Work has recently started on small scale fluid bed fast pyrolysis of contaminated waste wood at around 100 g/h in order to devise a better disposal method for such wastes combined with energy recovery. There are no results as yet.

5.11 INTERCHEM INDUSTRIES INC., USA

5.12.1 Summary

Interchem Industries Inc. was founded in 1985. Initial work to scale up an ablative fast pyrolysis process was carried out by Pyrotech Corporation to solve an energy deficit problem at a pulp mill at Samoa, California (49, 50). In 1989 the company entered into a consortium to develop and exploit the commercial potential of the NREL ablative pyrolysis process (see above) to produce a phenol adhesive substitute and an alternative fuel (51).

Although there were some early attempts to demonstrate the principles of pyrolysis in a vortex type reactor, the first significant plant was built in Springfield, Missouri for the conversion of sawmill wastes. Construction of the 32.7 M6 facility for the production of fuel oil and charcoal, referred to as a Petroleum Synthesis Unit, was completed in September 1990 and this was tested until 1992 (52, 53). The plant was redesigned and relocated and a new reactor was built based on the NREL vortex ablative reactor. This second plant was never completed and the project is understood to have been abandoned.