Article Number: 4650
Shaw expanding reclamation efforts by 75% annually, Will go to fuel ‘carpet-to-energy’ plant
DALTON—Shaw Industries plans to collect an additional 76 million pounds annually of reclaimed carpet materials to help fuel one of its plants here. The process is part of an initiative to construct a reclaimed carpet-to-energy facility (Re2E) that will provide steam and electricity to one of the mill’s carpet-making operations.
Believed to be the first energy plant in the world completely fueled from carpet materials, the Re2E facility will be constructed on existing property next to Plant 80 on South Hamilton Street, noted Gary Nichols, Shaw’s corporate energy manager, with a completion date targeted for the fourth quarter of 2010.
This will be Shaw’s second alternative fuel-to-energy operation in five years. The current facility, located at the company’s Plant 81 here, converts approximately 36 million pounds of combined postindustrial carpet and wood manufacturing by-products to steam energy through a gasification process.
Gasification works by superheating waste, allowing synthetic gases to be released while leaving most pollutants, such as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, in the ash instead of the air, thus removing tiny particles that can contribute to poor air quality.
The company states that emissions from the gasification process are about the same as those from clean-burning natural gas.
The new Re2E facility will use only carpet materials as a fuel source, and a solid fuel boiler that is built by Hurst Boiler, a Georgia company. Rick Ramirez, Shaw’s vice president of sustainability, said, “a very large part of the 76-millionpound total is expected to originate from post-consumer carpet collected through Shaw’s carpet reclamation network.
“This project allows Shaw to address three main priorities,” he added, “energy cost stability, landfill diversion and growth of our post-consumer carpet reclamation network.”
Ramirez said the facility will also support Shaw’s goal of 10% alternative energy sources by 2017, along with the company’s waste reduction objectives, as well as the Carpet America Recovery Effort’s existing landfill diversion goal of 40%. “This environmentally responsible initiative serves to underscore the company’s core sustainability position.”
The Re2E plant is projected to provide up to 50 thousand pounds of steam per hour, which equates to more than 90% of the carpet plant’s steam demands.
In addition, the operation will supply the fuel preparation building with half of its electricity, or approximately 3.5 mil-lion kilowatt hours per year, which is equivalent to the average annual electrical usage of 300 households.
Nichols noted, over its lifetime the plant will generate “significant savings. Unstable long-term fossil fuel costs are a key opportunity we’re addressing through alternative energy sources like Re2E.”
Despite the anticipated savings from the Re2E plant, he said the company has no current plans to build carpet-to-energy facilities at every Shaw manufacturing plant.
“We are, however, evaluating additional locations and alternative energy sources,” he concluded. “We look at alternative energy as an interim step on our constant journey toward business and environmental sustainability.”
For more information, contact Shaw at 800.441.7429.
Believed to be the first energy plant in the world completely fueled from carpet materials, the Re2E facility will be constructed on existing property next to Plant 80 on South Hamilton Street, noted Gary Nichols, Shaw’s corporate energy manager, with a completion date targeted for the fourth quarter of 2010.
This will be Shaw’s second alternative fuel-to-energy operation in five years. The current facility, located at the company’s Plant 81 here, converts approximately 36 million pounds of combined postindustrial carpet and wood manufacturing by-products to steam energy through a gasification process.
Gasification works by superheating waste, allowing synthetic gases to be released while leaving most pollutants, such as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, in the ash instead of the air, thus removing tiny particles that can contribute to poor air quality.
The company states that emissions from the gasification process are about the same as those from clean-burning natural gas.
The new Re2E facility will use only carpet materials as a fuel source, and a solid fuel boiler that is built by Hurst Boiler, a Georgia company. Rick Ramirez, Shaw’s vice president of sustainability, said, “a very large part of the 76-millionpound total is expected to originate from post-consumer carpet collected through Shaw’s carpet reclamation network.
“This project allows Shaw to address three main priorities,” he added, “energy cost stability, landfill diversion and growth of our post-consumer carpet reclamation network.”
Ramirez said the facility will also support Shaw’s goal of 10% alternative energy sources by 2017, along with the company’s waste reduction objectives, as well as the Carpet America Recovery Effort’s existing landfill diversion goal of 40%. “This environmentally responsible initiative serves to underscore the company’s core sustainability position.”
The Re2E plant is projected to provide up to 50 thousand pounds of steam per hour, which equates to more than 90% of the carpet plant’s steam demands.
In addition, the operation will supply the fuel preparation building with half of its electricity, or approximately 3.5 mil-lion kilowatt hours per year, which is equivalent to the average annual electrical usage of 300 households.
Nichols noted, over its lifetime the plant will generate “significant savings. Unstable long-term fossil fuel costs are a key opportunity we’re addressing through alternative energy sources like Re2E.”
Despite the anticipated savings from the Re2E plant, he said the company has no current plans to build carpet-to-energy facilities at every Shaw manufacturing plant.
“We are, however, evaluating additional locations and alternative energy sources,” he concluded. “We look at alternative energy as an interim step on our constant journey toward business and environmental sustainability.”
For more information, contact Shaw at 800.441.7429.
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