+ organic waste: tackling climate change and building a sustainable energy future joanna d....
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Organic Waste: Tackling Climate Change and Building a Sustainable Energy Future
Joanna D. Underwood President, Energy Vision
5th SWEEP-Net Regional Conference, Tunis, TUNISIAApril 16, 2015
+Energy Vision
Mission: to advance global collaboration in adoption of the low-carbon, renewable energy sources, transport fuels, and new technologies needed for a sustainable future
Program: Research of alternative vehicle fuels to end reliance on petroleum-based fuels, publication of reports on best options, newsletters, media, & educational outreach
Impacts: EV team reports identified fossil natural gas – and then even better
“renewable natural gas” (RNG) made from waste - as most promising fuels for heavy duty fleets
Inspired trend of truck/bus shifts to natural gas in the U.S. Building awareness of U.S. policy, business, and solid waste leaders
of RNG fuel as leading transportation strategy for tackling climate change
EV’s Step-by-Step Guide to converting organic wastes into fuel, used in regional workshops, leading to expanding initiatives
+What is the Value of Organic Waste?
IT IS NOT “WASTE”!
As organics break down, they release methane “biogases” which can be collected and refined.
Biogas fuel is clean and chemically similar to fossil gas (CH4) but requires NO drilling
The biosolids from organic wastes are valuable as compost or as soil amendments
+ What are the Organics Sources? Landfills
Farm & Dairy Manures
Commercial Food Waste
Markets, Restaurants, Hotels etc.
Wastewater Treatment Plants
+How Can Biogases/Bio-Solids be Used? Biogases can generate heat or power plants on-site
Refined biogases (removing moisture, CO2 & impurities), become“renewable natural gas” (RNG) fuel, that can be used like fossil gas to cook, heat, generate electricity, or power vehicles!
Biosolids (remaining after gas extraction) can be used as high quality compost or soil amendments.
+RNG Fuel: Optimal Transportation Climate Change Strategy
Fossil and RNG fuel are the only options to diesel for medium/heavy duty fleets. Fossil gas cuts diesel Greenhouse Gases 25% on a life cycle basis; RNG cuts them 90% or more. – CA Air Resources
Board
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Lifecycle Carbon Intensity (gCO2e/MJ): Diesel and Alternative Fuels
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Waste to Fuel: Five Steps
Renewable Natural Gas: How is it Made?
+An Emerging Waste-to-Fuel Industry Converts Landfill Gases to Fuel: Waste Management,
Republic Waste Services, Rumpke and other waste companies have landfill gas projects in 8 states producing fuel for more than 500 refuse trucks and 143 transit buses. Aria Energy (WI) owns and operates 35 landfill gas to energy projects in the US and one converting landfill gas to RNG vehicle fuel
Refines Biogas: BioCNG selects/ adapts gas refinement systems
Builds Anaerobic Digesters: Quasar Energy Group (OH) builds digesters for processing a mix of commercial and municipal organic wastes. Its14 facilities process 700,000 tons of waste/year & have created 125 jobs.
Designs Natural Gas Vehicle Engines: Westport Innovations (Vancouver) and Cummins Westport (IN) pioneered in natural gas engine technologies used by virtually every major truck producer. Volvo and Mack
Refuels Natural Gas Vehicles: Clean Energy Renewables, a Division of Clean Energy Fuels (CA), the largest provider of U.S. natural gas refueling infrastructure, specializes in obtaining RNG for fleets.
Plans/Finances: Baker Tilly, banks, engineering firms
+RNG:12 Operational Projects in the U.S.Waste Site Location Project Lead(s) Vehicles Fueled
Altamont Landfill Altamont, CA Waste Management/Linde NA
300 refuse trucks
Columbus BioEnergy Digester
Columbus, OH quasar energy group 25+ vehicles
Fair Oaks Dairy Fair Oaks, IN Fair Oaks/AmpCNG 42 milk trucks
Janesville Wastewater Plant
Janesville, WI City of Janesville/BioCNG, LLC
40+ vehicles by 2020
Riverview Landfill Riverview, MI City of Riverview/BioCNG, LLC
40 vehicles by 2020
Rodefeld Landfill Dane County, WI Dane County/BioCNG, LLC 25-30 vehicles
Rumpke Landfill Cincinnati, OH Rumpke/Clean Fuels Ohio 10 refuse trucks
Sacramento Bio-Digester
Sacramento, CA CleanWorld/Atlas Disposal 20 refuse trucks + City vehicles
Sauk Trail Hills Landfill
Canton, MI Republic Services/Clean Energy Renewable Fuels
NA (offsite refueling)
Seminole Road Landfill
Dekalb County, GA
Energy Systems Group/Dekalb County Sanitation
70 refuse trucks
St. Landry Parish Landfill
Beggs, LA St. Landry Parish/BioCNG, LLC
20+ vehicles
Cedar Hills Landfill
Tacoma, WA Pierce Transit/Puget Sound Energy/
143 Transit Buses
+Fair Oaks Dairy (Indiana) Manure from 11,500 cows makes 1.5 million gals/year of RNG
for 42 long-haul trucks delivering 300,000 gals/day of milk for processing in 3 States: Michigan, Kentucky & Tennessee.
+St. Landry Parish, (Louisiana) $750,000 project extracting gases from its landfill, making RNG fuel to displace 175 diesel gallons a day for its police fleet & other municipal vehicles
+Sacramento California: 1st Closed- Loop Food Waste System in the U.S. Public/private partnership/$12 million investment & an economic successDiverts 40,000 tons of food waste from landfillDisplaces 700,000 gallons of diesel a yearCreates 16 permanent green jobsCuts 5,800 tons of greenhouse gases a yearProduces Municipal tax revenues of $1.1 million a yearHas sales of high value organic soil amendments
+Exploring Project Opportunities Locally Public Private Partnerships - key to success
A singular resource: EV’s Guide: Converting Organic Wastes into Vehicle Fuel: A Step by Step Guide for Communities
+Tunisia: A Place of Opportunity
9 Large (nearly full) Landfills
70% of MSW is organic waste
Need for high and low-level jobs (15.2% unemployment)
Heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels at high subsidized cost
Article 45 of the new Constitution stipulates the right to a healthy and balanced environment and the right to participate in the protection of the climate
+Conclusions
RNG: the Best Climate Change Strategy for Transportation. Supportive energy and environmental policy and private sector investment can turn one of the world’s major waste burdens & sources of anthropogenic methane into a clean close to carbon-free fuel using commercial technology
RNG: the only sustainable fuel to displace diesel in heavy-duty fleets. Many other renewables exist for power generation.
Growing a Waste-to-Fuel Industry is an economic winner: displaces diesel with a modestly priced, secure, homegrown fuel; cuts waste disposal costs, creates permanent high and low level jobs, while protecting our environment.
