Sustainable Living-Taylor Biomass
By Shawn Dell Joyce
Biomass is the “ugly duckling” of renewable energy sources because it most often utilizes garbage. Garbage as a fuel source is not as glamorous as solar energy, or as eye-catching as wind turbines. Biomass is not a new idea, as Americans used it in World War II in the form of wood alcohol. China has used a simplified version of biomass in composting pits for heat and cooking. As a renewable energy source, the leading edge of research around the world is right here in Orange County; Taylor Biomass in Montgomery.
Jim Taylor is the CEO of Taylor Biomass, and a gentle, unassuming man who looks like he would be more at home in blue jeans than a suit and tie. Taylor graduated from Valley Central High School, and started a tree pruning business rather than go to college. He built his business from scratch, often enlisting the labor of his family members until he could hire more employees.
Today Taylor runs one of the most successful recycling plants in the world. The Environmental Protection Agency promotes Taylor Recycling as a model. Taylor is so successful that inquiries are pouring in from China, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Taylor’s philosophy is to “keep waste out of the ground” (meaning landfills). He currently employs about seventy-five workers, and is very proud to say that Taylor Recycling has never had a death or disability.
Taylor’s mission in life is unfolding as Taylor Biomass; a waste recovery center that will convert 500 tons of waste into approximately 25 Megawatts of electric power, daily. That’s enough to power 25,000 homes. The primary product is a synthesis gas that is used to generate electricity. By products from this process include silica ash that could be used for concrete, and a small amount of emissions, less than 100 tons per year. This is the same amount of emissions generated by the electric and heating use of 10 average houses.
The way it works is municipal waste is trucked into the enclosed tip floor where it is sorted by machines. Recyclable materials are removed, and household hazardous waste and rubber are removed, resulting in 13% waste to landfills rather than the initial 550 tons per day. The resulting material is fed into a gasifier where it comes into contact with super hot sand and steam. No air is present so it doesn’t combust or smoke; instead the organic biomass portion of garbage is converted into a gas. The gas passes through a conditioning reactor to remove the contaminants. The cleaned gas is used to efficiently generate electricity.
Taylor points out that “the waste generated locally could be used to produce electricity to use locally.” This would eliminate the emission created by trucking the waste to Pennsylvania landfills, and lengthy power lines cutting through towns to meet power needs. Taylor could become our new local power utility company.
So what’s holding back this revolutionary garbage-to-electricity plant? Taylor is in the midst of a regulatory process which involves the Town of Montgomery, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Public Service Commission. Taylor Biomass combines the two most regulated business permit processes into one business model, making a regulatory nightmare.
“When you’re the first, you invent the process and write the rules,” says Taylor. He’s referring to the legislative difficulties his facility has faced due to the fact that “biomass” and “gasifier” are not terms most agencies understand.
“Depending on how fast we could bring this process to fruition, Montgomery could become green powered.” Taylor explains he will pay a “host community fee.” Part of this fee would include preferred customer prices for taking in garbage from the township of Montgomery, Walden and Maybrook, and lower priced renewable energy for all municipal buildings.
The Taylor Biomass facility will not only create electricity, but also jobs. High tech jobs in particular, which is something sorely needed in Montgomery. “I’ll be creating 24 jobs for the gasifier, 50 new jobs in processing and 40 High Tech jobs in the corporate head quarters,” explains Taylor. “Orange County College graduates will be given first consideration.” Taylor is firmly committed to using local labor and materials to construct his facility, and hiring local graduates to run it.
Let’s give this local green business our full support for the good of our community and the planet.
