Biogas from 'Waste Land' site to Power Brazilian Refinery

 Biogas from 'Waste Land' site to Power Brazilian Refinery

From Newport Beach, California based energy company, FirmGreen, Inc. has made the first international shipment of its biogas cleaning equipment to the Novo Gramacho Landfill near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Novo Gramacho landfill where the project is located has also been depicted in a documentary nominated for a 2011 Academy Awards - Waste Land.

In 2010, FirmGreen negotiated an agreement with Brazil's Gás Verde, S.A., which is the project developer and the plant's owner-operator, to turn Waste Land's 'dirty gas,' a natural by-product of decomposing waste, into clean usable gas using the company's proprietary technology.

The company claims that the resulting biogas is an environmental-friendly, highly useful fuel with the energy equivalent of natural gas.

Petrobras, the largest company in Latin America by market capitalisation and revenue, will use the biogas to generate over 10% of the thermal energy needed to run its Duque de Caxias Refinery.

The company claims that using the U.S. government's EPA LMOP calculator the Novo Gramacho Biogas Plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.4 million metric toness, annually..

To fabricate the specialised gas cleaning equipment required for the project, FirmGreen contracted with Dublin, Ohio based Guild Associates. Guild employees are also helping start-up Gás Verde's Biogas Plant. Brazilian contractors are manufacturing some of the project's components and will take a lead role in the plant's installation.

FirmGreen's CEO, Steve Wilburn, commented, "Our world continues to face significant economic challenges, yet this project demonstrates how bi-cultural teamwork can generate hundreds of jobs, in this case throughout six U.S. states-Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, California, Michigan, and Texas-as well as Brazil."

The Novo Gramacho Biogas project is slated to begin commercial operations later this year.

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Editor Note: Original post Link  http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/display/article-display/2048081780/articles/waste-management-world/landfill/2011/06/Biogas_from__Waste_Land__site_to_Power_Brazilian_Refinery.html

How to Build an ARTI Style Digester

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ARTI, Indian Biogas from food waste Video

ARTI, India, Biogas from food waste - Ashden Award winner
 

The Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) in Pune has developed a biogas plant which uses food waste rather than manure as feedstock and supplies biogas for cooking. The plant is sufficiently compact to be used by urban households, and over 700 are currently in use.

Pune is a relatively affluent city in south India, and many people use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or kerosene for cooking. Waste food is often discarded at the side of the road, as in many cities, attracting stray dogs, flies and rats and creating a public health hazard. The ARTI compact biogas plant is made from two standard high-density polyethylene (HDPE) water tanks: the larger tank acts as the digester and the smaller one is inverted and placed into it to serve as a gas-holder. The plant safely digests kitchen waste, food waste or waste flour from mills, thus reducing the problem of waste disposal. A 1,000 litre plant produces sufficient biogas to at least halve the use of LPG or kerosene for cooking in a household, as well as a small amount of liquid effluent which can be used as fertiliser. ARTI has developed the technology, field tested it, and managed the supply of about 700 biogas plants in Maharashtra. Around 100 plants are now being installed every month.

The first-prize Ashden Award to ARTI recognises the enormous potential for using this compact biogas digester in towns and cities, both to supply cooking gas and to assist in the disposal of organic waste.