U.S. Special Operations Squadron Extends Contract With Canadian Firm

May 20, 2012. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

PyroGenesis of Montreal which designs, develops and manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products, recently announced that the U.S. Air Force 1st Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron (1 SOCES) extended the first option period of its 18-month contract with the firm. That contract is to operate, maintain and collect operations data on its Plasma Resource Recovery System (PRRS) at the Air Force’s base in Hurlburt Field, Florida.

More from the company’s press release:

PyroGenesis designed and manufactured the PRRS, which uses plasma to convert waste to energy and usable products. The system began operational testing at the Florida Air Force base late last year.

The contract includes three sequential option periods. The first option period of performance began on October 1, 2011 and has now increased from 7 to 9.25 months in length. The second option period is five months; and the third option period is for six months. The total value of the contact is approximately $2.73 million.

“This extension allows us to make additional improvements to our plasma waste to energy technology while further validating its performance in a commercial, land-based setting” said P. Peter Pascali, President and Chief Executive Officer of PyroGenesis.

The 10.5-ton per day facility at the Air Force’s base in Florida is a state-of the-art waste management and energy production system that is designed to convert solid wastes into energy and reusable by-products. Specifically, it combines the advanced processes of plasma gasification and vitrification into one system to further break down solid waste into molecular components for use as a fuel to an internal combustion engine to produce electricity. The objective will be to operate the PRRS system 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a continuous, cost-effective and efficient manner.

The Company believes the technology at the Hurlburt Field, Florida site is the only commercial plasma gasification facility in North America that has successfully demonstrated the ability to convert unsorted municipal solid waste into electricity.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada is an environmental solutions company that designs, develops and manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products. PyroGenesis’ proprietary plasma technologies utilize the intense energy of plasma to gasify and vitrify virtually any type of waste without producing hazardous by-products. PyroGenesis’ patented gasification and vitrification technology is different from incineration because it produces a clean synthetic gas from waste, which can be used for power generation. PyroGenesis’ technology can also turn waste into a glassy rock that can be utilized as construction material. PyroGenesis has marquee defense industry and civilian customers that are using its technology in marine and land-based applications. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com