December 2020 – Biogas Case Study
Location: Medora, Indiana
Customer: Archaea Energy
Employees: 65
Industry: Renewable Energy
Project Type: Biogas
Equipment Type: Blower and Flare Skid Package
Executive Summary: Gulf Coast Environmental Systems was tasked with finding a solution that would assist with VOC abatement and biogas processing at a landfill in Medora, Indiana.
Customer Summary: This customer, Archaea Energy, is a long-standing partner to GCES, purchasing multiple solutions to support their landfill applications which processes the landfill biogas into clean Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Founded by landfill owners and technology developers in the energy sector, they partner with other landfills to harness the power of their biogas. They source, build, and manage projects through the entire lifecycle of the project. GCES has been supporting Archaea in this goal since 2018 with several sites already operational and many more in development across the US. Archaea chose GCES to assist in the creation of these landfill gas to energy plants because of our extensive background in waste to energy projects with nearly 500 units currently in operation.
Project Summary: Potentially dangerous gases like methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfides, and ammonia are created by the decomposition and evaporation of organic compounds as well as chemical reactions between waste components. These gases and other hydrocarbons are often considered greenhouse gases and play a huge role in global warming. According to the EPA, in the United States landfills are the third most prevalent source of methane and other greenhouse gases. When condensed into a small space, methane is considered an explosive gas and should be handled with extreme caution. While a minimal amount of oxygen is present in this particular stream of waste gas which eliminates risk of the process concentration becoming combustible, it is important to note that the methane is still highly flammable. However, poorly designed or maintained landfills run the risk of higher levels of oxygen entrainment leading to elevated danger and uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]