Dive Brief:
- BioCNG is using biogas to fuel cars without putting it in a pipeline. With several systems in seven U.S. locations, the company is now building a $1.6 million facility for the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District near San Rafael, CA, to launch by the end of the year.
- A $200,000 upgrade is also slated for Dane County Landfill in Wisconsin to increase storage, and over the next 10 years the county will convert most of its fleet to CNG, likely calling for further expansion of the BioCNG system. Overall, the Wisconsin State Energy Department reports that by the end 2014, 5,770 vehicles used 8.3 million gallons of CNG.
- The system pumps biogas from a landfill or anaerobic digester. Volatile organic compounds and chemicals and carbon dioxide are then removed to create a clean CNG, which is piped a short distance to storage tanks and a fueling system.
Dive Insight:
Slowly, some municipalities are looking to convert their diesel vehicles to CNG and to buy new vehicles that run on this cleaner fuel, believing this is a financially and environmentally sound move; it saves energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
A BioCNG spokesperson was reported in Wisconsin Journal as saying the company believes their systems can help governments, as well as private businesses, lock in fuel budgets for up to two decades while positioning themselves as being environmentally friendly.
"We’re working with a consultant to determine the future uses of our landfill gas, and BioCNG is quickly rising to the top of that list," said John Welch, Dane County solid waste and recycling manager.
Nearby, Janeveille’s wastewater treatment plant has a BioCNG system that fuels several vehicles; the plan is to add more CNG vehicles to the city’s fleet and convert others, said David Botts, city utility director.
According to BioCNG's website, the company currently has three BioCNG systems in operation; two use biogas from a landfill while one uses WWTP digester gas. Other BioCNG projects are currently under construction.
