Is there a risk with making a change? Absolutely. The question is how much risk there in is not making a change and being left behind.
By Mike McGolden
Our lives are constantly changing. It is said that 鈥減eople resist change鈥�, but that is not always true as we accept change every day. However, 鈥減eople resist being changed鈥�. Technology has a huge impact on the changes in our lives. In my lifetime, the world has undergone many significant changes involving technology or societal changes. Starting in the 1960s with items such as computers, cordless phones and then cellular phones, texting, the use of credit cards, online shopping, and the latest being AI. All of these have been technological advances that have made our lives easier. However, not all are embraced by those comfortable with the status quo. The youth of today do not know who Montgomery Ward was, but that is an example of a company that stayed with their method of operation in spite of the advances in technology and were left behind.
Some changes were forced on us. 9/11 brought on huge changes in security and air travel; COVID brought on multiple changes, including things like Zoom or Teams calls that were previously not a regular part of our lives. This includes cultural changes. W. Edwards Deming brought the concept of worker involvement to the U.S. auto industry in the 1960s鈥攖hey were making plenty of profit and told him to leave them alone. He went to Japan and revolutionized their auto industry and opened the door to the U.S. market for companies like Toyota, Honda, etc.鈥攂ecause they made a better product through a change in their business.
Photos courtesy of Earthcare.
Adjusting to Change
The waste industry has gone through those same steps of change. Technology has brought about huge improvements in truck design, handling and sorting equipment, and various stages of processing. Some of these changes have been purely efficiency changes, while others have been forced by outside influences. Glass bottles have been largely replaced by plastic. Recycling has become a way of life; and carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions have been a common consideration in business practices where just those words were virtually unknown 50 years ago. Add in the issues concerning microplastics and PFAS, and you have an industry that has and will continue to go through significant changes. Some are quick to realize the need to change their operations and will embrace new technologies and methods and will adjust. Companies now use words such as 鈥渟ustainability鈥� or 鈥渃ircularity鈥� to describe their business鈥攚ords that were certainly not used in this context even 20 years ago. However, other companies will be like Montgomery Ward and the U.S. auto industry of the 1960s鈥攃omfortable with their profit margins and unwilling to accept 鈥渂eing forced to change.鈥�
This is where technological advances such as gasification and the production of useful byproducts, such as biochar, come to the table. Biochar can take a product that is currently a disposal issue and convert it into a value-added byproduct. It is a carbon-rich material that has been proven to sequester carbon and keep it in soils for hundreds of years. Depending on the feedstock used, it can be valuable as a soil amendment, in remediation, odor control, a bedding product, a green concrete additive, or at the very least, as alternative daily cover for landfills. The biochar produced through the gasification process is also a much smaller volume than the initial feedstock, so it is also much easier and cheaper to transport. With some high moisture content materials, the resulting biochar can be less than 10 percent of the original weight.
Considering this, there is a huge need for a change in the waste business model, brought about by the outside influences listed above. While this change is obvious to some, that does not mean it is universally accepted. Some are comfortable with the existing systems as they are profitable and do not see a reason to change. Others are skeptical and will wait until anything new is completely proven before they will make a move; and they can also point to multiple examples of technology failures as there always are with new innovation as their reasoning for not changing. Even regulators are involved in this process as regulations are written to address compliance to known or existing technologies or methodologies and new technologies are many times forced to try to fit into regulations that are outdated or written for a completely different process. Conferences such as Waste Expo and magazines such as Waste Advantage are excellent opportunities for industry leaders to get exposure to new technologies and concepts鈥攊t is up to them to determine if and how they will embrace these changes.
A Learning Curve
Unfortunately, by definition, new technologies are unproven as they are new. And with most new technologies, there is a learning curve, so the first efforts are not always successful. But, as the need for a change grows, new technologies gain more opportunities and successful installations follow. There are technology companies like Earthcare and Pyreg that can showcase existing operational projects to demonstrate the viability of their technologies. However, it is always a leap from what is accepted and proven to something new. When new challenges prove that existing technologies no longer address key concerns, it forces the industry to start looking for new solutions. The biggest factor is not whether the technology works, and if it is identifying the reason to change. The technology for Zoom and Teams and other communications services existed prior to COVID, but the urgent need to change was not there. Some companies used it, but it was not a key component of corporate strategy until a change was forced through the travel limitations of COVID. The concern for microplastics, PFAS, carbon footprint, sustainability, etc. are creating that same type of environment to push companies to look for new solutions through new technologies. Is there a risk with making a change? Absolutely. The question is how much risk there is in not making a change and being left behind. Everyone wants 鈥淭o be first to be second鈥�, but they must be ready and willing to make that change to do so. | WA
Mike McGolden is President of Earthcare. He has been working in this area for the past 25 years and has helped to install systems all over the world and currently has more than a dozen installed gasifiers. Since the usage and the value of the biochar is also a critical portion of these projects, a separate company, Ecochar, LLC, was also formed years ago to promote and market this product. For any questions or inquiries concerning Earthcare and how their patented technology can provide a solution, e-mail Mike at [email protected].