Jan D'Ailly The head of a Waterloo firm says he has a modular waste disposal system that could handle all of Dufferin's needs, while generating income from steam or electrical production.

Jan D'Ailly, the CEO of Organic Energy Inc., has been making overtures to institutional and industrial interests locally as the county prepared for the first of two public information sessions on a county thermal energy garbage system today.

The first session is scheduled at the Alder Street Recreation Centre from 4 to 9 p.m. Another will take place in Shelburne August 23.

Mr. D'Ailly was one of the respondents to Dufferin County's call for gasification proposals which led to analyses of more than 20 proposals by MacViro Environmental of Markham, who recommended a large-scale facility. County council last month moved to receive public input into the various proposed solutions over the summer.

In an interview in Orangeville Wednesday, Mr. D'Ailly took issue with some of the statements made by MacViro to the recent county council meeting.

In particular, he said it is not true that the county needs to look at importing garbage to achieve

economies of scale. At 25,000 tonnes a year generated locally, "we're in the same price range as a large scale (plant)."

He did agree that some unproven technologies are being touted. "Ours is patented and has been proven in five years of operation in Norway and Korea." He said his technology has been well received by the Ministry of the Environment, and its electrical generation facility would be accepted under the Standard Offer Program.

The Organic Energy system is a two-stage process comprising a gasification chamber and a combustion chamber.

Gasification is accomplished in an oxygenstarved environment at the relatively low temperature of 550C. Contaminants drop to the bottom of the chamber, and would be destined for a landfill.

Oxygen is fed to the higher-temperature combustion chamber, and any fly ash is removed in a "cyclone" apparatus. When steam has been produced it can either be sold for heating, or used to drive electrical generators - or possibly for both purposes, he said.

How does the gasification process work? "Light a candle," he said. The heat turns wax to gas, which burns. Now take away the oxygen by blowing out the candle. That bit of white coming up from the candle is the remaining gas. This is an illustration of gasification."

Incineration, he said, is burning the solid fuel in excess oxygen at high temperatures. Gasification converts hydrocarbons into "syngas" which can be used for a variety of purposes.

At the Norway transfer station which feeds Organic Energy's unit, the garbage is baled into sealed bundles, to be transported without odour.

Mr. D'Ailly agrees with MacViro's assessment of 25,000 tonnes of waste within Dufferin annually, or something like 50-60 tonnes a day. Each modular unit of Organic Energy's system would process up to about 7,500 tonnes annually, so at least three modular units would be required.

He said the investment required for three units plus an electrical generator would possibly be in the order of $16-million, which could be debentured or funded through private sources either as private ownership or in a a partnership.

"We could help with whichever way the county chose to go. As Dufferin would choose the size, capability and funding, I call it a "made in Dufferin solution."

He said the normal $85 a tonne tipping fee would cover the debenture. Steam or electricity sold from the system would provide something of a bonus.

As well as heading Organic Energy, Mr. D'Ailly is a Waterloo councillor.