Oct. 18 was National Bioenergy Energy Day, which highlights the use of organic materials to generate energy. Coinciding with it, the nonprofit, New York City-based Energy Vision announced awards to three companies advancing renewable natural gas (RNG) made from organic waste: Ameresco, Framingham, Massachusetts, Quantum Biopower, Southington, Connecticut, and CCI Bioenergy, Newcastle, Ontario.
RNG is made from biogas emitted as food waste, wastewater, agricultural manures and yard clippings decompose, which is captured and refined into an energy source. RNG emits a small fraction of greenhouse gases (GHG) of diesel, gasoline or geologic natural gas fuels. Energy Vision says as a transportation fuel made in anaerobic digesters from food or dairy farm waste, RNG is net carbon-negative over its lifecycle.
Quantum Biopower says it built the New York area's first food waste-to-energy (WTE) facility. Quantum's facility consumes 40,000 of the 500,000 tons of food waste Connecticut generates annually, converting it via anaerobic digestion to 420,000 cubic feet of biogas, avoiding 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.
RNG production capacity is ramping up elsewhere in the New York tri-State area, including at Brooklyn's Newtown Creek and Long Island's American Organic Energy. Regionally produced RNG could be used to fuel NYC municipal vehicles.
In Arizona, Ameresco worked with Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale and Glendale to develop, design, build, own and operate a wastewater treatment biogas facility to serve the region: Phoenix's 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is designed to house enough RNG capacity to displace more than four million gallons of diesel annually.
CCI BioEnergy is piloting compact bioQUBE microdigesters designed to convert organic wastes into RNG and biofertilizer. Fitting inside a shipping container, they allow on-site processing of organic waste where it is produced, extending the availability of anaerobic digestion to individual sources, including Ontario's Algoma Orchards, located to the east of British Columbia.
"Capturing and using biogas from organic waste is essential for addressing climate change," Joanna Underwood, chair of Energy Vision, says. "Since we began focusing attention on this, more than 40 plants have been built or converted to produce RNG, and more than 20,000 heavy-duty trucks are using it."
RNG is made from biogas emitted as food waste, wastewater, agricultural manures and yard clippings decompose, which is captured and refined into an energy source. RNG emits a small fraction of greenhouse gases (GHG) of diesel, gasoline or geologic natural gas fuels. Energy Vision says as a transportation fuel made in anaerobic digesters from food or dairy farm waste, RNG is net carbon-negative over its lifecycle.
Quantum Biopower says it built the New York area's first food waste-to-energy (WTE) facility. Quantum's facility consumes 40,000 of the 500,000 tons of food waste Connecticut generates annually, converting it via anaerobic digestion to 420,000 cubic feet of biogas, avoiding 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.
RNG production capacity is ramping up elsewhere in the New York tri-State area, including at Brooklyn's Newtown Creek and Long Island's American Organic Energy. Regionally produced RNG could be used to fuel NYC municipal vehicles.
In Arizona, Ameresco worked with Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale and Glendale to develop, design, build, own and operate a wastewater treatment biogas facility to serve the region: Phoenix's 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is designed to house enough RNG capacity to displace more than four million gallons of diesel annually.
CCI BioEnergy is piloting compact bioQUBE microdigesters designed to convert organic wastes into RNG and biofertilizer. Fitting inside a shipping container, they allow on-site processing of organic waste where it is produced, extending the availability of anaerobic digestion to individual sources, including Ontario's Algoma Orchards, located to the east of British Columbia.
"Capturing and using biogas from organic waste is essential for addressing climate change," Joanna Underwood, chair of Energy Vision, says. "Since we began focusing attention on this, more than 40 plants have been built or converted to produce RNG, and more than 20,000 heavy-duty trucks are using it."
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