Pharmachem Installs Biomass Boilers in N.C.

excerpt:
Kearny-based Pharmachem Laboratories recently announced that Avoca, Inc., their extraction facility located in Merry Hill, N.C., had installed a biomass-to-energy system capable of consuming 10 tons of biomass, and producing 30,000 pounds of steam, per hour. One of the first such installations in the United States and first on the east coast, the approximate cost of the system was $6 million.

The two new boilers were installed earlier this year, and became fully operational on Sept. 1, 2011.

One of the largest botanical extraction facilities in North America, Avoca, Inc., relies on steam for processing a variety of ingredients, especially clary sage for the fragrance industry. The company previously utilized three diesel-powered boilers for its steam, but switched to the more sustainable and cost-efficient power source.

By Steve Sears – Belleville Patch