REA was formed in 2017 to solve the brown grease waste disposal problem in the wastewater treatment industry by converting the brown grease into B100 biodiesel fuel. This goal is being accomplished by commercializing patented reactor designs developed by Dr. Richard Parnas at the University of Connecticut. The roughly 20,000 wastewater treatment plants in the United States and 80,000 plants worldwide all suffer from this problem of brown grease disposal. In the United States, over 1 billion gallons per year of brown grease are currently removed by incineration, anaerobic digestion and landfill disposal. REA developed a process to handle this very low-grade feedstock, including cleaning it, converting the free fatty acids and other energy components into biodiesel, and reducing the high sulfur content to less than 15 parts per million as required by regulation. Brown grease is the most difficult feedstock to convert to biodiesel because of the contaminants and high levels of free fatty acids.
Prior to the formation of REA in 2017, the reactor technology was successfully demonstrated in France to provide biodiesel to earthmoving and farm equipment. REA then secured seed financing to conduct a 2 year technology demonstration project at the East Shore Wastewater Plant in New Haven, CT from 2018-2020 to prove that the REA process could handle “real world” brown grease without disrupting the operations of the plant. Brown grease was successfully converted to B100 biodiesel and used to fuel municipal trucks and other small diesel powered vehicles. The demonstration project attracted the attention of the CT Governor and Congressman representing New Haven, with visits to the project in 2019 and 2020. The project also attracted the attention of the city of Danbury, CT, then starting a general wastewater treatment plant upgrade with Veolia North America as general contractor, and REA was selected to provide an integrated FOG receiving and biodiesel production facility as a subcontractor to Veolia North America.
SolarSteam believes that by exploring innovation and new energy sources, we can meet the growing demand for clean energy and generate environmental, economic and social wealth for all stakeholders. At SolarSteam, sustainability is at the heart of all that they do.
SolarSteam aspires to be a guardian for our environment, our community and our economy. Sustainability is all about how we operate in a safe, responsible and efficient manner. It’s about creating a long-lasting economic value style and protecting our environment and society at large.
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