Knowledge Base

Sierra Energy’s Mission

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How Does FastOx Gasification Work?

FastOx gasifiers employ a fixed-bed system that breaks down waste at the molecular level. Waste is fed into the top of the gasifier vessel through an airlock. Purified oxygen and steam are injected into the base.

Complete FastOx System & Plant

Complete FastOx System & Plant Explore the five isles of FastOx systems and the possible configurations. Components of a complete FastOx system Sierra Energy's FastOx gasification technology is the central component of a waste-to-value system. A full system includes the gasifier vessel, injection lances, oxygen generation, and gas cleaning down to end product requirements. A [...]

FastOx Background & Milestones

Discover the history, evolution, and future of FastOx gasification. Development Summary From 2009 to 2013, Sierra Energy developed and validated its technology at the Renewable Energy Testing Center (RETC) located at the McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. Using start-up funds from the Department of Defense (DoD), we set out to validate our heat and […]

Valuable End Products

Our high-quality syngas can produce a variety of valuable end products. Overview of Valuable End Products FastOx gasifiers produce a high-quality syngas that can be converted into a number of valuable end products. These products are formed using back end systems and technologies developed by trusted third party companies. These tried and true technologies can be […]

A Long Term Solution to Landfills

The Issue with Landfills The United States generates over 250 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year. A figure that does not include waste from agricultural, food processing, consumer electronics, and industry. More than half of this is waste is also landfilled. Landfills are a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions. As waste bakes […]

FastOx Gasifier Feedstock Overview

FastOx gasification can accept most wastes. Learn more about the types of acceptable wastes and the flexibility of FastOx gasification. What is Essential to FastOx Gasification? Sierra Energy focuses on converting non-recyclable trash into energy. Based on that principle, our FastOx gasifiers have been developed to create energy-dense syngas from the elemental carbon contained within […]

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) MSW, the most abundant waste form on the planet, is an ideal feedstock for FastOx gasification. Learn what constitutes MSW, where it comes from, and why it is great for FastOx gasification. What is MSW? Municipal solid waste (MSW) is defined by the EPA as waste containing everyday items “such as [...]

Biomass Gasification

FastOx gasification is the ideal technology for converting the most diverse range of biomass feedstocks, including mixed biomass, into syngas suitable for downstream conversion into renewable energy and fuels. Find out why FastOx gasification is so suitable for mixed biomass feedstocks. What is Biomass? Biomass is organic matter, such as plant material and animal waste, […]

Complex Waste

FastOx® gasification handles the most difficult waste. Learn what these wastes are and how they are processed. Intro Complex waste requires a myriad rigorous disposal techniques. Many of these methods only partially dispose of these waste streams, and, typically, have a negative impact on the environment. Sierra Energy’s FastOx gasification systems provide a simple alternative to […]

How does the System Handle Moisture?

Drying Sierra Energy typically designs the preprocessing stage to dry waste down to around 20% moisture by weight. This helps to optimize the efficiency of the gasification stage. Even though the FastOx gasifier can handle wastes with moisture content up to 50% (by weight on wet basis) without pre-treatment, it makes more thermodynamic sense to pre-dry the […]

Syngas

Explore synthesis gas, the primary product of FastOx gasification, its uses, and the specific type seen in the FastOx process. What is Syngas? Syngas, short for “synthesis gas”, is a term used to describe a gas consisting primarily of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2). This energy-dense gas is similar in application to natural gas in […]

Inert Stone Products

Inert Stone Products Learn about the vitrified inert stone that can be used as a construction material. What are Inert Stone Products? Sierra Energy sees tremendous value in the inert stone byproduct produced in its gasification system. Inert stone is a collection of inorganic materials and metals that are not driven off into the gasifier syngas. They [...]

Electricity

Explore the electrifying opportunity available in power production, the easiest end product to make using FastOx gasification.     FastOx Gasification Syngas Vs Conventional Fossil Fuels The clean syngas produced by FastOx gasification results in electricity production with lower specific emissions than typical fossil fuel electricity generation. Syngas from FastOx gasification breaks apart more completely than […]

Diesel & Other Fischer-Tropsch Liquids

Discover how to make clean diesel and other liquid fuels using FastOx gasification. Production Fischer-Tropsch (FT) systems convert syngas through a series of chemical reactions over a catalysts (typically cobalt and iron) to produce sulfur-free and aromatic-free renewable diesel. The diesel we generate is twenty times cleaner than even the ultra-low sulfur diesel standards in […]

Hydrogen

Learn how FastOx gasification makes this potential “fuel of the future”. Production Hydrogen (H2) can be efficiently generated from the syngas produced by FastOx gasification. H2 is one of the easiest renewable products to be formed as the high-quality syngas from FastOx systems contains a high volume of H2 (exact quantities depend on feedstock used). These levels can be further improved […]

Types of Gasification

A summary of how gasifiers are categorized as well as their comparative advantages and disadvantages. Low-Temperature Gasifiers Low-temperature gasifiers lack feedstock flexibility and generally operate at a lower efficiency than a FastOx gasifiers. These systems also require feedstock sorting, and are limited in their ability to scale.   Downdraft Gasifiers In downdraft gasifiers, gases flow down in the same […]

Emissions

Learn about gasifier emissions and the potential implications. What does the FastOx Gasifier Produce? The FastOx gasifier is a closed-loop system that converts waste into syngas that is then converted into high-value salable end products with no waste by-products created. Prior to processing at the back end, the syngas passes through a gas cleaning stage that prepares it […]