Many methane
capture and use projects have gone from concept to reality in the short time Methane
to Markets has been operational. Now you can read all about them on the
Partnership's website. Highlighted at the 2010 Partnership
Expo, these project spotlights include agriculture, coal mines, and
landfill projects from Brazil,
China, India, and
Ukraine. All have been completed and are helping to reduce emissions
by more than 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. One of
the projects, the Datong mine project,
located in the Chongqing Municipality in Southwest China, will destroy ventilation
air methane (VAM) with methane oxidization technology. The heat generated during
oxidization will be used to produce hot water for coal mine workers. Another project,
Frigorífico Mabella, a nine-year-old
pork processing, swine production, and trading company in the Matto Grosso province
of Brazil, will be using biogas to provide electricity to the farm. Read more about
these and other exciting methane capture and use projects on the
Methane to Markets website.
Argentina's Solid Waste Association
(ARS)
has been working for the past three years to develop a pilot-scale project that
recovers landfill gas (LFG) and uses it to fuel infrared heaters. In 2007, ARS received
a Methane to Markets grant for
$125,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
to create a project that uses LFG to fulfill onsite energy needs. ARS selected the
Escobar Landfill in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to be the site of the project. Currently,
the Escobar Landfill has an operational LFG project where an infrared heater uses
15 standard cubic feet of LFG per minute to supply onsite energy needs. By substituting
LFG for a fossil fuel, ARS calculated that the net avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions
will be nearly 515 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. In addition,
the project will yield local air quality improvements by reducing local greenhouse
gas emissions. When the heaters are not in use, the landfill will flare the LFG.
On 2 June 2010, landfill owners and managers, government officials, project developers,
and project financiers will meet in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a workshop on the
basics of LFG projects. Entitled "Creating Viable LFG-to-Energy Project in
Latin America," the workshop will provide an overview of the landfill sector,
explain LFG-to-energy systems, and review the basics of project planning. Speakers
will share strategies to bring a landfill online as well as insights into project
design and financing. Representatives from Methane to Markets Partner Countries
will present specific opportunities and project models for landfill methane capture
and use in Latin America, as well as financing and incentive programs. The workshop
will be held after the
International Solid Waste Association Beacon Conference
,
also being held in Buenos Aires.
More information and the
agenda (PDF, 2 pp., 159 KB) are available.
Methane to Markets Included in New Draft Senate Climate Bill
On 12 May 2010, U.S. Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman released a draft of a
climate change and energy bill, entitled the
American Power Act (PDF, 987 pp., 1.7 MB)
.
The bill would place emissions limits on approximately 7,500 U.S. factories and
power plants whose operations emit more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases each
year.
The bill includes methane collection from mines, landfills, and natural gas systems, as well as manure management and anaerobic digesters, in the initial list of eligible project types for domestic emission reduction offsets. The bill also recognizes the important work of the U.S. EPA and other U.S. government agencies to promote international methane reductions through such programs as the Methane to Markets Partnership.
Send in your announcement for our next issue. Also, visit the news and events page for information on past Methane to Markets gatherings.