Climate, MSW, LFG, RNG,Biofuels
ACCEPTING ABSTRACTS ON: Waste to Energy, RNG, MSW, RNG, Biogas, Biofuels, Biodiesel, Algae, LFG, RNG, MSW, LMOP, Siloxane, Biogas, MSW, Sustainable RE Projects, Coal Plants and Green Hydrogen, Waste to Energy, LFG, RNG, Biogas, Climate, GHG, Carbon Credits, Waste Management
E2.1 Flip or Flop: Conversion of Biogas Power Generation to RNG
E2.1 Flip or Flop: Conversion of Biogas Power Generation to RNG
Jeffrey Pierce – SCS Engineers
Landfill gas and digester gas are currently widely used in the United States to produce renewable power; however, solar and wind have generally become more cost-effective sources of renewable power. The value of biogas as a source of renewable power has receded. Credits under the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS 2) Program and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program now combine to create a market value for renewable natural gas (RNG) exceeding $30/MMBtu. RNG’s link to these programs is that RNG is dedicated for vehicle fuel use in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG). Large to moderately sized biogas power plants are now being shut down, and RNG plants are being constructed, using the freed-up biogas. The payback on the RNG plants is generally less than two years. The presentation will address: 1) An overview of the workings of the RFS 2 and LCFS programs – explaining how the credits are monetized, and reviewing the historic and possible future trend of RNG prices; 2) An overview of the technologies used to convert biogas to RNG – a natural gas equivalent. The RNG can then be injected into natural gas pipelines for transport to CNG users; 3) The pipeline interconnection process and governing pipeline quality standards will be briefly discussed; and 4) Construction cost, operation/maintenance cost and performance of a typical RNG plant will be presented.
E2.4 RNG Project Development at Dairy Farms: Critical Issues When Negotiating Manure Supply Agreements
E2.4 RNG Project Development at Dairy Farms: Critical Issues When Negotiating Manure Supply Agreements
Christopher Peterson – Husch Blackwell
The terms of the Manure Supply Agreement play a critical role in the economic viability of each dairy waste RNG project. Access to public and private funding sources often hinges on a carefully-drafted agreement with provisions protecting the interests of such third parties. This presentation will discuss many of the important issues to consider when negotiating the terms of such agreements, including alternative solutions in addressing such issues, while taking into account the different interests of the farmer, developer and financer of the project.
E2.3 Reduce environmental impacts of overhead structures
E2.3 Reduce environmental impacts of overhead structures
Chad Hering – Bell Lumber & Pole Co.
The materials you use impacts the environment in different ways. Utilities with carbon reduction initiatives should record and consider different materials carbon footprint in their project evaluations. We will demonstrate how utilities can calculate the amount of carbon sequestered and carbon dioxide (CO2) removed from the atmosphere by utilizing wood utility structures. This information can assist a utility in achieving its commitment to the environment using scientifically derived information.
E2.2 Carbon Capture as Part of the Net-Zero Energy Transition
E2.2 Carbon Capture as Part of the Net-Zero Energy Transition
Emily Kunkel – Sargent & Lundy
With new legislation and financial incentives for GHG reductions and corporate net-zero goals, there is increased focus on decarbonizing the power sector and beyond. This presentation will focus on CO2 capture’s role as a key to net-zero carbon electricity sector transition. This presentation will discuss the status of capture technologies, including direct air capture, and infrastructure and the ways CO2 capture can be implemented for near- and long-term decarbonization goals. Market drivers, carbon credits, and regulations that impact the deployment of CO2 capture along with key considerations that impact the economics and feasibility of implementing these projects will be discussed.
E1.5 Decarbonizing heat with distributed hydrogen production
E1.6 Precast Tank Solutions for Anaerobic Digesters and their Advantage over Poured in Place
Tony Pan – Modern Electron
Heat is 50% of all final energy use, yet most of our decarbonization efforts are electricity centric. Furthermore, existing renewable electrification technologies struggle to produce steam and high grade process heat that are ubiquitous in the buildings and industrial sector. We propose a new solution for distributed hydrogen generation leveraging existing infrastructure, that can be used to remove CO2 emissions in everything from steam for heating, cleaning/sterilization, and humidification, to process heat in manufacturing cement, metals, chemicals, and even food and paper.
OPEN SLOT
AVAILABLE SPOT
Normally when the steam based plants were designed , they have efficiency of 41-42%. However, after few years of operation, the annual efficiencies of some 20-30 year old plants falls in the range of 30-37% depending upon how good the operation and maintenance is done by the asset owners. The drop in efficiency and increase in maintenance cost causes enormous financial burden to the extent that the plants are forced to retire even prematurely. We present here a case study of 2×300 MWe wherein when the assets are managed effectively, the power plant can continue to operate and generate revenue for the asset owners.
E3.2 Understanding the uncertainty in LFG recovery forecasts used for planning RNG projects
E3.2 Understanding the uncertainty in LFG recovery forecasts used for planning RNG projects
Alex Stege – SCS Engineers
LFG generation and recovery forecasting is critical for evaluating suitable RNG project sizes and potential revenues. Yet the forecasts struggle to overcome large uncertainties arising from limitations that will be discussed in this paper, including: the lack of measurements of methane generation or moisture conditions in the landfill impacting generation, limited data on the types of wastes disposed, reliance by the LFG industry on regulatory LFG emissions models without knowledge of how to adjust them for site-specific conditions, and the inability of the models to account for expected changes in waste composition as organics diversion programs expand.
E3.3 Landfill or Land Full ….of Opportunity?
E3.3 Landfill or Land Full ....of Opportunity?
Anthomy Cirillo – SunEast Development
Our country creates nearly 300 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year, of which about 50% is disposed of in landfills. There are currently over 2,600 MSW disposal sites, covering nearly 130,000 acres of land, in the U.S. today. Additionally, a nominal 1,050 coal combustion residue (CCR) landfills cover almost 74,000 acres of real estate. These sites exclude the real estate consumed by those used for industrial, hazardous, and mixed-use waste disposal. Given the various ages, composition, and gestation phases of these sites, coupled with their prognosis for use upon closure, they represent unique short- and long-term opportunities to both generate electric power and to protect the environment. Whether capturing and combusting landfill gas (LFG), primarily methane, or capping the landfill and ‘planting’ solar panels, or both, this presentation will quantify and explore the possibilities; the possibilities of how real estate, otherwise scarred by landfills, can be put to beneficial use. A use which, as our economy accelerates its moves toward greener electric power production and the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), offers hope to recast the stigma of a landfill into a land full of opportunity.
E3.4 Case Study: Cost Reduction in H2S removal for Landfill Gas with BSR-050
E3.4 Case Study: Cost Reduction in H2S removal for Landfill Gas with BSR-050
Gary Monks – Guild Associates Inc.
BSR-050 is a high capacity, field-proven media for the removal of H2S from landfill gas. BSR-050 provides industry-leading sulfur loading capacities, in excess of 1.4 lbs H2S removed per lb of media, even in low O2 conditions. In the present Case Study, BSR-050 media was used to replace an iron oxide-type media at a LFGTE facility in NJ. The enhanced efficiency of BSR-050 extended the media changeout interval by a factor of 3 and the non-bricking formulation decreased the changeout time by 50%. As a result, annualized Operational Expenses were reduced by 50%, with an 83% reduction in equipment downtime.
E3.5 On-site Treatment of Leachate Reverse Osmosis Concentrate and innovative commercial approaches to la
E3.5 On-site Treatment of Leachate Reverse Osmosis Concentrate and innovative commercial approaches to la
Ben Laurent – Heartland Water Technology
This presentation will focus on both technical and commercial elements of landfill fluid management and project success.
Technically, Heartland Water Technology has successfully delivered multiple projects treating challenging leachate reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate. By treating this challenging liquid on-site, landfill operators reduce the landfill’s carbon footprint, increase site efficiency, and improve site economics. In the presentation we will review a case study in which Energy Power Partners and the Cumberland County Improvement Authority partnered with Heartland Water Technology to use waste heat from an on-site LFG to energy plant to treat RO concentrate.
Commercially, we will present two case studies where municipalities selected a comprehensive, turnkey approach to leachate treatment. In both projects Heartland provided engineering design and managed installation of the leachate treatment facilities. One case study will highlight a twenty year build own and operate arrangement requiring no capital investment from the municipality. Using a water treatment as a service model, the municipality is able to secure the same benefits of on-site treatment without incurring a capital expense.
E4.1 CO2 Capture Readiness: Planning for the Future of Fossil Power
E3.6 CO2 Capture Readiness: Planning for the Future of Fossil Power
Carolyn Hillebrand – Sargent & Lundy
Many facilities may have financial incentive to implement carbon capture while achieving decarbonization targets due to expansion of US 45Q tax code. This is applies to coal and natural gas-fired power facilities, and industrial facilities, such as cement kilns, steel mills, and oil and gas markets. This presentation discusses requirements for installing CO2 capture technology with a focus on retrofits, identifying good candidates considering technology applicability, and a case study of coal plant life extension through sale of CO2. Site selection criteria and integration will be discussed, highlighting key plant readiness criteria helping streamline project development and lower implementation costs.
E4.2 Air Quality Permitting Issues for Landfill Gas to Energy Projects
E4.2 Air Quality Permitting Issues for Landfill Gas to Energy Projects
Patrick Sullivan – SCS Engineers
Landfill gas to energy projects can have some unique air permitting issues that complicate efforts to obtain permits and to keep permitting and pollution control costs affordable. These issues include assessing best available control technology (BACT)/lowest achievable emission rate (LAER), finding cost effective control options that meet BACT/LAER, managing impurities in the gas that can impact emissions and controls, gas treatment technologies necessary to remove contaminants in the gas or to create renewable natural gas (RNG), avoiding or reducing costs for emission reduction credits (ERCs), and determining whether third party plants are under common control with the landfill. The presentation will cover the following energy recovery technologies: reciprocating engines, gas turbines, microturbines, boilers, and treatment plants that create renewable natural gas (RNG). Several case studies of recent projects will be included to illustrate the key themes.
E4.4 Downdraft Gasification of Torrefied Coconut Shells for Energy Generation
E4.4 Downdraft Gasification of Torrefied Coconut Shells for Energy Generation
Randell Espina – Atteneo de Davao University
Coconut is a biomass resource that grows in the tropics. Each tree can produce 70 to 150 fruits a year. Each fruit comprises 15.18% of shells which allows the production of 2.2 MT in the Philippines in 2020. When torrefied at a temperature of 275°C and holding time of 30 minutes, the HHV of raw coconut shells increased from 30.79 MJ/kg to 34.37 MJ/kg. With the increase in the HHV, the energy yield of the coconut shells peaked at 100.59%, and when fed to the downdraft biomass gasification power system, an energy conversion efficiency of 13.06% was achieved.
E4.3 Leveraging Remote Sensing Satellite and Aircraft Technology to Detect Methane Emissions
E4.3 Leveraging Remote Sensing Satellite and Aircraft Technology to Detect Methane Emissions
Ángel Esparza – GHGSat
The objective of this presentation is to discuss how detection of methane emissions using satellites and aircraft along the energy sector’s value chain can assist companies with the monitoring, detection, waste minimization, and sustainability efforts. GHGsat uses spectrometry to perform measurements of methane concentration along the atmospheric column. For satellites, this column is from the ground to the top-of-the-atmosphere, whereas the aircraft would be from the ground to the flying altitude. These two platforms at different altitudes provide different spatial and temporal resolutions.
OPEN SLOT
AVAILABLE SPOT
Normally when the steam based plants were designed , they have efficiency of 41-42%. However, after few years of operation, the annual efficiencies of some 20-30 year old plants falls in the range of 30-37% depending upon how good the operation and maintenance is done by the asset owners. The drop in efficiency and increase in maintenance cost causes enormous financial burden to the extent that the plants are forced to retire even prematurely. We present here a case study of 2×300 MWe wherein when the assets are managed effectively, the power plant can continue to operate and generate revenue for the asset owners.
E1.1 Extracting Organics from MSW to Produce RNG Using Anaerobic Digestion
E1.1 Extracting Organics from MSW to Produce RNG Using Anaerobic Digestion
Shayne Petkeiwicz – Anaergia
Anaergia designed, built, fully financed, owns, and operates the Rialto Bioenergy Facility (RBF). RBF, located in Rialto, California, is the largest anaerobic digester in North America and is capable of processing 1,000 TPD of biosolids and organics recovered from MSW. The facility utilizes Anaergia’s Organics Extrusion (OREX) press to separate organics from solid waste, which is fed to Anaergia’s Omnivore high solids wet digester to produce RNG and fertilizer in one third the footprint as conventional digestion. RBF will play a leading role in providing a cost-effective solution that can help jurisdictions meet California’s mandate to divert organics from landfill (SB1383) for beneficial reuse as fertilizer and energy.
E1.2 California Rule 21/30 Compliance Made Easy!
E1.2 California Rule 21/30 Compliance Made Easy!
Braden Timberman – Guild Associates
For pipeline injection of Renewable Natural Gas in California, a major hurdle is adherence to Pacific Gas and Electric’s Rule 21 and Southern California Gas’s Rule 30 requirements. These two specifications establish very exacting and difficult standards for trace contaminant constituents. For landfills, these specifications present a large risk, as landfill gas contaminants can change over the lifetime of the landfill. Guild Associates offers a unique approach to negate this hurdle with the Molecular Gate Pressure Swing Adsorption system. The speaker will present test data taken from existing field equipment demonstrating conformance.
E1.3 Management of Anaerobic Digester Effluent using Forward Osmosis
E1.3 Management of Anaerobic Digester Effluent using Forward Osmosis
Keith Lampi – Fluid Technology Solutions
Anaerobic digesters are commonly used to manage agricultural wastes as a means of mitigating odor, increasing nutrient bioavailability, and reducing undesirable microbes. Membrane technologies, specifically ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (RO), have been successfully employed in concentrating the effluent for improved portability, but their use is hampered by the need for chemical pretreatment resulting in additional capital and operational costs. Fluid Technology Solutions has developed a technique to concentrate digester effluent without direct chemical additions. This technique uses a novel nano-bubble dissolved air flotation technique to remove large organic molecules like lignin, which are not decomposed by an anaerobic digester and have high fouling propensity in membrane processes. The pretreated digester effluent was then fed to a forward osmosis (FO) concentrator. FO concentrators are commonly used in high fouling applications because they use a draw solution to pull water across a semi-permeable rather than hydrostatic pressure. The semi-permeable membrane is an effective barrier to high fouling feed constituents not removed by pretreatment. This presentation will detail the process configuration highlighting pretreatment and concentrator performance to enable the reuse of clean water, generating a higher value nutrient stream for reuse or minimizing the volume of concentrated digester effluent to reduce transportation costs.
E1.4 Precast Tank Solutions for Anaerobic Digesters and their Advantage over Poured in Place
E1.5 Precast Tank Solutions for Anaerobic Digesters and their Advantage over Poured in Place
Michael O’Brien – Dutchland Incorporated
To discuss the advantages of precast over poured in place concrete, steel and other types of tanks. The talk is to highlight the structural, performance, and overall advantages precast offers. Presentation will emphasize the flexibility of having a custom designed and engineered solution for your specific project using circular, rectangular, square or elliptical shaped tanks that are not restricted to standard sizes. We also want to discuss the green advantages it offers especially in carbon capture and overall environmental impact. The presentation will highlight the advantages of how a product constructed in a factory controlled environment, eliminates all the potential problems associated with field constructed structures. Dutchland has the ability to assist the project team with the overall project design and self perform the engineering, production and installation of tanks with their field technicians.
Co-Author: Dave Beiler, Dutchland, Inc.
QUESTIONS
1. What has been Dutchland’s experience with the longevity of the tanks they have produced and installed?
2. What are the codes and standards the tanks are designed to?
3. What other similar tanks do you produce and for what other industries?
E2.5 Food Waste Recycling Best Practices
E2.5 Food Waste Recycling Best Practices
Ryan Cooper – Rubicon
Food waste comes in many forms: recalls, expired products, rejected loads, damaged goods, and discontinued items. This presentation will describe case studies that highlight best practices for food waste collection at multiple types of facilities. From grocery stores to restaurants, from distribution centers to break rooms, the unique organics recycling challenges each business faces are as different as the businesses themselves. How did a small-box retailer manage their expired milk using anaerobic digestion? How did a distribution center find a solution for their packaged food waste involving depackaging and AD? How did a grocery chain develop a successful process for food waste collection? What lessons were learned and how can these best practices be applied to other generators? Attendees will hear about these and other examples of real life scenarios where businesses are faced with a food waste challenge—and met that challenge head on.
E3.1 Renewable Diesel: Risk Free Carbon Footprint Reduction
E3.1 Renewable Diesel: Risk Free Carbon Footprint Reduction
Renewable Diesel fuel provides fleet owners a way to immediately reduce their carbon footprint without requiring any change in fueling, infrastructure or operator training. It is a 100% drop-in replacement for fossil based diesel and the switch can be made overnight.
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