Startech Environmental Corp. announced Tuesday that it will include its Plasma Converter system to produce hydrogen from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the 200 ton-per-day Las Tablas facility in the Republic of Panama. The Plasma Converter destroys MSW and in the process, provides a clean synthesis gas rich in hydrogen.
“The interest in hydrogen produced from various wastes has been re-invigorated since Ford recently announced its new Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Shuttle Bus program,” said Startech president Joseph F. Longo.
Since hydrogen has a wide combustion range of between 4 percent to 75 percent, hydrogen-fueled engines can use a wider range of air/fuel mixtures than gasoline engines. Also, since it does not have carbon atoms in the fuel, hydrogen combustion produces no hydrocarbon or carbon dioxide emissions.