Frequently Asked Questions

ReVenture Park will transform a 667-acre Superfund site along the Catawba River into the region’s first Eco-Industrial Energy Park. The re-development plan will breathe new life into the site by re-using the extensive existing infrastructure to create a platform for large scale renewable energy and alternative fuel projects. The Eco-Industrial Park is designed to leverage synergies between multiple sustainable components including a Waste-to-Energy power plant, solar fields, incubator labs, wastewater treatment and reuse, and R&D facilities.

Environmental stewardship is also a core facet of ReVenture Park. The sites natural resources will be enhanced by a 185 acre conservation easement, wildlife habitat enhancement projects, stream restoration and a connector for the Carolina Thread Trail.

When fully development, ReVenture Park will be an economic driver for the region through the investment of new businesses and the creation of ‘green collar’ jobs.

The ReVenture site is situated on the western edge of Charlotte and at 667 acres is the largest section of underutilized heavy industrially zoned land in Mecklenburg County. The site is a former textile dye manufacturing facility that was started in 1935. The site was acquired by Clariant Corporation in 1985 and since then the company has spent upwards of $40 million dollars cleaning up the contamination caused by previous owners. A key part of ReVenture’s development plan is a further enhanced environmental cleanup. The site is has substantial existing infrastructure and buildings that can be reused to create a platform for the development of large and small clean energy renewable projects. The ReVenture project will leverage the existing infrastructure and allow the site to contribute greatly to the regions Clean Energy and economic development objectives.

Yes! Forsite Development will be adding significantly to the environmental remediation already occurring at the site and will be required by North Carolina to post Financial Assurance (currently estimated to be $12.5 million) to ensure there are sufficient funds in place to manage the remediation, no matter what.

Clariant acquired the site in 1985 and with its purchase also acquired the contamination that was caused by the previous owners. While Clariant did not cause the contamination, they have worked diligently to clean it up. They have spent approximately $40 million remediating the site since they acquired it in 1985 and substantial progress has been made. ReVenture is partnering with Clariant to continue and significantly enhance the remediation activities on the site.

YES! The proposed Gasifier is a completely closed loop system so all gases and wastewater are contained. Typical Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) contains 17% moisture. Any moisture that enters the gasifier will come off as a vapor mixed with the gases; the vapor then condenses during the gas cleanup. Water will be treated and filtered, with a portion of the water used in the gas cleanup process and the remaining filtered to a level that it can be disposed in a public sewer, just like dish, shower and sink water.

Yes. One of the ReVenture Park project’s main goals is to educate the community about the development plan and the important role the project will play in sustainable energy solutions for the region. Since October, 2009, the ReVenture team has conducted more than 58 public meetings and presentations. The ReVenture team will continue to share, listen, learn and weigh the input of all our stakeholders as we work to provide clean energy, clean air and new energy jobs in the region.

Absolutely! Environmental sensitivity is the core facet of the project. The project includes a 185 acre conservation easement that will connect the Carolina Thread Trail to the US National White Water Center Additionally ReVenture has been awarded the Wildlife and Industry Together (WAIT) certification by the NC Wildlife Federation that will include multiple wildlife habitat enhancement projects.

Yes! WTE facilities are one of the most heavily regulated sources of base load power that exist. The air permit will be administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources Air Quality Division and will be reviewed by Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA). Both the fuel and air emissions will be continuously monitored to constantly ensure the project is performing within its permit standards. The project will have a minor source air permit and the fuel and emissions will be continuously monitored to completely ensure no harmful emissions are created. Outside of nuclear, WTE is the cleanest most heavily regulated sources of base load power that exists in the world.

No! One of the anchor projects at ReVenture Park is a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility that will utilize non-recyclable fiber and other organic material to create a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). ReVenture Park will NOT BURN RAW GARBAGE. In fact, we won’t burn anything in the Waste to Energy facility. ReVenture Park will be utilizing state of the art gasification technology that is proven to produce cleaner electricity than any fossil fuel. The gasification process will heat the RDF in a controlled oxygen-deficient atmosphere in which the formation of dioxins and furans is greatly reduced. Gasification also takes place at lower temperatures than incineration reducing the formation of corrosive compounds that create hard-to-remove particulate emissions.

The technology to be utilized at ReVenture is a gasification unit that creates a Synthetic Gas (similar to natural gas). This gas will be combusted to create electricity, and no garbage will be burnt. Gasification is being widely used throughout the world in a variety of applications. The remaining plant; oxidizer, boiler, turbine and wet electrostatic percipators are all well proven standard technology with long and successful proven track records.

There are two key differences: Technology and Fuel.
Our Refuse Drive Fuel (RDF) gasification facility may be permitted and regulated under the same regulations as an incinerator, but the technologies of the two are substantially different:

• Mass-burn incinerators typically combust raw, unprocessed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).
• Our gasification technology will heat the fuel (RDF) in a controlled atmosphere in which there is not enough oxygen to initiate flame combustion. Through this process, the majority of the carbon in the RDF is converted into energy rich “syngas”, which is similar to natural gas.

The difference: incineration aims for complete combustion whereas gasification aims for partial break down of the organic molecules. Gasification is superior to incineration because the partial break down leaves “syngas,” which is used to heat a boiler that will create steam to power a turbine. Because the gasification process breaks these materials down to the molecular level, impurities can be relatively easily and inexpensively removed, thus creating clean electricity.

Absolutely NOT! The US EPA says waste-to-energy plants produce “dramatic decreases” in air emissions, and produce electricity “with less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity.” Additionally we have voluntary agreed to continuous air monitoring. In the event the facility ever goes out of compliance it will be shut down and the issue immediately addressed. The results of this air monitoring will be made available to the public.

Disposing of MSW in landfills creates significant GHGs specifically methane pollution from decaying garbage. Emissions from long-haul trucking of MSW are created, too. The EPA states that for every 1 ton of garbage diverted from a landfill and utilized in a modern waste-to-energy facility, there is a 1 ton reduction in GHG emissions.