The Landfill, Garbage dump and other places that are making Methane (= Natural Gas) as we go about our daily lives!
ALERT – I made a mistake. I did not research enough of this “Natural Gas” issue.
Natural Gas = Methane. You can find out what needs to be done, HERE, to be sure we can Happily go ahead with waste to fuel.
the forms that Natural Gas, Methane, Biogas, Biofuel take:
CNG – Compressed natural gas (methane stored at high pressure),
LNG – Liquefied natural gas (methane + mix cooled down to liquid),
RNG – Renewable Natural Gas (biomethane)
Each slightly different but all interchangeable and all methane=natural gas to use as energy.
In this post:
…Remember, at the bottom a list of other posts about Waste to Energy
Landfill Methane is the main ingredient in Natural Gas,
but it can be pulled from a landfill and refined into
a BIO-Fuel that emitts lower CO2.
Capturing and using the methane from the millions of landfills on planet Earth will help clean our atmosphere, make the landfills less dangerous, make them obsolete, and produce fuel that we can use for transportation and electricity. Using up the methane in all those millions of landfills will really help to clean our air and it generates more jobs!
Some Landfill Methane to Energy facilities have existed for a long time.
Reducing America’s reliance on foreign oil has been the goal of government and industry for decades. Seneca Meadows joined that effort in 1995 with the establishment of a landfill gas to energy plant. The plant which is owned and operated by Seneca Energy Incorporated is adjacent to the landfill. Methane, which is produced as waste decomposes is collected and piped to the gas plant. There it is prepared in a scrubber system prior to entering the engine generators. The prepared landfill gas is used to fuel internal combustion engines, to produce 18 megawatts of electricity per hour. This is enough renewable energy to power more than 15,000 homes. The EPA has endorsed converting landfill gas to energy as a win-win for solid waste managers and the environment. This reliable energy source will be available for years after the life of the landfill. Processing landfill gas helps the environment in another way as well. It destroys 98% of non-methane organic compounds.
So, what shows us that a landfill is making gas?
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This video has auto-translations in many many languages! Look in Settings > Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate and click on CC.
This video shows the burning methane at a Landfill in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The technology for using Landfill methane to generate electricity advances every year….. Today, you can find such operations starting up all over the world….but, so far, it is just a drop in the bucket!
Think of all the millions of landfills, seeping gas!
Harvest this “waste” and no one has to be without energy to heat & cool their home and use transportation!
This facility has been in operation since 2009.
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This video has auto-translations in many many languages! Look in Settings > Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate and click on CC.
Methane produced by rotting garbage and seeping out of landfills is one of the major contributors to the climate crisis. But Amman, Jordan is turning it’s trash into treasure. This operation alone powers 6,000 homes.
What if we, WM, told you our trucks were powered by the trash that they collect? Come to Northern California to see one of our landfills make this a reality.
This video has auto-translations in many many languages! Look in Settings > Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate and click on CC.
This video has auto-translations in many many languages! Look in Settings > Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate and click on CC.
This is a WM landfill and what happens here might surprise you! Like renewable energy production, WM sites just like this one help to produce enough energy that helps fuel the largest truck fleet in North America and power 1000s of homes! Like everything technology touches landfills have come a long way and facilities like the one we’re at today. I mean this is an engineering marvel! Here’s a crazy thought for you. Each year WM oversees the safe disposal of millions of tons of waste. Millions of tons! and they do it smarter and more sustainably by figuring out how trash can be repurposed and reused. WM also collects millions of tons of recyclable materials, but a lot of stuffstill ends up in a landfill. In fact, the average american creates 4.5 pounds of trash every single day. So the question is how can we turn trash into an asset? When you collect tons of waste in a place like a landfill, it naturally produces methane gas when it breaks down. This WM facility turns that gas into usable energy. The turbine plant produces approximately 3.5 megawatts of exported power which translates into approximately 3,500 homes that can use electricity generated from landfill waste. This plant runs 24/7 producing electricity. As we mentioned earlier, as organic material breaks down, it produces methane and in a landfill like this one, that methane is trapped below the surface. I mean it can be hundreds of feet down there. Just like an oil well pulls oil from the ground this landfill has about 200 wells like this one. They use vacuum suction to pull up the raw gas from the ground and send it through these pipes to a super high-tech processing plant. We can create biofuel from the methane gas that is created from that garbage. Our garbage trucks that actually come to your house, run on biofuel. What a cool process, we can pick up your garbage, [with trucks] running on the garbage that you actually dumped in the landfill the prior week. Okay i got a fun fact. WM is the nation’s largest operator of biofuel trash and recycling trucks. By using biofuel in its trucks WM saves over 71 million gallons of diesel fuel per year. With that 71 million it reduces its carbon emissions by 30,000 metric tons from trash.
I Mean that’s, that is mind-blowing!
Okay, let us get the big picture here. As a nation, we produce over 250 million tons of trash per year and most of that ends up in a landfill, but what if every landfill across the country [ WORLD ] was tapped as an energy source. WM is doing its part to make a difference and you can help by buying only what you need, donating unused stuff that can be repurposed and recycling right? And using a landfill as a last resort. You know it’s amazing to see the innovations that are happening here today that are going to make tomorrow even better!
Renewable Natural Gas (Bio-methane) Production (RNG)US Dept. of Energy:
Renewable Natural Gas (Bio-methane) Production (RNG)US Dept. of Energy: Alternative Fuels Data Center Renewable natural gas (RNG), or biomethane, is a pipeline-quality gas that is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas and thus fuel for natural gas vehicles. RNG is essentially biogas (the gaseous product of the decomposition of organic matter) that has purity standards. Like conventional natural gas, RNG is a transportation fuel in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). RNG qualifies as an advanced biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
With minor cleanup, biogas can generate electricity and heat. To fuel vehicles, biogas must have a higher purity standard. This is an upgrade process and involves the removal of water, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other trace elements. The resulting RNG, or biomethane, has a higher content of methane than raw biogas, which makes it comparable to conventional natural gas. For a list of projects that are upgrading gas for pipeline injection or use as vehicle fuel, see the Renewable Natural Gas Database developed by Argonne National Laboratory.
CNG, LNG, RNG
We can’t have clean air without clean trucks and cars!
- More than 175,000 Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) on U.S. roads today and more than 23 million worldwide.
- More than 1,600 CNG and 140 LNG fuelling stations in the U.S., and refuelling appliances are available for home use.
- In the U.S., about 50 different manufacturers produce 100 models of light, medium, and heavy-duty NG vehicles and engines.
- Conversion kits for gasoline or diesel to LNG/CNG are available in many countries, along with the labor to install them.
- SAVINGS – Heavy-duty, high mileage fleets consume enough fuel for owners and operators to see a pay back (ROI) in as little as 18–24 months.
CNG, LNG, RNG Conversion Basics
The basics of engine and vehicle conversions.
An aftermarket conversion is a vehicle or engine modified to operate using a different fuel or power source. Conventional vehicles and engines from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can be converted to run on fuels like propane, natural gas, or electricity.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has produced What Fleets Need to Know About Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversions, Retrofits, and Repowers(PDF) 2017. The report discusses important considerations, “Pro Tips,” and best practices for converting vehicles to run on alternative fuels or Electricity.
A conversion system is installed by a qualified system retrofitter (QSR) who meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and/or California Air Resources Board requirements, as well as NFPA 58, in order to convert original equipment manufacturer vehicles.
Biogas To RNG Projects: What, Why And How
April 2019 There is a national trend to reposition biogas-producing assets into renewable vehicle fuel production facilities. Biogas is typically used to produce thermal energy, electricity, or is sometimes just flared. Interest in converting biogas to renewable natural gas (RNG / biomethane) and injecting it into commercial natural gas pipelines is at an all-time high.
The goal of this article is to help project developers, investors, utilities, agriculture, food production industries, and municipalities, to better understand the regulations driving new RNG projects and how projects are carried out.
RIN/RNG Pathway Fundamentals
Renewable Fuel Standard-1 (RFS1) required that all transportation fuel commercially sold in the United States must contain minimum volumes of renewable fuels.
Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO)
A schedule was proposed for increasing the amount of renewable fuels to be blended with transportation fuels each year until 2022, when 20 percent of all transportation fuels must come from renewable sources. — a little more each year– The original schedule established by Congress calls for 29 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2019 but the industry is well short of producing this amount. So the 2019 RVO was set below the target volume at just under 20 billion gallons.
Each gallon of renewable fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is able to generate credits or “Renewable Identification Numbers” (RINs). RINs are classified by fuel types such as biodiesel, ethanol, renewable natural gas, and other approved renewable fuels. RIN classifications are further broken down according to the type of feedstock and processes used to create those fuels, along with the calculated reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG).
Biogas to RNG can fall into the D5 or D3 RIN category depending on the feedstock processed. High demand exists for cellulosic biofuels – D3 RINs due to supply constraints. Approved D3 RIN pathways include renewable compressed natural gas produced from the following biogas sources:
• Landfills
• Municipal wastewater treatment facility digesters
• Agricultural digesters including ag residues and manures
• Separated municipal solid waste digesters
• Other cellulosic feedstocks with minimum 75 % cellulosic content.
Pipeline Injection Advantage
Pipeline injection RNG projects have a distinct advantage over liquid renewable fuels because the RFS recognizes the principle of displacement. RNG molecules are completely interchangeable with fossil natural gas molecules in the pipeline. Therefore, RNG can be injected into the natural gas distribution grid anywhere in the 48 contiguous states.
Figure 3 shows the four phases of a typical biogas-to-CNG transportation fuel pathway to generate generate credits or “Renewable Identification Numbers”.
Step 1: Anaerobic digestion facility generates biogas.
Step 2: Biogas is upgraded/purified to meet pipeline quality specifications for RNG.
Step 3: The pathway to demonstrate CNG end use is established. Commercial pipeline injection provides the necessary flexibility to connect to CNG end use.
Step 4: CNG is dispensed for transportation use at a fueling station.
CNG, LNG, RNG
Developing A Successful RNG Project, check list:
Identify Opportunity & Feasibility:
Financing:
Feedstock Procurement:
Identify Pipeline Access:
Work with the Right Team:
Digestate Management:
Permits:
Operations and Staffing:
Compliance:
How Clean Energy and Waste Management turn trash into green fuel
Well, not exactly “trash” but close………………
2014 Clean Energy and Waste Management Inc. are capturing landfill gas, wastewater treatment and/or Organic waste and turning it into an economically valuable commodity that replaces gasoline and diesel fuel. Provided that leaks are prevented when the landfill gas is captured, processed and distributed to consumers, the work of these two companies can help the climate and help California reach its pollution reductions goals. In addition, because processed landfill gas burns much cleaner than petroleum based fuels, using it in cars and trucks can result in cleaner air and other public health benefits.
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. produces a fuel named Redeem, available in either compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas. Redeem is produced at landfills outside California and then pumped into pipelines for use in the state. in 2014, the company had already built and operates three biomethane facilities and estimated they would have 10 plants owned by third parties throughout the U.S. by the year’s end. The low carbon fuel receives carbon credits from the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard when it is used in the state, creating an opportunity for additional value.
Waste Management, Inc., in partnership with Linde North America, a gases and engineering company, built a facility in 2009 at the Altamont Landfill in Altamont, Calif., which produces liquefied natural gas from biomethane. Of about 1,500 natural gas trucks that Waste Management has in its fleet, approximately half already use the renewable liquefied natural gas. Where possible, Waste Management also makes liquefied natural gas available to the public. In total, according to Waste Management, the Altamont Landfill is responsible for 33,000 tons of CO2 reductions per year, the equivalent of eliminating emissions from nearly 7,000 passenger vehicles.
Among it’s Customer Resources you will find some interesting tools:
- Cost Savings Calculator
- Emissions Calculator
- Download Library
- Grant Finder
- FIND A STATION for CNG & LNG stations
Clean Energy Opens RNG Fueling Station in New York City
Jul 12, 2019 Clean Energy Fuels Corp. on July 10 welcomed New York City officials, community leaders and environmental advocates to the opening of its newest natural gas fueling station in Hunts Point, N.Y.—the first station in New York City to exclusively offer renewable natural gas (RNG) for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets.
“A few blocks from here is Hunts Point Market, the largest food distribution center of its kind in the world, resulting in approximately 15,000 truck trips per day,” said Chad Lindholm, vice president of sales for Clean Energy, in a statement. “This long-envisioned station will serve fleets operating in Hunts Point with a lower-cost alternative to diesel fuel that can lead to substantial reductions in truck-related pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
We, at Clean Energy can take RNG supply from whoever passes our quality requirements as an acceptable vendor for RNG supply.
CNG, LNG, RNG
Waste Company is First to Inject Biogas into California Pipeline
October 2018, “Cities that contract with us see their grass clippings and food waste come back to them as an ultra-clean fuel that powers the trucks that run in their communities,” says Paul Relis, senior vice president of CR&R.
CR&R’s endeavor was a pilot project of sorts. It used the established New Zealand Greenlane biogas clean up system but added a Portuguese system to produce a cleaner gas. This is the first time the Portuguese technology has been used in North America, according to Relis, who says it is how the company met California’s pipeline quality fuel mandate of 99 BTUs (British thermal units).
“We have folks visit from China, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, France and other countries as well as from all over the U.S. They are reporting they have nothing that’s this technologically sophisticated,” says Relis
The project was attractive to SoCalGas, which recently announced it will streamline processes to support RNG projects. SoCalGas recently launched a new Renewable Gas website to provide general information on biogas derived renewable natural gas. It also developed a RNG gas toolkit for producers and developers wanting to interconnect to the pipeline.
What these guys are doing is building the Grid across the USA for greener fuel!
They are using Organic waste, Wastewater treatment and the Methane in Land Fills to make the fuel for this network. And they directed their marketing to……….
“The Transportation/Delivery Industry”
50% of the U.S. Gasoline & Diesel Supply
If they can do it, so can any other country on planet Earth!
CNG, LNG, RNG it is one way, it is a start!
BIO-FUEL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
It does not have to be such a big project and their’s is one that is happening one step at a time >> covering regions first….not the whole country at once.
There is a growing supply grid for cleaner fuel.
And then we can eliminate the landfills completely!
Please keep this in mind.
There are dangerous natural gas emissions that we should remember:
• Fracking – methane emissions – higher than previously reported.
• Loose pipe fittings and gas flaring at wells, greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 20% of all human-caused methane emissions.
• At US power plants, natural gas power plants are only 40% cleaner than coal-fired power plants.
The problem? Landfill gas is the third largest source of methane emitted in the United States (after natural gas production and gassy cows). [I am sure it is the second largest emitter!!!]
Local leaks impact global climate – Extensive research led by EDF from 2012 to 2018 shows methane leaks in the U.S. are a far greater threat than the government’s estimate suggests. Major studies reveal 60% more methane emissions
Leaky Methane. – Natural Gas the darker the dot the bigger the leak
While methane doesn’t linger as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it is initially far more devastating to the climate because of how effectively it absorbs heat.
In the first two decades after its release, methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
In 2012, we kicked off a research series to better pinpoint methane leaks, and to find solutions. Now a summary of our 16 studies of the whole U.S. supply chain shows methane emissions are significantly higher than we thought,
Old pipes? Can you imagine how much bio-methane leaks from old landfills?
CNG, LNG, RNG – is one way……………
To a big degree, it depends on how you use it and where.
Other posts on the subject of WASTE to Energy
Anaerobic Digestion In Full Swing – #1 Waste To Energy?
CNG, LNG, RNG Fuelling Stations – #2 Waste To Energy
#3 Municipal Solid Waste – MSW To BioFuel? Yes!
ALL Islands: Just Go Zero – NOW! – Like Tilos
We CAN Deal With The #1 Mistake: Fossil Fuel – Today
The “Relief” Of Phasing Out Fossil Fuel! …Now!
Other approaches to waste to energy in these posts
Useful Green WASTE Business Ideas That Scale To Any Size
Harvesting Waste Ideas. Waste Rushes? NOW!
Climate Retrofits On Land Or At Sea
Shipping’s Carbon Footprint And Your Small Business >> Your Vote
Industrial Zone – Closed-Loop Networking
Cellulosic Ethanol – One Of Many DSM Sustainability Projects
what needs to be cleaned
Too Much Methane !
The Greenhouse Gases List …..A Re-Review
cleaning up the mess
Can We, Are We Pulling In The Excess CO₂ ?
Fuel From Air? – Capture CO₂
Carbon Dioxide – Who Else Has Ideas To Pull It DOWN And OUT?
Urban Mining for clean energy
Urban Mining ! – More Important Than Ever
Critical Minerals & Rare Elements! ….. COLOSSAL WASTE RUSH