CR&R Environmental breaks ground on RNG pipeline for new AD facility

Dive Brief:

CR&R Environmental and the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) have broken ground on a new eight-inch pipeline that will transport renewable natural gas from the company's new anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Perris, CA, as reported by Waste Today.
Once the gas is processed by an upgrading unit from Greenlane Biogas it will be transported via a 1.4-mile pipeline, paid for by CR&R. This is the first time that SoCalGas will be using RNG in its larger system and all of the gas will be dedicated to fueling CR&R's fleet of more than 900 trucks.
CR&R's AD facility is set to be completed this spring and the SoCalGas expects to begin accepting RNG into its system by June.

Dive Insight:

This CR&R AD facility will be one of the largest of its kind and has received lots of attention from within the industry. Built next to existing CR&R waste and recycling facilities, this $100 million operation will have four Eisenmann USA digesters with approximately 84,000 tons per year of processing capacity each.

At the time this project was announced in 2013, CR&R compared its importance to the advent of statewide recycling in California. Once fully operational it will be capable of handling a significant portion of food scraps, yard waste, fats, oil, grease and other liquids to create 4 million gallons of RNG and 260,000 tons of fertilizer per year. These capabilities will help a range of local clients meet all of the upcoming state requirements around improved diversion rates and reduced emissions.

As more states look to follow the lead of California and others on organics diversion this facility will likely serve as a prime model for what is possible once fully operational. Adequate processing capacity, and the funds to build it, is one of the largest obstacles for states looking to enact new regulations. In New York, a proposed diversion requirement wouldn't take effect until 2021 to allow time for regional capacity to be created and Maryland isn't willing to move forward on its own plan until infrastructure options can be studied further.