VC&E created the "GenParks Project" to develop green energy parks ( GenParks) as sites for the Ventless Gasification Combustion System (VGCS). GenParks can be located anyplace where sufficient quantities gasification is economically available. Typically, there are two types of GenParks; these are urban and rural GenParks.
Urban GenParks
Our plan is to build urban GenParks at or nearby municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in communities with target populations over 50,000. Municipal solid waste (MSW) can be supplied to WWTPs from MSW transfer stations or materials recovery facilities. Such facilities are typically located near the sources of MSW and relatively short distance from MSW transfer stations and landfills.
Most cities convert green waste into compost that ends up being used for daily sanitary cover in landfills. The organic waste then creates methane , which is 21 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas (GHG). Landfill methane produced by organic waste is the second major source of man-made greenhouse gas in the US. Urban GenParks can process 100% of the organic waste created by the city, which then eliminates the need to cover the landfills in the first place. With little to no organic matter, landfills do not produce methane and subsequently the city doesn't need to waste tax dollars purchasing carbon credits for offsetting it.
The location of sufficient quantities of feedstock more defines where GenParks should be placed than the size of the rural population. Rural GenParks incorporating the VGCS can be located near agricultural processing centers or in forest areas, and can process many forms of waste and biomass other than MSW and biosolids. GenParks could be categorized according to the basic feedstocks locally available:
Agriculture GenParks are sited near food or fiber processing centers. Examples include rice, grain or cotton mills, or where there is a high-density of farms growing a variety of energy feedstocks such as switch grass, hemp, or water-cultured plants such as algae.
Feedlot GenParks are located at a cattle or dairy feedlot of about 100,000 cattle. Large feedlots for other animals are also included such as for feeding pigs and sheep. Large dairies or areas where several dairies or large feedlots are grouped together would be ideal locations for Feedlot GenParks.
Forestry GenParks located in forest areas can process timber and brush, especially in localities damaged by or at risk of fire, weather, and insect infestations. GenParks can also process "black liquor" and other waste produced by paper mills.
