Q: Who is Fulcrum and what does your business do?
A: Fulcrum is a pioneer in the development, construction, and operations of facilities to produce low-carbon, low-cost renewable transportation fuels from one of our nation’s most abundant resources – household garbage. The company helps address two key environmental challenges: greenhouse gas emissions and sending waste to landfills.
Q: How do you turn waste from local landfills into fuel?
A: Fulcrum’s proprietary process is spread across two separate facilities: two Feedstock Processing Facilities (“FPF”) and a Biorefinery. The FPFs receive post-recycled municipal solid waste (“MSW”) that is otherwise destined for the landfill. Centerpoint alone will divert approximately 700,000 tons of MSW from landfills each year. The FPFs produce an engineered feedstock for the Biorefinery by sorting, separating, and shredding the material, ultimately turning it into a confetti-like substance, which is trucked to the Biorefinery. At the Biorefinery, this feedstock is first converted into a syngas using a gasification process. Importantly, the gasification process does not burn or incinerate any of the material, rather it is “broken down” into a syngas using heat and moisture. This syngas ultimately becomes renewable jet fuel using conventional refining equipment and processes.
Q: What are some of the environmental benefits of Fulcrum’s renewable jet fuel?
A: Fulcrum’s renewable jet fuel reduces life-cycle carbon emissions by more than 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel (due in part to the avoidance of landfill methane emissions). It is also an incredibly clean fuel, free of sulfur or metals. While the production process and eventual combustion in aircraft engines produces carbon emissions, these are offset by avoiding methane emissions from diverting waste away from landfills, as well as by the use of renewable power in the production process.
Furthermore, by diverting significant volumes of MSW from landfills, Fulcrum Fuel not only reduces methane emissions, but it also helps address environmental issues associated with landfills and their impact on local communities, including odor, litter, contamination and landfill expansions.
Q: What is the permitting/oversight process? IDEM? What would their role be in enforcement of EPA standards around air and water quality issues?
A: IDEM and the City of Gary are the principal permitting authorities related to this project, which will require several permits which Fulcrum is required to obtain. IDEM is responsible for enforcing all EPA standards and requirements. Fulcrum submitted an Air Quality Permit to IDEM in April 2021 and notices of Public Hearing and 30-Day Comment Period were released on March 31st, 2022. The state permit for solid waste was filed in December 2021, and state land quality as well as city-level permits will be submitted over the next 12 months.
A full set of FAQs regarding Fulcrum's Air Permit is available here: Air Permit FAQs
More information on current permitting status is available under the Permitting section on the Centerpoint Environment page.
Q: Will nearby water and air be negatively impacted by Centerpoint?
A: Fulcrum’s Biorefineries use several control and treatment technologies to minimize atmospheric emissions and wastewater. Because the Biorefinery uses a gasification process and does not incinerate or combust the feedstock, it will not release harmful pollutants such as chlorides and dioxins, which are issues more often associated with traditional waste incineration.
Prior to the conversion from syngas to fuel, the syngas goes through a multi-step clean-up process to capture and remove all contaminants. Once trapped, these contaminants are then disposed of properly in a safe manner without being released into the environment. Wastewater from the process at the biorefinery is captured and pre-treated onsite before being sent to the Gary Sanitary District wastewater treatment plant for further treatment.
Q: How far is the plant from a water source? Has IDEM approved a permit to allow the discharging of chemicals into a water source?
A: The Centerpoint Biorefinery WILL NOT directly discharge anything into Lake Michigan or any other water source. All the wastewater from the Biorefinery will be treated in an onsite wastewater pre-treatment plant, before being sent to the Gary Sanitary District’s (GSD) wastewater treatment plant for further treatment pursuant to GSDs NPDES permit. Furthermore, the Biorefinery will receive treated effluent/recycled water from GSD for its process water (instead of potable water). This should result in a net decrease in the amount of treated effluent discharged from the GSD treatment plant.
Q: Does your system control volatile organic compounds? Do you have VOC emission sources? If so, which ones?
A: Yes. VOCs are controlled by the boiler and the flare, which have a destruction efficiency of greater than 96 percent. Our main VOC emission sources are the boiler, heaters for gasification, flare, and product storage tanks.
Q: How will stormwater run-off on the site be handled?
A: The Centerpoint Biorefinery will have a stormwater management plan and a stormwater permit from the City of Gary. Stormwater will be collected in a detention pond on site.
Q: Has an Environmental Impact Study been completed?
A: The project is not required to produce an Environmental Impact Assessment or Statement (EIS). This type of environmental assessment is required for large-scale federal projects such as airports, federal buildings, military complexes, highways, etc. under a federal law entitled the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. § 4321-4370m. However, we appreciate that the community would like to understand the full scope of potential environmental impacts. Fulcrum will continue to hold community information sessions for residents of Gary to provide further information on the project’s environmental impacts and benefits. Meeting notices will be provided on the City’s website and to interested stakeholders.
