Environmental Power announces first delivery of pipeline-quality biogas
Already practised in Europe on a relatively large scale (overview), feeding biogas into the natural gas grid is now a fact in the US too. Environmental Power Corporation today announced that its subsidiary, Microgy Holdings, LLC, has achieved the initial delivery of pipeline quality renewable natural gas from the Huckabay Ridge facility in Stephenville, Texas (picture).
The facility is able to generate biogas from manure and other agricultural waste streams, condition the biogas to natural gas standards and distribute it via a commercial pipeline. Microgy's has branded, the renewable, pipeline-quality biomethane product as 'Renewable Natural Gas'.
At full build out, Huckabay Ridge may be the largest biogas production facility in the world, with annual output of approximately 650,000 MMbtus of RNG per year - the equivalent of over 4.6 million gallons (17.4 million liters) of heating oil.
In addition to energy production, Huckabay Ridge is also expected to generate approximately 200,000 tons of carbon offset credits annually, based on existing Chicago Climate Exchange protocols. Greenhouse gas capture is a rapidly growing environmental concern that is being supported by numerous State initiatives, including California and the Northeast, and is attracting significant attention among federal legislators pursuing restrictions that limit carbon output and create a market for trading carbon capture "credits". The carbon credits, which have a value of approximately $4.00 per metric ton in today's voluntary carbon credit market, are expected to increase in value as a binding cap and trade system evolves in the U.S.
Currently six of Huckabay Ridge's eight digesters are producing biogas, and are in varying stages of start-up and operation, with the remaining two digesters beginning start-up:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: biogas :: natural gas :: purification :: carbon credits :: US ::
Biogas has now been processed through the on- site gas-conditioning and compression equipment and, once the commissioning process is finalized, Huckabay Ridge is expected to be generating RNG(TM) at full capacity later this spring. The RNG(TM) produced by the facility has been purchased by the Lower Colorado River Authority pursuant to a previously announced long-term purchase agreement through September 2008.
"While making initial deliveries of gas into the pipeline is not the conclusion of the startup process, it is a critical first milestone. Now the process shifts to demonstrating fully reliable operation. I am very confident in the Microgy team and their consultants and fully expect that they will be able to achieve this important objective in time to meet our projected commercial operation date."
"The experience of the start-up of Huckabay will be invaluable in our project rollout at the other large-scale facilities under development in Texas, California and other key markets," continued Mr. Kessel. "Our standardized modular plants will enable us to implement numerous large-scale RNG facilities rapidly and in a cost-effective manner."
To date, there are no projections on the overall potential of biogas in the US. In Europe, a recent estimate indicates that by 2020, the continent can replace all natural gas imports from Russia (earlier post).
Article continues
The facility is able to generate biogas from manure and other agricultural waste streams, condition the biogas to natural gas standards and distribute it via a commercial pipeline. Microgy's has branded, the renewable, pipeline-quality biomethane product as 'Renewable Natural Gas'.
At full build out, Huckabay Ridge may be the largest biogas production facility in the world, with annual output of approximately 650,000 MMbtus of RNG per year - the equivalent of over 4.6 million gallons (17.4 million liters) of heating oil.
In addition to energy production, Huckabay Ridge is also expected to generate approximately 200,000 tons of carbon offset credits annually, based on existing Chicago Climate Exchange protocols. Greenhouse gas capture is a rapidly growing environmental concern that is being supported by numerous State initiatives, including California and the Northeast, and is attracting significant attention among federal legislators pursuing restrictions that limit carbon output and create a market for trading carbon capture "credits". The carbon credits, which have a value of approximately $4.00 per metric ton in today's voluntary carbon credit market, are expected to increase in value as a binding cap and trade system evolves in the U.S.
Currently six of Huckabay Ridge's eight digesters are producing biogas, and are in varying stages of start-up and operation, with the remaining two digesters beginning start-up:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: biogas :: natural gas :: purification :: carbon credits :: US ::
Biogas has now been processed through the on- site gas-conditioning and compression equipment and, once the commissioning process is finalized, Huckabay Ridge is expected to be generating RNG(TM) at full capacity later this spring. The RNG(TM) produced by the facility has been purchased by the Lower Colorado River Authority pursuant to a previously announced long-term purchase agreement through September 2008.
"While making initial deliveries of gas into the pipeline is not the conclusion of the startup process, it is a critical first milestone. Now the process shifts to demonstrating fully reliable operation. I am very confident in the Microgy team and their consultants and fully expect that they will be able to achieve this important objective in time to meet our projected commercial operation date."
"The experience of the start-up of Huckabay will be invaluable in our project rollout at the other large-scale facilities under development in Texas, California and other key markets," continued Mr. Kessel. "Our standardized modular plants will enable us to implement numerous large-scale RNG facilities rapidly and in a cost-effective manner."
To date, there are no projections on the overall potential of biogas in the US. In Europe, a recent estimate indicates that by 2020, the continent can replace all natural gas imports from Russia (earlier post).
Article continues
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Bioplastics developed that degrade in seawater, boon to cruise industry
Large volumes of plastic waste generated aboard military, merchant and cruise ships must be stored onboard, often for prolonged periods, until they make port. In the future, the new type of environmentally friendly plastic may make it safe and practical to toss plastic waste overboard, freeing-up valuable storage space.
The biodegradable plastics could replace conventional plastics that are used to make stretch wrap for large cargo items, food containers, eating utensils and other plastics used at sea, the researchers say. The biodegradable plastic has not yet been tested in freshwater. The development was described today at the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
“There are many groups working on biodegradable plastics, but we’re one of a few working on plastics that degrade in seawater,” says study leader Robson F. Storey, Ph.D., a professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at USM, located in Hattiesburg, Miss. “We’re moving toward making plastics more sustainable, especially those that are used at sea.”
Conventional plastics can take years to break down and may result in byproducts that are harmful to the environment and toxic to marine organisms, conditions that make their disposal at sea hazardous. The new plastics are capable of degrading in as few as 20 days and result in natural byproducts that are nontoxic, Storey and his associates say. Their study is funded by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which is supporting a number of ongoing research projects aimed at reducing the environmental impact of marine waste.
The new plastics are made of polyurethane that has been modified by the incorporation of PLGA [poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)], a known degradable polymer used in surgical sutures and controlled drug-delivery applications. Through variations in the chemical composition of the plastic, the researchers have achieved a wide range of mechanical properties ranging from soft, rubber-like plastics to hard, rigid structures, depending on their intended use:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: bioplastics :: biodegradable :: seawater :: hydrolysis ::
When exposed to seawater, the plastics degrade via hydrolysis into nontoxic products, according to the scientists. Depending on the composition of the plastics, these compounds may include water, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, caproic acid and L-lysine, all of which can be found in nature, they add.
Because the new plastics are denser than saltwater, they have a tendency to sink instead of float, Storey says. That feature also could prevent them from washing up on shore and polluting beaches, he notes.
The plastics are undergoing degradation testing at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Natick, Mass., and in the Gulf of Mexico at the USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Miss. Initial results have been favorable, Storey says.
The plastics are not quite ready for commercialization. More studies are needed to optimize the plastics for various environmental conditions they might encounter, including changes in temperature, humidity and seawater composition, Storey says. There also are legal hurdles to overcome, since international maritime law currently forbids disposal of plastics at sea.
Image: BBC correspondent Tom Heap shows examples of "mermaids' tears".
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posted by Biopact team at 6:11 PM 0 comments links to this post