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Covanta approved to turn papermaking waste into energy

Paper manufacturer Crane and Company knows a thing or two about making money – it provides much of the paper on which US banknotes are printed.

Now the company is set to make a little more currency for itself by making use of its paper-making waste as an energy source.

Crane & Co., will work on the project with energy-from-waste specialist Covanta Holding Corporation, which runs a combined heat and power plant nextdoor to its papermill in Pittsfield.

The Pittsfield Resource Recovery Facility has provided steam to drive Crane’s manufacturing processes and heat its buildings since 1981.

Covanta said yesterday it has now been cleared by the Masachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to demonstrate the processing of Crane’s old papermaking by-products.

The non-hazardous material is located in three storage areas not used since the 1980s.

Work on the project is set to start toward the end of this year.

Pride

Arthur Sanders, U.S. Government Products Production Manager at Crane Currency, said: “We worked together to develop an innovative solution for the disposition of accumulated paper fibers in beds no longer used by Crane & Co. We take pride in our environmental stewardship and we look forward to working with Covanta on this project as well as others where mutual opportunities exist.”

If the testing proves successful, Covanta could end up turning up to five million gallons of diluted waste fibers into energy each year.

The papermaking byproducts on Crane property look set to provide energy for between 10 and 13 years.

“We are excited that MassDEP has approved the project and we can begin work with Crane & Co. on this important environmental initiative,” said Stephen Diaz, Covanta Energy Vice President and Regional Business Manager. “Working together, in partnership with Crane, we will be utilizing a wasted resource and converting it into much needed renewable energy.”

The Pittsfield plant provides 3.5 million kilowatt-hours of power each year along with 400 million pounds of steam, allowing Crane to avoid using 16,000 gallons of oil each day.