PowerHouse Energy has developed a proprietary distributed modular gasification process targeting single-use plastics and end-of-life tires as feedstocks while coupling as a distributed hydrogen generator. In November 2018, it acquired a Statement of Feasibility from DNV-GL qualifying its process as capable of producing more than a ton of fuel-quality hydrogen per day along with more than 28 megawatts of electricity per day.

Waste-to-energy

Traditional waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste (MSW) in order to generate heat, steam and electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that 30 million tons of combustible MSW were converted into 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2016. Biomass materials accounted for the majority of the combustible MSW while non-biomass combustible MSW, primarily single-use plastics, comprised a lesser portion while contributing to 49% of the electricity generated.

Combustible MSW is primarily used to generate steam and is often mixed with other fuel sources in a cogeneration plant. These methods are successful in managing solid waste but generate greenhouse gases.

Distributed modular gasification (DMG)

PowerHouse Energy presents DMG as a sustainable method of managing organic MSW. The core of the DMG process is a single-stage thermal conversion chamber that converts any biomass or carbonaceous waste stream into synthesis gas (syngas). The system operates at ultra-high temperatures to demolecularize the feedstock and create a stream of syngas that is rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide along with small amounts of methane.

The DMG system also includes a series of cyclones, quench and wash chambers, and desiccant gas dryers that collectively act to neutralize and precipitate out unwanted byproducts from the syngas stream. Clean syngas is then fed into a pressure swing absorption unit that effectively separates hydrogen from the syngas.

PowerHouse Energy states that it can tune its system to produce commercially valuable chemical precursors or electricity, or to capture a stream of fuel-quality hydrogen gas. The system is set to enter a commercialization phase and can be equipped with fuel cells and gas-powered electrical generators.

PowerHouse Energy is now engaging with Toyota Tsusho in hopes of forming a strategic partnership in which Toyota will be able to capitalize on DMG technology to support fuel cell vehicles. They are marketing their proprietary DMG process as the industry’s most efficient, economical and environmentally friendly modular waste-to-energy system.