
ODNR Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention Organic Waste Recycling and Recovery System

Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention
2045 Morse Rd.
Building B-1
Columbus, OH 43229-6693
Phone: (614) 265-6333
FAX: (614) 262-9387
Email: drlp@dnr.state.oh.us

ODNR's Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention Assists in Funding Renewable Energy System to Generate 1 MW of Electricity

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention provided a $250,000 Market Development Grant to Kurtz Bros., Inc. for the purchase of organic waste recycling equipment for use in the Organic Waste Recycling and Recovery System (OWRRS) plant.

                                                       Left to right: Franklin County Commissioner John O'Grady, Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman,
                                                                          Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, SWACO Executive Director Ron Mills, and Columbus City
                                                                         Council President Mike Mentel help break ground on the quasar energy group/Kurtz Bros., Inc.
                                                                          Biofuels plant May 3, 2010, Columbus, Ohio (Photo taken by John Remy, SWACO)

Kurtz Bros., Inc. partnered with quasar energy group to construct this renewable energy project in Columbus, Ohio. The system will process biosolids from the City of Columbus, regional food waste and FOG (fats, oil and grease) to generate 1 MWh of electricity each hour.

Governor Ted Strickland and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman attended the groundbreaking event on May 3 to promote quasar energy group's 4th Ohio renewable energy system at the future Jackson Pike location in Columbus. This project has been awarded an Ohio Third Frontier Advanced Energy grant for the commercialization of a patent-pending technology developed at The Ohio State University.

Investing in green industry will strengthen Columbus by providing jobs, creating a cleaner planet and will contribute to a new era of economic development. The OWRRS will annually sequester 85 million cubic feet of methane and recycle 45,000 wet tons of organic waste. This biomass waste-to-energy plant will generate 8,322 MW annually of electricity which is enough to power 725 Ohio homes each year. In addition, the system will produce valuable byproducts that will be sold regionally by Kurtz Bros., Inc.

The Cleveland-based renewable energy company, quasar energy group, has received more than $5 million from the state - $2 million from the Third Frontier Advanced Energy Program and a $3.06 million loan through the state's Job Stimulus for Advanced Energy program, according to the administration. This project is expected to create and retain 72 direct and indirect jobs.

Organic Waste Recycling and Recovery System Process Flow Diagram