Novus Pacific to build Full-Scale Oregon Renewable Energy Plant
By Katie Fletcher, Biomass Magazine.
Novus Pacific LLC will soon break ground on an approximately $20 million renewable energy plant at the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Oregon, upon finalizing its financial package. About one year after commencement, the plant is expected to produce biogas, organic fertilizer and clean water for sale as valuable commodities derived primarily from onion and potato waste.
Novus Energy has been testing its trademarked Novus Bio-Catalytic (NBC) system on a mobile, 50-foot semi-trailer-mounted demonstration plant. According to Jeff Zierdt, vice president of process operations with Novus, it was time to move forward with a full-scale plant. “It is really the right time, we’re a leading-edge technology; it’s a sweet spot in terms of the alternative fuels, the low-carbon economy that people are pushing towards, and we’ll have a positive impact on the climate,” Zierdt said.
The company’s NBC process differs from traditional anaerobic digestion (AD) systems in that it requires only about four days to convert waste to biogas instead of around 20 like other AD operations.