Biomass EnergySystems

HONOLULU, HI., July 11, 2017 — SynTech Bioenergy, a Denver-based renewable energy technology company, has opened their first Hawaii office for sales and field service in Honolulu.  The office will support local installations of SynTech Bioenergy’s technology for delivering clean energy through advanced thermal conversion of biomass and other waste materials.

The office will be headed by Dr. Chris Guay, who has over 15 years of experience working in the renewable energy industry.  Dr. Guay was born and raised in Hawaii and is a graduate of Punahou School.

Developing viable, cost-effective alternative energy technologies is especially critical for Hawaii, which is impacted by high energy prices and a strong dependence on imported fossil fuels.  “Energy security is a big issue in Hawaii,” said Guay. “SynTech’s biomass energy systems will contribute to the growth of local renewable energy resources and achieving the State’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2045.”

“A growing global mandate exists for sustainable, decentralized production of continuous base load electricity and heat,” said Wayne McFarland, CEO of SynTech Bioenergy.  “Our technology addresses this mandate while also offering opportunities for waste remediation.”

SynTech’s BioMax® systems are based on proprietary small-scale downdraft gasification and combined heat and power (CHP) technologies.  The systems are housed in standard ISO shipping containers, giving them a compact footprint and making them easy to transport and install.  The BioMax® units are modular and scalable for electrical output from 165 kW up to 1 MW. They can be powered by a variety of abundant biomass and waste materials, such as wood wastes (chips and pellets, etc.), nut shells (walnut, coconut, pistachio, etc.), and fruit pits (olive, avocado, date, etc.).  The only byproduct is a high grade organic biochar, which can be used as a soil amendment to aid plant growth. BioMax® biochar also meets current standards for activated carbon for use in air and water filtration.  SynTech’s biomass energy systems are ideally suited to meeting Hawaii’s energy needs. The systems are fully automated, can be operated and controlled remotely, and neither use nor produce water.

In July 2017, SynTech will complete the installation of its newest facility in Texas, consisting of four BioMax® systems that utilize pecan shells as feedstock for generating electricity.  Five similar systems — the first dating back to 2008 — are currently operating on walnut shells in California. Together, they have accumulated over 75,000 hours of operation.  SynTech is currently preparing three additional BioMax® units for a new California customer and is manufacturing its first unit for the Japanese market.

In addition to BioMax®, SynTech’s technologies include FluiMax®, a fluidized bed gasification system suitable for larger applications (1.5 MW and above) and processing a wider range of waste materials, and LiquiMax®, a proprietary Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology for producing drop-in liquid fuels from natural gas and waste-derived gases.