<< Previous   of   Next >> Photo courtesy of Applied Filter Technology  (click to enlarge) Applied Filter Technology owner Paul Tower stands on top of a siloxane removal system in Claye Soule, France. Photo courtesy of Applied Filter Technology  (click to enlarge) Madison, Wisc.: This complete gas conditioning system combines removal of siloxane, hydrogen sulfide and moisture with gas compression. Photo courtesy of Applied Filter Technology  (click to enlarge) Oro Loma, Calif.: AFT installed a dual siloxane removal system. Photo courtesy of Applied Filter Technology  (click to enlarge) Portland, Ore.: Applied Filter Technology installed dual SAG siloxane removal vessels.

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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

Meet the biogas cleanup specialist

Applied Filter Technology scrubs nasty stuff from waste to make it burn clean

By Rebecca Bailey
SCBJ Freelance Writer

SNOHOMISH — Thirteen years ago, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District hired a consultant to help solve a big problem. The utility's turbines were continually breaking down, requiring costly repairs and rebuilds.

The consultant found that an abrasive chemical called siloxane was causing extensive damage. To solve the problem, he designed a filtering system to remove the corrosive compound from the turbines.

That consultant was Paul Tower, who now owns Applied Filter Technology with his wife Judy in Snohomish. According to Tim Robinson, chief operating officer of Applied Filter Technology, the Sacramento job is what got Tower started in the biogas business.

“If you go to Sacramento, you would see that his original system is still working today,” Robinson said. “That's what really put him on the map.”

Today, Applied Filter is converting greenhouse gases into clean energy sources. It has developed patented filtration technology that removes siloxanes and similar chemicals from biogas waste streams. Personal-care products, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and foods contain these chemicals, and although they are harmless to humans, their widespread use causes large concentrations in human-influenced sources such as landfills and wastewater treatment plants.

Until Paul Tower and his company came up with a way to remove the siloxane chemicals, commercially viable biogas was a challenge. Since the first system in Sacramento, Applied Filter Technology has designed and built approximately 170 biogas cleaning systems in the United States and has licensed its technology in approximately 260 facilities around the world.

There is, Robinson said, a wide application of system uses, from the beginning raw gas stage to end use. The company custom designs cleaning technology for most projects based on how the customer will use the gas. Power system manufacturers, municipalities, energy companies and even breweries use Applied Filter's engineered systems. In Wisconsin, for example, an Applied Filter system is cleaning methane from a brewery's green waste to generate power for a nearby hospital.

Besides siloxane removal, the company provides methods for sulfur removal, odor control, air purification, and water and chemical purification processes. Its projects can include full-scale system design, construction, installation and supervision.

Not only do clients get the benefit of cleaning up their biogas waste streams, they can save money on their energy rates. Most companies buy back from Applied Filter the clean energy that's produced because it's cheaper than the rates they were paying.

“We can produce energy today at market rates, which is a huge thing,” Robinson said.

Last year, with the help of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council and Washington State Procurement Technical Assistance, Applied Filter Technology secured a performance bond that was required to get a $7 million contract with Klickitat County's H.W. Hill Landfill Gas Power Plant. Applied Filter went on to win the contract to help expand the plant's waste-to-gas project, which compresses, cleans and converts methane gas into electricity.

Many state regulations, including Washington's, encourage the use of filtered biogas and other alternative energy sources. California's progressive green energy programs, for example, offer green tax incentives, strict emission laws and a wealth of grants and technology development programs, which in turn provide Applied Filter Technologies a solid base of customers.

“We are focused on making alternative energy a viable product for business. It's what's different about what we do,” Robinson said.

Last year, Applied Filter generated $11 million in revenue and Robinson projects revenue to grow to more than $15 million this year. He believes revenue will continue to grow at a steady rate for the next five years. The company has four distinct revenue streams to draw on for that growth, including consulting, equipment design and fabrication, technology licensing and service.

“We've made a conscious decision to do slow and steady growth using a market-based model,” he said.

Education, acceptance and use of Applied Filter's technology are important to business viability, as well.

In its latest market analysis, Applied Filter projects major growth in the area of municipal wastewater treatment plants.

“It's cheaper for them to take their off-gassing and convert it back to electrical power,” he said.

Currently the company has eight employees in Snohomish (others are contracted), but plans to hire 60 sales representatives and several chemical, environmental and process engineers.

“Our vision is to take this resource into every community in America and make this a fuel source,” Robinson said.