NEW-COM NEWS STORIES

Below are news articles from New-Com and other sources. We want our supporters to be as informed as possible about the latest news dealing with the construction industry, New-Com and its family of companies.

October 25, 2011

RE-EMERGING GROWTH

While operational economics may be difficult for some in the biodiesel industry, others, such as Keystone Biofuels LLC, a 20 MMgy multifeedstock facility in Lower Allen Township, Pa., are finding that favorable market conditions, spurred on by state and federally mandated biodiesel volume requirements coupled with the $1 per-gallon federal biodiesel blender tax credit and sustained Renewable Identification Number prices, are creating ideal opportunities to reinvest in their facilities by expanding staff or making significant plant upgrades.


Keystone President and owner Ben Wooten tells Biodiesel Magazine that plant upgrades were always a focus since the company moved its production facility from Shiremanstown to Lower Allen Township in January. The efficiency upgrades made at the plant, according to Wooten, include a methanol recovery system for recapture of methanol in biodiesel and glycerin for reuse, in addition to switching from water-wash to dry-wash finishing. He adds that the installation of demetholizer equipment will increase production capacity from 20 MMgy to 60 MMgy. While the plant is operating on the new upgraded equipment, Wooten adds that he intends to have the plant operate at half-speed through December to monitor performance before adding 14 new employees in a second shift that will monitor the increase of production volume by early next year.


“When you go through the experience of a new industry, you learn a lot very quickly,” Wooten says, adding that he’s already sold out of product through the end of the year. “With a new plant, we were able to do the things we wanted to have that we couldn’t have in the old plant.”


Wooten says the plant size increased from 15,000 square feet at its old Shiremanstown site to 60,000 square feet in Lower Allen Township. The new plant also features a 26-car rail spur for improved load-in and load-out of product, built-in containment with steam for use during the winter and an additional 1.2 million gallons of biodiesel storage, adding that he managed to finance the upgrades without bank financing.


“That was the biggest challenge,” he says. “Most of the money came through equipment leases and then we sold a small stake in the company to some private investors to raise some capital to finish off what we were doing.”


In Nevada, Biodiesel of Las Vegas has resurrected its 4 MMgy production facility outside of Las Vegas. The plant, which operated from 2004 through 2008, had closed due to the economic downturn. Today, BLV, a subsidiary of parent company New-Com Inc., has reinvested $65 million in equipment and infrastructure upgrades in order to operate more efficiently and economically heading into 2012, according to Ryan Geurts, marketing specialist for BLV.


The plant has its own rail yard for efficient delivery of inbound and outbound product and the company plans to incrementally increase production capacity to 15 MMgy by the end of next year, Geurts says, adding that the company has already taken pre-sell orders for biodiesel and negotiations with high-profile strategic partners are also in the works.


“We’re getting a lot of inquiries and there’s a lot of excitement even with local consumers,” Geurts says, adding the plant is expected to be in full production by end of the fourth quarter. “We’re not open to the public in that sense, but to see that people are jumping onboard excited about an alternative fuel like that makes us feel good about the market.”

Story by Bryan Sims

Source - biodieselmagazine.com

September 12, 2011

ALWAYS ON TRACK

A new centrifuge dewatering facility is uniquein both design and operation and will help the Clark County (Nev.) Water Reclamation District meet future demands, produce higher-quality biosolids, simplify dewatering and truck loading operations, and reduce operating costs.

The $125 million dewatering project, constructed by MMC, Inc. went online in May 2010 to replace recessed-chamber filter presses, which were reaching their end of life and were operating at capacity. “The district wanted a process that could dewater 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with minimal operator attention,” says Bruce Johnson, project manager for the designer, CH2M HILL. “While the facility is complex to accommodate a variety of operational scenarios, it is actually quite simple to operate.”

At the heart of the new facility for the 150 mgd Las Vegas wastewater treatment plant are eight high-speed, 30-inch-diameter Andritz D7LL centrifuges that work much like the spin cycle on a clothes washer, according to Mark Binney, director of operations.

Water is separated from the solids as the centrifuge spins at 2,600 rpm. The water is returned to the headworks for further treatment, and the solids are stored for landfilling. The project is designed to process an average of 180 dry tons of biosolids per day with a peak capacity of 230 tons. Its unique features include:

Automation to allow around-the-clock operation with minimal operational staff, and during unmanned shifts.

Ability to dewater undigested primary and thickened waste activated sludge separately or blended.

Polymer feed systems that allow for use of two different polymers at the same time, one for primary sludge and one for waste activated sludge.

A fully automated and enclosed truck facility that loads a truck in about five minutes and minimizes the potential for spills.

A two-stage odor-control system to minimize odors inside and outside.

Operations
Biosolids enter the centrifuges at 3 to 5 percent solids and come out at 24 to 38 percent solids, depending on whether they are separated or blended. “By separating the sludges, it is possible to reduce the amount of phosphorous sent back to the plant,” explains Johnson. “When the sludges are separated, primary sludge can be dewatered to 36 to 38 percent solids and waste activated sludge can be dewatered to 22 to 24 percent solids. When the sludges are blended, it is possible to get 26 to 28 percent solids.”

The old process could achieve about 26 percent solids, Binney notes, but it was much more labor intensive. The sludges were not treated separately, and trucks had to be loaded directly from the presses at the end of each cycle because there was no storage for dewatered cake.

Operators have been able to improve the new system so that the centrifuges can take a higher loading than anticipated — about 5,000 pounds per hour — while reducing polymer use to 7.5 pounds per ton, about half of what was expected.

With treatment plant flows of around 100 mgd, the biosolids facility can meet demand with only two of the eight centrifuges, creating even more flexibility, extending equipment life, and reducing power costs.

In addition to these improvements, says Johnson, “Operators have found that by blending the sludge, they can reduce the odors in the feed storage tanks. That eliminated the need to add ferric chloride and helps increase the loading rate to the centrifuges. At the same time, it was found that only a small amount of ferric chloride, 0.7 gpm, is required in the water returning to the headworks to tie up phosphorous.”

The dewatering facility’s two 376,000-gallon storage tanks, polymer and chemical mixing and feed systems, dewatered biosolids storage, the truck loading facility, and the odor-control system are all housed in a four-story building of contemporary design to blend into the surroundings. One challenge was the site, a mile from the treatment plant. A pump station transfers sludges to the dewatering facility.

Flexible and expandable
The system can operate automatically with some unique measurements, like total suspended solids in the sludge coming into the centrifuges and in the centrate going out. The measurements automatically trigger changes in the polymer feed to optimize the dewatering process even during unmanned operation. “When it comes to creating a good biosolids cake with minimal operator attention, it provides a great deal of flexibility,” says Binney.

Two different polymers can be added at any of four locations to optimize the process. A testing facility helps the staff evaluate new polymers by testing them on only one centrifuge.

Stronger odors are treated through a two-stage process of packed-bed biotowers and organic media biofilters. More diluted odors from the truck loading bays can be treated with the biofilters alone. “It’s very seldom that you smell odors outside the plant, and you smell them only in certain rooms inside the plant, such as in the truck loading bays during loading,” says Binney.

Truck loading
The enclosed truck loading facility is also unique: Johnson describes it as being “as simple and automated as possible.” A driver pulls into the bay, and the doors close automatically. The driver enters maximum load limits for the vehicle and is directed by signal lights to the hopper that is the most full.

The driver starts the loading process with a remote control and watches the truck fill on a monitor. When the load begins to reach the vehicle limit, loading is stopped and the total load amount is displayed. The door opens, and the truck is directed forward through an automatic tire wash to make sure no biosolids are tracked off site.

The improved dewatering process has reduced the volume trucked to the landfill by a local refuse hauler, and it also saves on tipping fees. Landfilling has been found to be the most economical disposition for biosolids in the Las Vegas area. The cost of hauling and landfilling is about $20 per wet ton.

In the future, as landfilling costs increase, it may become more feasible to reuse biosolids, such as for a soil amendment. The dewatering facility was laid out to minimize the impacts of adding a drying or pelletizing facility. The centrifuge feed tanks were designed so that they could be used as digesters for an energy recovery system.

The new dewatering facility provides a sound biosolids management solution today, with flexibility for even better things in the years ahead.


Source - tpomag.com

August 15, 2011

COMPANY BACK IN THE BIODIESEL BUSINESS

RETURN OF COMPANY MEANS OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS WHO SELL USED YELLOW GREASE

The resurrection of Biodiesel of Las Vegas means new business opportunities for oil recycling companies in the valley.

Biodiesel of Las Vegas operated from 2004 to 2008, but it closed due to financial constraints. Before its closure, the company purchased used yellow grease from Renu Oil, Baker Commodities and Darling International. The purchased grease was blended with soybean oil to create the resulting biodiesel.

By next month, Biodiesel of Las Vegas hopes to renew those old partnerships and begin manufacturing again.

"Prior to them being shut down, we had a really good relationship with them," said Raul Salas, an owner of Renu Oil.

The two companies are in talks to negotiate a contract that would begin when Biodiesel of Las Vegas is ready to conduct business again. Greg Paulk, president of Biodiesel of Las Vegas, is overseeing construction on the company's new facility, a project that has been idle for two years because of the economic downturn.

"We're dedicated to finishing this thing," Paulk said. "We'd already had that money committed so we wanted to make it a working asset instead of an idle asset."

Upon completion, New-Com Inc., Biodiesel of Las Vegas' parent company, will have invested $65 million into rebuilding Biodiesel of Las Vegas.

"We hope to be producing mid-October," Paulk said.

Biodiesel of Las Vegas' product then should be ready to wholesale to distributors. In one year, the company plans to produce 30 million gallons of biofuel. Because his product is an actively traded commodity, Paulk couldn't put a dollar amount on what revenue could be generated in a year.

"It's driven by Wall Street more than reality," Paulk said. "We do, generally, a lot of yellow grease here. There are no real numbers on what's out there."

When the facility is up and running, 35 full-time jobs will be created.

"It benefits us because when we work with Southern California companies, most deduct you for freight," Salas said. "I'd rather work with a local company."

Because there is no other biodiesel manufacturer in Las Vegas, there is no other company to which local oil recyclers can sell their collected product in Southern Nevada. Turnaround time in the yellow grease industry is paramount. The faster you get your oil to a biodiesel manufacturer, the more you can earn.

"The longer it sits, the worse quality it becomes," Salas said.

New-Com Inc. also operates TAB Contractors; MMC, a water and wastewater construction company; and Acme Electric. The company plans to use its 20 percent biodiesel blend in its 1,000-unit construction fleet each summer. Its 5 percent blend will be available at local fuel pumps.

Biodiesel created in Southern Nevada from Southern Nevada resources could prove to be worth the trouble for New-Com and Biodiesel of Las Vegas.

Nevada Revised Statute 486A states that any public entity operating a fleet of vehicles must use a form of biodiesel to help cut down on toxic emissions.

Clark County School District's 1,547-unit school bus fleet, for instance, runs off a 5 percent biodiesel blend that its transportation department purchases from Rebel Oil. Jon Howard, the district's director of vehicle maintenance, said the buses run on 5 percent because it's less expensive than the 20 percent blend but still meets the state's requirements.

As of press time, there was an 18-cent difference between the 5 percent and 20 percent blends.

Annually, the Clark County School District purchases 3.6 million gallons of biodiesel.

By LAURA EMERSON

Source - Las Vegas Business Press

July 26, 2011

ENR Southwest has released their annual contractor rankings and two of New-Com's subsidiary companies have broken the top 20 list. MMC Inc., one of the regions top water/wastewater contractors, is listed in the #11 spot. Sister company, TAB Contractors Inc. has landed an impressive #16 ranking. TAB has been a preferred underground wet utilities and heavy civil contractor in the southwestern region since 1959. Combined, the two contractors would have seen the #8 spot, just edging out McCarthy Building Construction Incorporated.

June 2, 2011

McCarran International Airport is undertaking a lavish Vegas-style upgrade. The nation’s eighth busiest airport launched $141.3 million in improvements in the last week. Sletten Construction Co., for example, recently broke ground on a $13 million renovation of the airport’s 26-year-old C Gates.

The concourse, which serves as home to Southwest Airlines, sees 14 million visitors annually. The project will replace worn-out ceiling panels and carpet, while installing new lighting, signage and energy efficient window tinting. Other work calls for refurbishing jet bridges and modernizing heating and cooling systems. The makeover will additionally eliminate one gating area, thereby making space for a new Pei Wei Asian diner with an adjacent Life is Good store. The improvements, designed by Pugsley Simpson Coulter Architects, are scheduled to finish in late 2012.

Meanwhile, TAB Contractors is performing $29.3 million in ramp and apron upgrades surrounding the C concourse. The North Las Vegas-based contractor recently finished the first phase, which entails replacing asphalt with high strength concrete. About another year of work remains due to the phased work schedule around airport operations. The two projects will hire about 120 workers combined during the peak of construction activity. The enhancements are being underwritten through airport revenue and a $15.7 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA is additionally funding a new $99 million air traffic control tower that Archer Western Contractors broke ground on May 31 at McCarran. The project, designed by WHPacific, includes a 352-ft-tall air traffic control tower with a four-story, 52,800-sq-ft base building that will house radar approach control, air traffic control training simulators, administrative offices and other equipment. It replaces the current 28-year-old, 185-ft-tall tower that will be razed upon project completion.

A taller perch is needed to provide controllers with better airfield views. Construction around the airport over the years has created several blind spots from the current tower, so aircraft must be tracked by radar in those places. In addition, McCarran’s air traffic has increased dramatically since the current tower was built, creating a need for more controller space. Indeed, McCarran serviced more than 505,000 flights last year; the FAA anticipates a 27.8% growth in McCarran arrivals and departures by 2020.

The new tower will help alleviate those conditions with a two-level 850-sq-ft cab, or controller work area, with 14-ft-tall angled windows for enhanced visibility. By comparison, the existing tower cab is 62% smaller. The new tower will be situated between a new $121.7 million, 6,000-space parking garage and the still under construction $2.4 billion, 1.87-million-sq-ft Terminal 3 being built by Perini Building Co.

The project will see about 80 people at peak activity. The structure is expected to finish construction in the summer of 2013. But, the FAA won’t begin using the new facility until early 2015, following the installation of complex electronics and computer equipment.

Source - ENR.com