Puregas Solutions, a part of the technology group Wärtsilä, has been contracted to supply a turnkey biogas upgrading plant to the USA. The plant will upgrade an existing anaerobic digester (AD) to produce biomethane. It has been ordered by dairy operation in Oregon.
The Puregas solution will process 3100 cfm (cubic feet per minute) of biogas from the anaerobic digestion of manure from more than 50,000 dairy cows. The renewable natural gas will then be injected into a pipeline for use as transportation fuel in California. The project generates Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, as well as credits under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).
The plant is expected to produce around 81 mmBTU of biomethane per year. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of over 15,000 households, 570 city buses, or 10,000 cars, with an annual CO2 reduction of 51,000 tons.
“This project, which essentially converts the methane gas from animal manure into a sustainable transportation fuel, is environmentally significant and an indicator perhaps of a future trend in biogas upgrading in the agricultural industry. Our capability to deliver the necessary technology in a turnkey solution was the key to securing this important contract,” says Jan Molin, Managing Director, Puregas Solutions.
