An Airdrie company marketing a self-contained organic waste-disposal system that dines on food industry leftovers is making new inroads into the international marketplace.

Advanced Biotechnology Inc., a joint venture formed by Double T Equipment Manufacturing Ltd. of Alberta, Eski Machine Co. Ltd. of Japan and ARC Corp. of Japan, is introducing the Gomixer machine in Puerto Rico, say company representatives.

"Puerto Rico has been closing many of their landfills and there is a strong need to implement new methods and technology to handle the ever-increasing volume of organic food waste," says Advanced Biotechnology vice-president Rey Rawlins.

The company recently inked a deal with Recycling Services of Puerto Rico (Reser), to install its machines there.

Photo courtesy of Alberta Biotechnology Inc.
A kitchen worker empties food leftovers into a Gomixer, a self- contained organic waste disposal system.

"Use of Gomixer technology will create significant reductions in the amount of organic food waste being landfilled and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as extending the life of current landfills," adds Rawlins.

Reser will market the product in Puerto Rico on behalf of Advanced Biotechnology and purchase the units from the Alberta company, which is handling worldwide sales, except for Japan.

In Japan, Eski holds the Gomixer patents and ARC handles the marketing and distribution. About 3,000 units are in operation there.

Advanced Biotechnology, which has plans to manufacture the units in Alberta once it establishes a larger market for the product, became a reality when ARC officials looked to Canada to see if they could find a North American partner to hook up with, says Rawlins.

Alberta's tax advantages and healthy economy put the province on ARC's map and Alberta Economic Development, which has an office in Japan, helped to make the deal a reality.

The Gomixer uses water and heat to biodegrade food industry leftovers.

But the product, targeted at the tourism and hospitality sector, got stymied by a triple-whammy: 9/11, SARS and the bird flu.

"The tourism industry - the hotels and the restaurants - finds the technology very interesting and attractive in the fact that it is an onsite solution," says Rawlins.

"(But) the industry took a little nosedive for awhile. The main customers we targeted at the time, their cashflows weren't what they used to be, but the interest remained extremely high."

The Gomixer is a low-maintenance machine that will convert virtually all organic food-waste products, including small fish and chicken bones, in a very short period of time, says Rawlins, noting that what comes out as a result is a nutrient-rich water that is almost odour free and can be safely disposed of through existing sewage treatment facilities or can be used as a supplement to irrigation and watering systems.

So far, there is only one unit in operation in Canada, in a Correctional Service Canada facility in Saskatchewan.

"After a couple of years of steady promotion and demonstrations to promote the technology, we have initiated some sales and are expecting more in the next six to 10 months. That's when we believe the Gomixer will start to take off," says Rawlins, who is also the company's sales and marketing manager.

He adds that there has also been interest from Hong Kong, but lack of space for the machines has posed a problem - the product comes in a variety of models ranging from being able to handle eight kg of organic waste per day up to 750 kg. The units carry pricetags between $15,000 and $300,000.

Christina Seidel, executive director of the central Alberta-based Recycling Council of Alberta, says the general concept behind the product appears to be a good one although she's not familiar with the specific system.

"But in general terms, taking a source-separated organic stream and converting it into a valuable fertilizer type of product that is applied back to the land, we would consider that to be a worthwhile endeavour," says Seidel.

Composting has been around forever, she adds. "The technology is our way of making use of nature's natural composting process. Anything that makes it more viable is helpful."

Meanwhile, Rawlins believes that cost factors will also make a difference in Gomixer sales.

"We're trying to target areas that have high landfill fees, where the cost of moving waste to your landfill is going to be high or areas where they're not permitting organics in the landfill," says Rawlins, noting that it's not so much the case in Canada but it is happening more in the United States.

Other prime buyers include institutions such as hospitals, penitentiaries or military bases, or wherever there is a large concentration of people and the need to deal with food waste on a mass scale.

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)