Keystone Potato Products is committed to sustainability: In 2000, co-op members began looking at building a dehydrated potato processing facility in Pennsylvania – which would be the first dehy plant on the East Coast. A local plant would provide a market for potatoes unsuitable for the fresh market, take chip stock potatoes out of the fresh market and provide a local, value-added product to customers on the East Coast, said Keith Masser, chief executive officer of Sterman Masser.
But most of the dehy facilities in the United States are in the Pacific Northwest, so the East Coast plant would have to find a competitive advantage. That edge was energy use, Masser said. Investing in technology and equipment to reduce energy needs would cut costs at the processing facility and would provide a marketable sustainability effort.
In order for the plant to be energy efficient, the right location had to be found. The first plan was to use natural gas, but a better option was settled on: methane from a landfill gas collection system, Masser said.
“That reduces cost ten to one over natural gas,” Masser said.
A site became available adjacent to a landfill and right off the freeway, and construction of the Keystone Potato Products plant started. The site offered another source of re-usable energy – a source of water. But that water was trapped in abandoned coal mines 600 feet below the surface, and the water was so contaminated that the federal government wanted it to stay there.
But Sterman Masser drilled down to the water and built a water treatment system in the plant. The water, heated by steam created with the methane gas from the landfill, is used for dehydrating, cooking, peeling, drying and washdown.
“We built the treatment system to clean the water to produce steam,” Masser said.
After the water is used in the plant, it undergoes an anaerobic treatment and is released to a nearby river in clean and safe condition.
But most of the dehy facilities in the United States are in the Pacific Northwest, so the East Coast plant would have to find a competitive advantage. That edge was energy use, Masser said. Investing in technology and equipment to reduce energy needs would cut costs at the processing facility and would provide a marketable sustainability effort.
In order for the plant to be energy efficient, the right location had to be found. The first plan was to use natural gas, but a better option was settled on: methane from a landfill gas collection system, Masser said.
“That reduces cost ten to one over natural gas,” Masser said.
A site became available adjacent to a landfill and right off the freeway, and construction of the Keystone Potato Products plant started. The site offered another source of re-usable energy – a source of water. But that water was trapped in abandoned coal mines 600 feet below the surface, and the water was so contaminated that the federal government wanted it to stay there.
But Sterman Masser drilled down to the water and built a water treatment system in the plant. The water, heated by steam created with the methane gas from the landfill, is used for dehydrating, cooking, peeling, drying and washdown.
“We built the treatment system to clean the water to produce steam,” Masser said.
After the water is used in the plant, it undergoes an anaerobic treatment and is released to a nearby river in clean and safe condition.
