mg/m3
SOX 50 mg/m3 negligible
NOX 200 mg/m3 26.4 mg/m3
Dioxins & Furans 0.1 ng/m3 negligible
Particulates 10 mg/m3 0.1 mg/m3
TOCs 10 mg/m3 negligible
PLANT REVENUE MODEL Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion plants benefit from
multiple sources of revenue, which makes them less sensitive to
price variations in any particular area. AREC plants generate rev-
enues from:
Tipping fees (in the form of landfill taxes and gate fees) from
incoming waste.
The sale of electricity or fuel, often enhanced with renewa-
ble energy incentives.
The sale of recovered metals and other recyclable commodi-
ties, and (potentially) inert residue.
$
Power Sales
Other
Commodity Sales
$
Tipping Fees
$
ABOUT C6
Pyrolyzer and Engine
Low volume, non-hazardous
Autoclave and Dryer