The typical gasification facility recycles its own water with its water-cooling and storage system and does not produce wastewater nor does it consume vast amounts of water. Although certain applications may require water, in most cases using an open loop, the system will only use 180 gallons of water per day.
The typical maximum use of water is 30 tons per RCR STAG plant per day (plant only). Average water demand is just 6.3m3 per hour but most of that is recycled. Net loss is around 30 tons a day. All rainwater, water content of MSW, rinse and wash down water is recovered, clarified, filtered, purified and reused. There is no discharge to sewer or ground of any process liquids. There is a small loss of water through evaporation and the minor inefficiencies of vapor capture hoods that are situated over the discharge areas from the autoclaves and fiber separation.
The majority of the 40% moisture content in the incoming MSW stream (approximately 8 tons per every 20 tons of MSW) is collected, clarified and reused in the RCR STAG waste treatment plant.