U.S. Army picks QinetiQ for waste disposal system

Farnborough, England-based QinetiQ (LON:QQ) said today it has been awarded a £1.5 million ($2.4 million), three-year contract to deliver its containerized waste disposal system to the U.S. Army.

The system uses pyrolysis—the chemical decomposition of organic substances through heating. The device is able to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and process up to 100 kilograms of municipal solid waste per hour, according to QinetiQ.

The company provides technology-based products and services to the UK and U.S. defense, security and related sectors, including a solar-powered unmanned, lightweight carbon fiber aircraft (see QinetiQ claims record flight for solar UAV).

The self-sustaining PyTEC system reclaims up to 500 kilowatts of the thermal energy from the waste per hour, some of which is expected to be used to sustain a process for electricity generation.

The process is also expected to help the Army reduce operating costs when compared to incineration or using outside contractors for other methods of waste management and disposal.

The system is in the design, demonstration and testing phase, with plant commissioning and testing expected to start next spring and delivery by mid-2010. This would be followed by an extended evaluation period.

The program is being funded by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense through the Foreign Comparative Testing program. It’s expected to result in the acquisition of more than 10 systems.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy offered $7 million to seven projects that could improve the conversion of biomass to advanced biofuels using pyrolysis (see US DOE offering more funds for biomass).