Pacific Region Bioenergy Partnership

Commercialization Panel: How do we get from Here to There?

The commercialization panel presented existing facilities of intermediate and small scale that are moving toward sustainable enterprise.

  • Jerry Bartlett representing Cedar Grove Composting talked about two critical needs for developing and expanding composting and digester business. He stated that stable long term material resources contracts and market tested predictable processing systems are key requirements for the company. The company is in the process of selecting an anaerobic digester company to expand the facility in north Everett to produce methane gas for energy or fuels. Cedar Grove will invest in commercially proven technology operating on similar materials.  Presentation: "Challenges to Implementing a Sustainable Organics Diversion Facility"
  • Eric Leber provided a counterpoint to the certainty needed with composting operators. His small scale facility is based on high value products extracted from a limited resource in grape pomace. Grape pomace has been determined a dangerous waste when piled and left unattended. This is due to spontaneous combustion that readily occurs from the biological and chemical reactivity. He emphasized that AprèsVin was taking substantial economic risk to establish a business in niche markets of high value food oils and flours, and inks and dyes among other products. AprèsVin is seeking to establish other high value products. Eric restated the basic beyond waste message, "these materials are not waste, they are resources."  Presentaion:  "Recovering Value from Organic Waste Materials…Winecycling"

Commercialization Panel: How do we get from Here to There?

The commercialization panel presented existing facilities of intermediate and small scale that are moving toward sustainable enterprise.

  • Jerry Bartlett representing Cedar Grove Composting talked about two critical needs for developing and expanding composting and digester business. He stated that stable long term material resources contracts and market tested predictable processing systems are key requirements for the company. The company is in the process of selecting an anaerobic digester company to expand the facility in north Everett to produce methane gas for energy or fuels. Cedar Grove will invest in commercially proven technology operating on similar materials.  Presentation: "Challenges to Implementing a Sustainable Organics Diversion Facility"
  • Eric Leber provided a counterpoint to the certainty needed with composting operators. His small scale facility is based on high value products extracted from a limited resource in grape pomace. Grape pomace has been determined a dangerous waste when piled and left unattended. This is due to spontaneous combustion that readily occurs from the biological and chemical reactivity. He emphasized that AprèsVin was taking substantial economic risk to establish a business in niche markets of high value food oils and flours, and inks and dyes among other products. AprèsVin is seeking to establish other high value products. Eric restated the basic beyond waste message, "these materials are not waste, they are resources."  Presentaion:  "Recovering Value from Organic Waste Materials…Winecycling"