Alternative
Energy from Alternative Energy: Using Landfill Gas to Help Produce Ethanol
DeBoer, Dan1 (1) Abengoa
Bioenergy Corp,
Critics of ethanol and other alternative
fuels often cite that fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas are used
to create these fuels. Landfill gas provides an alternative source for helping
produce fuels such as ethanol. At the Abengoa Bioenergy Corporation Colwich,
Landfill gas, a byproduct of the
anaerobic degradation of organic material placed in a landfill, is composed of
about 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide, with traces of other gases. This gas
presents odor and health problems, so the mitigation of these emissions is
important. Combustion through the use of boilers and flares are common
techniques for thermally destroying the compounds in landfill gas. The burner
for the boiler at the Colwich facility is a specially designed dual-gas burner
for both natural and landfill gas.
Economic benefits since utilization of
the gas began in 1998 have been significant, especially with the recent spikes
in natural gas prices. The facility consumes about 3.7 million cubic feet of
landfill gas per day, about a 4-to-1 ratio to natural gas burned. At this rate
as much as 14,000 tons of methane emissions per year can be destroyed.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California