GRRO Press Release
GRRO Approved for Hog Waste Grant
Monday, December 2, 2002
GLOBAL Resource Recovery Organization, Inc. (GRRO) today announced that it received approval from the Farm Pilot Project Coordination, Inc. (FPPC) for a nutrient management demonstration project for swine operations. GRRO now enters the contract negotiation stage with the FPPC for up to $500,000 in funding for the project.
The FPPC is a non-profit organization designated by Congress to assist in implementing innovative technologies to address the growing issues associated with animal waste from animal feeding operations. The organization's objective is to foster the conservation, development and intelligent use of land, water, and related resources, while providing feeding operations with opportunities for profitable operation. The FPPC's mandate is to oversee a pilot project program to demonstrate innovative technologies to reduce the nutrient content of wastewater from animal feeding operations by 75% or greater.
"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to fully demonstrate our solutions for treating hog waste," said GRRO's President, Loran Balvanz. "A primary goal for this company has always been to develop technologies to treat hog waste. Our solution is both innovative and cost effective."
Founded in Bradenton, FL in 1999, GRRO is an environmental solutions company that develops and markets cyclonic technologies and products that provide environmentally friendly and cost effective alternatives for waste disposal. The Company's innovative and technologically enhanced solutions, products and services process a broad range of waste materials into products that have enhanced economic value or that can be beneficially reused.
The foundation of the Company's business concept is the Tempest. The Tempest is a mobile dryer that uses high velocity heated air and cyclonic forces to reduce particle size and remove water from many types of material. Waste heat is captured from the Tempest's engine and other components to provide thermal energy for this process. Most importantly, the Tempest is cost competitive with most current waste disposition practices. The Tempest process has been recently awarded its first patent. Many other patents will soon follow.
"I have been in the resource recycling industry for a long time," stated Mr. Balvanz. "I truly understand the challenges associated with finding the proper balance between environmental concerns and the realities of running a profitable business. I grew up in Iowa and still maintain a home there. Iowa is the largest pork producing state in the country. It's only natural that we would develop technologies that have applications in our own back yard."
Pork production is an evolving industry that has grown and spread to many areas of the U.S. This growth has dramatically changed animal production and manure management practices. Animals are often kept in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)these are buildings where temperature, humidity and other environmental factors are managed to optimize production. The waste from the hogs is collected and used as a fertilizer on cropland or pastureland. Thus, the manure is both a valued nutrient and an environmental challenge for producers.
GRRO realized that the challenge was to develop manure treatment technologies that will handle waste from CAFOs in an economical and environmentally friendly manner. Otherwise the pork industry will continue to be under scrutiny and moratoriums for new pork producing operations will continue to be implemented. Hog waste is mostly liquid. GRRO's proposal to the FPPC uses an Induced Cyclonic Separator (IC-SEP) that attaches air bubbles to the solids contained in the waste and floats it away for treatment through the Tempest. The innovative use of cyclones in both the IC-SEP and the Tempest creates a system that is efficient and economical.
GRRO's proposal to the FPPC is to develop the pilot project at a 3,500 head hog farm in Iowa. Final contract negotiations are underway between the FPPC and GRRO but should be completed soon. The pilot project should be underway sometime in mid 2003.
Mr. Balvanz noted "that the company is anxious to get started. We have worked hard to design a system that is affordable to even small hog farmers. We even have mobile solutions that will allow one system to operate at multiple farms.
New technologies are under development that apply to the hog waste problem and many other waste issues. Also, look for a very important announcements from the Company in the next few weeks.
GLOBAL Resource Recovery Organization, Inc. (GRRO), is an environmental solutions company that develops and markets cyclonic technologies and products that provide environmentally friendly and cost effective alternatives for waste disposition. GRRO has offices in Houston and Iowa in addition to its Bradenton, Florida headquarters. For further questions about GRRO and its technologies, please call Ken Brown at 941-782-5530.