Waste-to-Value

The GE Waste-to-Value solution converts organic industrial waste into renewable resources and cost savings. Waste streams with high organic content will have the greatest potential for return on investment such as in the Food & Beverage and Pulp & Paper industries.

The Environmental Challenge

Right now targeted customers produce wastewater through their industrial processes. They then dispose their wastewater at municipal wastewater treatment plants or directly discharge it to a surface water or river. Either method involves high operational and environmental costs. GE sought to harness the total benefits of reusing the wastewater with a solution with reduced environmental impact.

GE's Innovative Solution

GE combines wastewater treatment technologies with Jenbacher combined heat and power production to turn wastewater into reusable water and to capture value from the organic waste stream by producing biogas. The biogas can then be converted into thermal energy and electricity or be directly used in the plant’s boilers.

Environmental Impact

Waste-to-Value provides many environmental advantages that will also benefit the industry. In one instance, at a fruit processing plant in Oregon that produces 30,000 gallons of wastewater per day, GE’s Waste-to-Value solution is designed to reduce GHG emissions by 2,276 tons CO2 equivalent per year, or the equivalent of taking 430 cars off U.S. roads for a year.

Cutting Costs

GE’s Waste-to-Value solution will reduce costs for wastewater disposal, natural gas, and electricity. This can improve industrial customers’ overall bottom line while also reducing the plant’s carbon footprint.