Masada to produce ethanol from
municipal solid waste in the Dominican Republic
Masada Resource Group, LLC of Birmingham,
Alabama, has teamed with RJ Zapata & Associates S.A., one of the largest
privately-owned groups of waste management companies in the Dominican Republic,
to develop and operate commercial scale waste-to-ethanol and electricity
production facilities in the country. The two companies signed a long term
joint venture agreement to build facilities in the Dominican Republic that
will produce fuel-grade ethanol and electricity from ordinary household
garbage. Rafael Zapata, president of
RJ Zapata, brokered the Zapata-Masada deal. “This
is a historic moment for the Dominican Republic,” said Zapata. “This
partnership allows us to dispose of the City of Santo Domingo East’s
municipal solid waste and create up to 30 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol
annually and substantial electrical power in the process. This is a win-win
situation for everybody involved.” Working
with the U.S. Government’s Department of Energy and Tennessee
Valley Authority over the past decade, Masada developed and patented the
innovative CES OxyNol process that converts household garbage into ethanol
and other beneficial byproducts. Masada’s pilot plant operations were
located at the Tennessee Valley site. The company’s first U.S. commercial
waste-to- ethanol facility is slated for construction in Orange County, New
York, and will handle 800 tons of garbage per day. RJ
Zapata will be Masada’s exclusive waste-to-ethanol partner for
the Dominican Republic under the 20-year agreement. The ethanol and other
byproducts created at the Zapata-Masada waste-to-ethanol facilities can
be sold locally or exported to other markets.
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