#Landfill methane-to-energy project gets national award – #Renewable #Energy

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Lycoming County was one of seven places in the country to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s award for excellence in landfill gas energy projects for 2012.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Yaw, who was present at Thursday’s presentation at the commissioners’ meeting, said he frequently became frustrated when driving by the landfill and seeing excess methane being flared off.

“We’re utilizing all of the landfill methane (now). We’re not flaring anything,” said Tucker.

The county’s waste gas-to-energy project produces enough electricity to power 4,000 homes a year and has the equivalent reduction of 80,000 barrels of oil a year, according to PPL Renewable Energy.

Donna Zickefoose, Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex warden, said the local institution is the first federal prison to be involved in such a project. She said it will save the prison $5 million during the next decade.

See on www.sungazette.com

UK firm to install landfill gas to energy plant in Ireland | Energy Live News

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A UK energy company has won a contract to deliver a landfill gas to energy plant in Ireland. Based in Knowsley near Liverpool, Clarke Energy signed the agreement with Irish …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

…Irish utility Bord na Mona for a 5.6MW plant – equivalent to powering 14,000 households – at the Drehid landfill site. The project will use landfill gas that originated from household waste to produce renewable energy.

John Curley, General Manager of Clarke Energy in Ireland said: “This significant project will create up to 25 jobs during construction, in addition to sustained employment for operations.

See on www.energylivenews.com

There’s cash in that trash

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There could be big bucks in waste disposal and management, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch figures.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Lets look at some of the opportunities BofA/ML has identified:

– Disposal and recycling of municipal solid waste (rubbish, in common parlance) is currently worth $400 billion but over the next decade,  $87 billion in investments are expected in this sector.

– Waste-to-energy (energy recovery from waste): One ton of rubbish can create 500-750 kilowatts of power. This market is worth $7.4 billion in 2013 and  could grow to $81 billion by 2022.

– Sustainable packaging: Accounts for a third of solid waste in developed countries. Worth almost $109 billion in 2011, the market is expected to grow to $178-212 billion by 2015-18.

– e-waste (discarded electrical or electronic devices):  Recycling/reuse of e-waste components was worth $13.9 billion in 2012 but could grow to between $25 and 44.3 billion by 2017-20. One example of how lucrative this can be – -recycling one million mobile phones can recover 24 kg of gold, 250 kg of silver and more than 9,000 kg of copper.

Wastewater and sewage treatment:  The biggest investments are needed in the developing world but in the United States alone, infrastructure of $1 trillion could be needed over the next 25 years, BofA says, citing research from the American Waterworks Association.

See on blogs.reuters.com

Waste fat will power UK’s biggest sewage works | Energy Live News

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Waste fat and oil from restaurants and clogged up drains underground (pictured) will soon power the UK’s largest sewage works. A new power station at Beckton in East London opening …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Thames Water says it has agreed to buy 75 GWh of this output to run its Beckton sewage works, which serves roughly 3.5 million people, as well as a nearby desalination plant […]

The water firm has committed to provide the power station with 30 tonnes a day of fat, oil and grease (FOG) enough to fill a six metre-long shipping container. That’s at least half of the fuel the generator needs to run.

Developed and run by ‘green’ utility 2OC, it’s set to produce 130 Gigawatt hours (GWh) a year of renewable electricity – enough to run 39,000 average-sized homes.

See on www.energylivenews.com

Report: Global waste industry could double to $2tn by 2020

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysis predicts boom in global waste industry as resource crunch bites

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“We are seeing a shift away from waste as a mandatory public service to waste management as a sustainable business opportunity,” the report states. “We see the fastest growth in the next decade coming from diversion, recycling, recovery of valuable secondary raw materials, waste-to-energy, e-waste and sustainable packaging – as well as from emerging markets. We see considerable low hanging fruit potential given that 70 per cent plus of global waste is currently landfilled. ‘Greening’ waste management will require increasing MSW recycling by a factor of 3.5 times and doubling industrial waste recycling.”

See on www.businessgreen.com

Town looks at way to dispose of its sludge

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GREENFIELD — The town is looking at how it might dispose of its own sludge in the future to save

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Town officials believe an anaerobic digester and combined heat and power facility would eliminate the costs associated with shipping the wet solids, as well as the cost to heat and provide electricity to the transfer station.

This is not just a matter of saving money, though,” said Collins. “It is also a social justice issue. A lot of these plants, like the ones we transport to, are closing down. We really need to be dealing with our own sludge, not sending it off into other communities.”

[…]  anaerobic digestion is a natural process where sludge (plant and animal waste) is broken down by micro organisms, which release the methane, or biogas, that can be used to generate heat and electricity.

“This helps cut fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,”[…] “The remaining material is rich in nutrients and can be used as fertilizer.”

See on www.recorder.com

Environmental Protection – Landfill Gas Management Regulation

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The regulation requires that municipal solid waste landfills with 100,000 tonnes or more of waste in place or with an annual waste acceptance rate exceeding 10,000 tonnes to undertake an assessment of landfill gas generation and to submit the results to the Ministry in a report by January 1, 2011.  […]

If according to Landfill Gas Generation Assessment Procedure a regulated landfill site is estimated to generate 1000 tonnes or more of methane, the owner or operator of that site is required to complete a LFG management facilities design plan and to install the designed facilities at the landfill site.  The Landfill Gas Management Facilities Design Guidelines (PDF/9.3 MB)  […]  The performance standards prescribed in the document are intended to implement high-efficiency LFG collection systems. This Guideline must be used by landfill owners, operators, and qualified professionals in the preparation of LFG facilities design in accordance with the Landfill Gas Management Regulation.

See on www.env.gov.bc.ca

Waste Heat to Energy Firm to Buy Landfill for $9m – Waste Management World

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Largo, Florida based GDT Tek, a specialist in the use of the use of the Organic Rankin Cycle principal to generate electricity has entered into an agreement in principal to purchase 100% of a landfill gas to energy company.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

According to the company its system has been proven through a long-term five year installation at a San Jose, California landfill, where waste heat captured from the generator’s engine exhaust and cooling systems is used to generate electricity which is then sold to the grid.

“This acquisition once completed will allow GDT Tek to install our Phoenix units at the landfill location and increase revenue by up to 20%,” explained Bo Linton, President of GDT Tek.

See on www.waste-management-world.com

Recycling makes $en$e – Waste Management World

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

For an increasing number of municipalities across Pennsylvania, recycling is as good for the pocketbook as it is for the environment.  That’s been the case in Cranberry, where modern collection methods and recycling programs have lowered collection fees for residents.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

By limiting how much goes into landfills and boosting totals of recycled goods, municipalities such as Cranberry have become eligible for state grants – either to operate recycling programs or to expand existing ones.

The amount of waste the municipality sends to landfills was 7,619 tons last year, compared with 11,030 tons in 2004. The average amount recycled per person was 670 pounds last year, up from 115 pounds in 2004.

See on www.waste-management-world.com