Stanley Young, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, said that agency would have to do an analysis to determine if E-Fuel has a smaller carbon footprint than coal.
But he said the EnerTech plant undoubtedly offers a more innovative method of sewage disposal than the alternatives, which include incinerating the sludge, dumping it in landfills or using it as a fertilizer.
The plant was designed and built over six years at a cost of $160 million in partnership with the city of Rialto, which leases the land to the company.
Robb Steel, Rialto's economic development director, said in 20 years the city expects the project to yield $8 million, which includes payments from the lease, tipping fees, and utility and property taxes. EnerTech also gave the city $7 million in costs and fees.
Eco-Industry
Other cities trucking waste to the Rialto plant wanted similar projects but encountered opposition from constituents, Steel said.
"We wanted to be a showcase for green technology, and we had a great site for it," said Steel.
EnerTech said it is planning an expansion that would double its E-Fuel output in three years. Steel said the EnerTech facility is the anchor for what will ultimately become Eco-Industrial Park, 24 acres featuring waste recycling technologies.
Los Angeles-based Rentech Inc. plans to build within the park a plant that will turn green waste such as yard clippings into clean-burning synthetic fuels.
Also, Chevron Energy Solutions is building a plant at the adjacent Rialto wastewater treatment plant to convert sludge and kitchen grease from local restaurants into methane and ultimately electricity through the use of fuel cells.
Reach Leslie Berkman at 951 368-9223 or at lberkman@PE.com
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