From Wastewaters to Clean Water and Clean Energy
Concern about greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and the prospective impact that both will have on the environment and the future health of the population are at an all time high. Over 90% of the world’s population views global climate change as a serious problem and 65% feel it is necessary to take action very soon to address it (Program on International Policy Attitudes 2007). Governments, municipalities, companies and individual consumers have all taken notice and begun to take initiatives designed to reduce the impact that each has on global warming. Individuals have taken initiatives ranging from increasing the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, buying more energy efficient appliances, and replacing light bulbs with more energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs (National Resources Defense Council 2008). Meanwhile, governments, municipalities and utility companies have pursued strategies ranging from increasing the fuel efficiency of their vehicle fleets, promoting tree planting and shading, making buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources (US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement 2007, Duke Energy 2008).
As of late, corporations have also made a conscious attempt to be more environmentally sustainable. Corporations such as IBM and British Petroleum (BP) have even gone as far as integrate concerns for the environment, climate change and energy conservation into their business mission and values (IBM 2008, BP 2008). A recent survey of the FT500 (the worlds 500 largest companies by market capitalization) reveals that 95% of companies that view climate change to be a commercial risk have implemented a greenhouse gas reduction program with specific benchmarks and target dates (Lee 2007). These actions are consistent with a growing trend within the corporate community to develop more a socially responsible mission and devise strategies to minimize their company’s impact on the environment (Science Daily 2007). Such policies are not only attractive to consumers and employees but have long term profit ramifications as well.
Taking a cue from their constituents and their corporate cousins, municipalities within the United States have committed themselves to improving their environmental policies. US mayors representing 780 cities (as of 2-6-2008) ranging from San Diego, California to Belfast, Maine have signed an agreement committing themselves to conform to the greenhouse gas emission standards advocated in the 1990 Kyoto Protocol. In doing so, they’ve embarked on strategies to reduce their community’s environmental impact by exacting initiatives consistent with the mission of Cascade Clean Energy ():
- Evaluate opportunities to increase efficiency in water and wastewater systems
- Recover wastewater treatment methane for energy production
- Converting vehicle fleets to biodiesel
- Increase the use of clean, alternative energy
Service and Product Design for Target Markets
Following are service and product initiatives that are consistent with the needs of our target markets as well as those of secondary markets.
Services
Technology Integration
- Water and Wastewater Industries: government agencies, private companies and water districts. Combine the CASCADE System with existing systems to improve the overall efficiency of wastewater treatment and biogas production..
- Food Processing Industry: food waste streams converted into usable energy and usable water. MFC combined with methane bioreactor.
- Remote Communities: power, water supply and wastewater treatment.
Products
Methane Bioreactor
- Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities
- Plant upgrades, replace aging infrastructure.
- Community Applications
- Communities without ass to municipal plants especially on Islands, remote areas or in environmentally sensitive areas.
- Existing Plant Retrofits
- Many older plants do not meet new regulations. The USBF process provides excellent treatment and meets all of the newest regulations
MFC
- Food Processing
- Breweries, wineries, and other plants emit waste streams that we turn into power and usable water.
- Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Disruptive technology that can optimize the wastewater treatment process by decreasing the amount of power required for treatment and to directly create a renewable energy source.
Our core competency and primary point of differentiation is the ability to implement water and wastewater treatment and alternative energy technology solutions in an integrative manner. Initially, our focus will be on three main market sectors: alternative energy (generated by biomass & fuel cells), and water purification and wastewater treatment. Integration of technologies through produces a “system of systems” as a unique product in and of itself. This integrated solution is something few others cann provide and what distinguishes us from our competitors. Expanding our sales and service of the United States mainland to China and the Pacific Rim is something we are also currently engaged in.
As we have outlined, CCE pursues projects to bring innovative products to market based on anticipated potential and demand in a given geographical and socioeconomic region. In addition, CCE looks for technologies and products that can be integrated with other technologies we are working with to create a unique solution to customers’ specific problems. This allows us to tackle complex projects with solutions that address multiple issues with a single system-of-systems approach based on our CASECADE and engineering expertise.
These systems-of-systems represent a continuing source of intellectual property for CCE to develop and exploit with R&D from within and allows us to continually offer innovative, economical, and environmentally sustainable project solutions and services while maintaining our leadership in identifying and marketing state-of-the-art technology.
Water and Wastewater Treatment
CCE’s partners have experience and knowledge in water and wastewater treatment applications. Waste treatment is a mature industry where many things have been done the same way for almost a hundred years. Thus, our greatest advantage with this product line is our knowledge and utilization of those cutting edge technologies that reduce costs of such projects in the areas of initial capital outlay, ongoing O&M and energy use and/or production.
Alternative/Renewable Energy
CCE is establishing working alliance with fuel cell and micro-turbine manufacturers to promote waste to energy power production. These systems will incorporate products as a supplement to harness process methane waste gas in the wastewater treatment plants for conversion to electrical energy. Utilizing this type system for producing electricity is typically 20% more efficient and reliable than a traditional reciprocating engine.
We are also working on a proof of concept pilot plant to develop a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The MFC technology has many applications in harvesting energy directly from a waste stream.
Biofuel awareness has increased markedly in the last five years, with ethanol attracting the most attention. However, processing corn into ethanol requires a great deal of both seed energy and water and has chosen to focus on other ethanol production methods as well as the promise of methane and hydrogen produced from waste products. We are uniquely positioned to pursue these existing and emergent technologies due to our associations in the industry.