A Bend, Ore. company called InenTec has just received a $150 million equity commitment toward a gasification plant from Lakeside Energy, which will help prove the concept.
In an InenTec facility, waste is subjected to intense temperatures until it vaporizes and separates into a number of constituent elements. The useful parts are then sorted out for reuse as fuel and raw material.
The design has been used for several years, and the company owns its own pilot facility. However, the business of building such plants across the United States is still in its infancy, and it will need large-scale projects to help prove its efficacy.
Lakeside is a Chicago-based investment firm. Another private equity group, American Securities, is providing funding as part of the deal.