Archaea Energy, Rumpke open 2 RNG plants in Ohio

BP subsidiary Archaea Energy and Cincinnati-based Rumpke Waste & Recycling recently celebrated the startup of two new renewable natural gas (RNG) plants, built using Archaea’s Modular Design (AMD) technology, at two Rumpke landfills in Southern Ohio.

Located approximately 40 minutes apart, the plants are adjacent to the Beech Hollow Landfill in Wellston, Ohio, and Pike Sanitation Landfill in Waverly, Ohio.

Landfill gas, a natural byproduct of the decomposition of waste in landfills, is a form of greenhouse gas. Using the AMD process, the Beech Hollow and Pike County plants capture gas from Rumpke’s landfills and convert it to renewable natural gas (RNG).

"The opening of these two plants marks a significant milestone not only for Archaea, but for the Buckeye state and its communities to drive change for lower carbon energy," says Craig Marcum, vice president of operations at Archaea Energy. “These plants continue our efforts to scale innovative technologies.”

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The two landfills combined can process 6,200 cubic feet of landfill gas per minute into RNG, enough gas to heat around 25,238 homes annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Landfill Gas Energy Benefits Calculator. Traditionally, RNG plants have been custom built, but Archaea says the AMD technology allows plants to be built on skids with interchangeable components.

“Rumpke was among the first to implement green technology at landfills back in 1986,” says Jake Rumpke, area vice president at Rumpke. “Today we continue to look for innovative ways to increase sustainability. The Beech Hollow and Pike Sanitation Landfill projects add to our network of nine landfill gas-to-energy plants at our landfills. These recovery systems provide enough energy for more than 70,000 homes as well as fuel for a small portion of our truck fleet. We are excited to expand these sustainable practices to this part of the state. This plant will provide our Southern Ohio customers assurance that their waste is not only being properly managed but beneficially reused.”