The facility and process are completely clean, air and water will not be polluted, and waste materials like plastics, rubber and metal will be separated from the municipal solid waste (MSW) for recycling, said Agresti Biofuels.
Pike County, searching for a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to its current hollow landfill nearing capacity, voted to begin contract negotiations with Agresti for construction of the Central Appalachian ethanol plant.
When fully operational, the new plant could process as much as 1,500 tons of MSW per day. The county’s current landfill receives 400 tons of MSW per day.
The decision to move forward comes following announcements that the new US renewable fuel standards mandate the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. The Central Appalachian ethanol plant is expected to produce 20 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol and other saleable products derived from MSW by utilizing the GeneSyst process invented by James Titmas.
