Avoca Installs Green Steamer

KEARNY, N.J.Pharmachem installed a biomass to energy system to increase sustainability and reduce costs at its Avoca extraction facility, Merry Hill, NC. The biomass to energy system reduces Avocas steam costs by 90 percent, consumes 10 tons of biomass per hour and produces 30,000 lbs. of steam per hour, according to David Peele, president of Avoca Inc.

Avoca, a botanical extraction facility, relies on steam for processing a variety of ingredients, especially clary sage for the fragrance industry. The company previously relied on three diesel-powered boilers for its steam, but wanted to switch to a more sustainable and cost-efficient power source. Earlier this year, two biomass boilers were installed, replacing the diesel boilers. The new boilers became fully operational Sept. 1.

During the 2011 sage harvest, Peele said Avoca burned about 4,500 gallons of diesel fuel per day to produce 25,000 tons of biomass. The new system enables us to utilize the biomass byproduct of our facility, and at the same time, meet our long-term energy needs very cost efficiently," he said. It provides us with a reliable, sustainable source of energy and assures our customers that we will remain competitive on all our products for years to come."  

During the peak season, the two biomass boilers work at the same time. Once the sage season is over, just one of the boilers can supply the facilitys steam needs. Absent the sage biomass, the biomass boilers can be powered with wood chips, or other biomass sources. Converting to the biomass to energy system had other positive environmental impacts, according to Peele.

With the biomass system, weve diverted about 110,000 cubic yards of material that would otherwise go into a landfill.  Reducing this waste on an annual basis will result in about $1 million in savings. Next year our sage harvest will increase by 50 percent, creating even more savings in disposal costs."

The biomass boilers were purchased from Alternative Energy Solutions International Inc.  Costing approximately $6 million, it is one of the first such installations in the U.S., and the first installed on the East Coast.

Pharmachem acquired Avoca in 2003.