Domestic Fuel

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Waste Management, Inc. for its innovation and creativity in the development of the Altamont Landfill Gas to Liquefied Natural Gas Facility that went online in Livermore, CA in late 2009. The award was presented during the EPA’s 13th annual Landfill Methane Outreach Program Conference and Project Expo.

The project is a joint venture with Linde North America, which is part of The Linde Group. According to Waste Management, the Altamont facility is the largest landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in operation in the world and produces 13,000 gallons of LNG per day. This is enough renewable fuel for Waste Management to operate 300 out of its 485 LNG waste and recycling collection vehicles in 20 communities in California.

“The Altamont LFG-to-LNG facility enables us to recover and utilize a valuable source of clean energy in another practical way, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Conventional LNG is already a clean-burning and economically viable alternative fuel for our collection trucks,” said Paul Pabor, vice president for Waste Management’s Renewable Energy Group. “The ability to use recovered landfill gas to fuel our hauling fleet offers significant environmental benefits to the communities we serve in California and is a great example of how we are committed to recovering resources in waste.”

The EPA also recognized another Waste Management project – University of New Hampshire’s EcoLine Project which converts landfill gas into enough energy to meet 85 percent of the five million square-foot campus’ and heating needs.

The first annual Advanced BioEnergy 2009 Conference & Trade Show is set to happen in Sacramento, California on November 11-13, 2009. The focal point of the event is to explore emerging policies, business strategies and technologies driving the bioenergy industry. In addition, the conference will promote cooperation between this advanced bioenergy industry and traditional energy producers as well as offer paths forward.

Topics include emerging value chains, renewable hydrocarbons, electrical generation from biomass, MSW-to-Energy, dedicated energy crops, policy updates, and more.

Plenary speakers include:

• *Doug Cameron Managing Director & Chief Science Advisor, Piper Jaffray & Co.
• *Clark Brinkley Managing Director, International Forestry Investment Advisors
• *Don Roberts Managing Director, CIBC World Markets
• *Andrew Lear Manager of Partnerships, Planning & Analysis, Catchlight Energy LLC

Registration is $695 if you sign up by October 9, 2009. Click here to learn more information about the conference.

Oregon is the latest state to look to garbage for energy. Waste Management and McMinnville Water & Light will soon use everyday garbage to power thousands of homes. The $10 million plant will be sited next the landfill west of McMinnville. This plant is the first for Yamhill County and is expected to be operational by mid-2010. Once completed, the energy created will be used to power 2,500 homes.

George Duvendack, Riverbend’s district manager said in a company statement, “Our groundbreaking ensures that not even garbage will go to waste. By investing in landfill-gas-to-energy, we are developing clean and renewable energy to power homes and advance sustainability in our community.”

The plant works by collecting methane gas–created from the natural decomposition of waste–from the landfill through a network of underground pipes. From there, the gas will be used to power engines, which will then generate electricity on-site for sale to McMinnville Water & Light. The EPA has endorsed landfill gas an an environmental friendly energy option.

“Landfill gas is an especially smart option for us because it is a resource we already have in the community. That translates to lower costs for customers because there are no transmission fees,” said Paul Elias, general manager of McMinnville Water and Light. “The fact that landfill gas is renewable and reliable is important as well. Wind and solar are renewable, but not as reliable. With gas from Riverbend, we will have a steady and reliable source of clean and low-cost energy for decades to come.”

Waste Management is also developing a similar energy plant at its Columbia Ridge Landfill, located in Arlington, Ore., which is expected to go on-line later this year.

An Iowa-based energy company is claiming that its one-of-a-kind technology is a solution America needs as the country looks to reduce greenhouse emissions and lower energy costs, while helping put people back to work.

American Power Group’s “dual fuel” blends diesel (which should have the ability to use biodiesel, right) and compressed natural gas or methane:

APG’s technology couldn’t come at a better time as customers look for ways to cope with rising fuel costs and search for solutions that will allow them to use federal stimulus monies aimed at cleaning up the environment and reduce dependency on foreign oil. The application, which perfectly blends conventional diesel fuel with compressed natural gas or bio-methane, delivers greener power to municipal vehicles, stationary generators and backup applications to name a few. While some companies are able to offer customers only a dedicated diesel fuel or natural gas fuel solution, APG’s technology is the first to allow an engine to run on both diesel and natural gas simultaneously. The technology is innovative, and it benefits are simply astounding. The dual fuel solution reduces the use of fuel by as much as 40 percent, increases the diesel fuel run time of generators by 300 percent and decreases emissions by over 40 percent. It also minimizes fuel storage space requirements by as much as 50 percent.

“Our technology is freeing up businesses to do what they know best while helping them to improve their bottom line,” said Rick Kremer, VP Sales & Marketing.

APG says one of its clients has been able to run off a generator burning the dual fuel for two week, where it would have lasted only 48 hours before. Plus, company officials claim it will work in existing engines. Check ‘em out for yourself here.

A new report from the USDA says that farmers and ranchers could turn manure into energy without taking too much of it out of the fertilizer market.

This story from Biomass Magazine says the report, entitled “Manure Use for Fertilizer and for Energy,” points out that turning manure into energy is really underused in this country:

Interest is growing in manure-to-energy systems, but implementation remains scarce in the United States. Anaerobic digestion and combustion are the most common processes used to obtain carbon dioxide and methane for electricity generation, the report says. Most digesters are on-farm systems at dairy and hog farms and combustion can be beneficial to fuel large power plants with poultry litter and fed cattle manure, which have higher energy and lower moisture content. Only one combustion plant operates in the U.S., using litter from 6.6 percent of turkey production. Digestion systems cover less than 3 percent of dairy cows and less than 1 percent of hogs, according to the report.

Using manure for energy won’t impose substantial constraints on manure for fertilizer supplies, the report says, because the technologies do not consume the nutrients that are beneficial for plant growth. In anaerobic digestion, the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium remain in the effluent to be spread on fields. Digestion also eliminates odors and nearly eliminates pathogens, according to the report. Combustion plants do burn nitrogen nutrients, but leave the phosphorous and potassium in concentrated form in the ash residues. In addition, manure-to-energy projects function in markets for fertilizer and energy and will be most economical in those areas where acquisition costs of manure are lowest, the report says. In turn, manure costs will be lowest where manure is in excess supply, with the least value as fertilizer, the report said.

The report goes on to say that economics is still the big stumbling point for wider implementation. Just 91 commercial dairy farms and 17 hogs farms were using digesters to turn the manure into energy, and there are few commercial combustion plants in the U.S. But it does believe that will change if there’s more public support for such ventures.

A landfill is now one of the sources of power for a the Lafarge Tulsa Cement Plant.

The Tulsa World reports that an 8,000-foot pipeline will bring methane, produced from the rotting garbage, from the Waste Management landfill where the city’s residential waste is taken:

By substituting methane for coal, a renewable energy source is tapped and reliance on fossil fuels is decreased, said Jim Bachmann, the Lafarge plant’s manager.

“This landfill now can produce a product that can be used,” he said.

The methane is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide output by 200,000 tons each year.

Cows often get a bad rap for emitting methane – a global warming gas. Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on Elsie the milk cow since her production of methane can be harnessed for energy.  Not sure how to go about converting animal waste to energy? Then consider attending the first National Biomethane Summit being held in Sacramento, CA on June 23, 2009.

The National Biomethane Summit will offer a full day’s focus on applications, equipment, and emerging technologies in the sciences of landfill gas, dairy waste methane recovery, and wastewater treatment. Speakers include representatives from the California Air Resources Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture and state and local politicians.

According to the conference’s website, the goal of NBS is, “to showcase fuels and technologies, policies and actions, and other ongoing efforts that will enable California to meet its goals to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, strengthen its transportation fuel supplies, and establish a long-term sustainable market for cleaner-burning fuels.”

The only thing they forgot is how to convert human waste to biomethane. Well maybe next year.

Okay, I just couldn’t resist this story. The citizens of Manchester are engaging in the green energy revolution by flushing the loo. Yes, you heard correctly. Simply flush your poo down the loo and generate renewable energy through biomethane.

In a UK first, United Utilities has teamed up with National Grid to convert a by-product of the wastewater treatment process into gas for injection into the local gas pipeline network and fuel for a fleet of sludge tankers. The ground-breaking initiative is centered on one of the country’s largest wastewater treatment plants at Davyhulme in Manchester. The program received funding from Defra’s Waste & Resources Action Programme.

Caroline Ashton, United Utilities biofuels manager, said, “The team is thrilled to have won this funding which will give the project a huge boost. It has been in development for some time, but now we can put our plans into action and the people of Manchester will soon be using ‘poo power’ to heat their homes.”

The biomethane that is produced from the ‘poo power’ program will either be injected into the gas grid as a substitute for natural gas or compressed for use in vehicles, also similar to compressed natural gas in cars. This “renewable resource” will help lower consumers’ energy bills as well as reduce the area’s carbon footprint. The pilot program will supply gas to about 500 homes with a goal of supplying gas to 5,000 homes.

To my knowledge there are no similar programs underway in the States. But if anyone knows of any, please leave a comment.