Launching Bioproducts At An Ecoindustrial Incubator

In Business, Nov/Dec 2004 by Goldstein, Nora

Rutgers University EcoComplex in New Jersey gives commercial push to green fuels, liquid organic fertilizers, microturbine spinoffs and aquaculture.

IT'S NOT OFTEN you follow a garbage truck into a landfill and discover a whole new world of ecoentrepreiieurism. But turn into the Burlington County, New Jersey Resource Recovery Complex and you'll find just that, starting with the Rutgers University EcoComplex right by the entrance, which houses a sustainable business incubator. Further back in the complex, you'll discover a 46,000-sq. ft. greenhouse heated and powered by landfill gas. "When we developed the Master Plan for the Resource Recovery Complex in the late 1970s, it was always the county's intention to co-locate all of its solid waste processing, treatment, resource recovery and recycling facilities at the same location, as the landfill to take advantage of potential synergies - even though we were not sure of the full nature of the possibilities," recalls Robert Simkins, Director of the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex (RRC). Over the years, other solid waste operations have indeed co- located at the landfill, including a cocomposting facility, a household hazardous waste facility and a wood recycling operation. But the resource recovery park has evolved into something much broader - a home for innovation and entrepreneurship, research, education and technology development, all within a framework of a partnership between Burlington County and Rutgers University.

ENTER THE LANDFILL GAS

When the landfill opened in 1989, the county had a limited system in place to manage the landfill gas generated. During the first five years, it didn't appear to be an issue, as staff were not detecting any landfill gas odors. Then, in 1996, while Burlington County was in the process of going out to contract to have wells installed to capture methane, the odors hit. "They came fast and furiously," says Simkins. "That is when we had the wake-up call on landfill gas generation and management and knew we had to get more serious and aggressive about it." Flares were installed, but Simkins notes, it had always been part of the county's plan to recover the energy from the landfill gas. Discussions began in the early 1990s about building a cogeneration plant that would use the landfill gas to produce electricity. But Burlington County had other ideas as well, he explains. "When we were preparing the Master Plan, everyone agreed that the Complex would be a great place to do research, and a great place to teach students of all ages and the public at large about recycling, energy recovery, composting, and so forth. In addition, we had always wanted to develop a research and education relationship with Rutgers University, the state university."

An opportunity to collaborate with Rutgers arose shortly thereafter. The university had a small greenhouse on campus. Researchers had been working on a single cluster hydroponic tomato production system that had the potential to boost plant production in a shorter growing cycle. The university was looking for a place to demonstrate the production system and had been considering a location at a power plant, in order to take advantage of the waste heat. Robert Shinn, a former Burlington County Freeholder (county legislator) who had participated in development of the solid waste master plan, was serving at that time as a state legislator. "Mr. Shinn heard about the greenhouse project and spoke with the people at Rutgers," says Simkins. "After learning the details, he thought that would be an innovative project to bring to the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex, using the landfill gas to heat and light the greenhouse."

The Burlington County Board of Freeholders agreed to have the greenhouse constructed, using funds from landfill tipping fees. Rutgers designed the 46,000-sq. ft. facility, which opened in 1996. The boiler initially was fueled by propane until a gas line was run to the greenhouse. The landfill methane fueled the boiler, which in turn provided heating for the greenhouse. The single cluster (truss) tomato plants are grown at a high population density to maximize facility production. (Plants are topped-off above the first cluster of flowers, forcing the plant to channel its energy into the remaining cluster, yielding larger and more flavorful fruit.) Through an agreement with the Occupational Training Center (OTC) of Burlington County, the greenhouse provides employment for people with disabilities. A goal of the greenhouse program was to transfer the technology to growers. At the time it was constructed, it was estimated that there were more than 140 biogas generation sites in New Jersey that would be suitable for greenhouse operations. About two years ago, four 30 kW Capstone microturbines were installed outside of the greenhouse. The microturbiiies convert landfill gas into electricity that is used in the greenhouse, e.g. for growing lights. Waste heat is recovered from the turbines and used to heat the greenhouse when ambient temperatures require it.