Environment
Defense Energy Support Center and Army Test Turning Waste Into Fuel
By
Oct 2, 2008 - 4:26:34 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - FT. BELVOIR, Va., -- Going Green takes a scientific leap forward as the Defense Energy Support Center and Army team together to test a new initiative to turn waste into fuel.

The prototype project involves a partnership with Bell BioEnergy Inc., Tifton, Ga., which is providing biomass test units to six participating Army installations and one Defense Logistics Agency site. The biomass test units employ new technologies to turn biodegradable waste into fuel, soil and other marketable products. DESC will test and evaluate these products to determine their potential use as diesel fuel.

"The ability to turn biodegradable waste into fuel has the potential to significantly reduce the Army's logistical footprint," said Paul Bollinger, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Energy and Partnerships. "By reducing our energy requirements at installations or Forward Operating Bases, we will enhance our energy security and make the Army more expeditionary. That's exactly what the Army requires to prevail in 21st century conflicts."

The units operate by breaking down biowaste products through a bacterial action with the potential capability of producing longer, unique hydrocarbon strands. This bacterial action occurs while releasing oil, which can then be processed to useable fuel; in this case diesel fuel is the target result. Additionally, one of the by products made from the process is potting soil that can be used on Army installations.

"The Department of Defense is committed to reducing the U.S. military's dependence on fossil fuels and reducing our operational footprint in the environment," said DESC Director Kim Huntley. "This prototype project is an important step to achieving this goal. This shows that the Department of Defense is committed to pushing the frontiers of science to ensure energy security for our military and a clean environment for our country and, indeed, the world."

Each mobile test unit is comprised of a 45-foot trailer with 10 reactor units, 10 fuel receivers and a control office. The control office staff will record and analyze the biodegradable waste, bacterial strain, fuel output and energy inputs.

DESC and BioEnergy specialists will oversee testing to ascertain and validate the hydrocarbon types produced by the test units and establish whether the fuel produced is usable. Testing will be conducted for one year before determining if the fuel output and waste breakdown is successful and ready for equipment testing.

DESC will reimburse the supporting Army installations for variable costs incurred with the new units, such as increased electricity and water charges for unit operations. However, installations will be able to provide the unit biowaste materials, which otherwise would be sent to landfills, thereby helping the Army to achieve its goal of environmental sustainability.

"Ultimately, the biomass units will allow us to reduce what goes into our landfill, reduce greenhouse gases and, most importantly, reduce our operational footprint in the environment," said Huntley.

DESC and Army officials plan to place the first mobile biomass unit at Fort Stewart, Ga., in October. Other installations scheduled to participate are Fort A.P. Hill, Va., Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Drum, N.Y. One unit will also operate at the Defense Fuel Support Point San Pedro, Calif.

"There are, necessarily, calculated risks when developing any new technology," Huntley said. "But it is through these types of forward-looking initiatives and calculated risks that great discoveries are made and progress is achieved. We owe it to our environment, our military forces, and future generations to keep moving forward in these efforts."

The Defense Energy Support Center is a field activity of the Defense Logistics Agency. DESC is responsible for providing the Department of Defense and other government agencies with comprehensive energy solutions and ensuring continuous energy support to America's warfighters worldwide.

The Defense Logistics Agency is DOD's largest logistics combat support agency. It provides supply support and technical and logistics services to the U.S. military services and several federal civilian agencies. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., the agency is the one source for nearly every consumable item, whether for combat readiness, emergency preparedness or day-to-day operations, inside the Department of Defense. For more information on DLA, please visit www.dla.mil.

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