Policy, decarbonization goals, technological advancements and abundant feedstocks have helped drive the enormous growth the renewable natural gas industry has experienced over the past decade-plus, and potential is still vast.
By Katie Schroeder
18 SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL
According to Plan
Progress, challenges and execution strategy regarding the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge were the main topics of discussion at the North American SAF Conference & Expo.
By Anna Simet
CONTRIBUTIONS
RIN Generation Under the Alternative Measurement Protocol
With full implementation of the Biogas Regulatory Reform Rule fast approaching, new limitations are set to be imposed on the equipment that can be used for measurement.
By James Jones
The Renaissance of Anaerobic Digestion Scientific breakthroughs are shaping the future of renewable energy and waste management.
By Alexandra Arndt
ON THE COVER
Representatives from the Minnesota SAF Hub’s anchor partners discussed progress at the North American SAF Conference & Expo. From left: Peter Frosch, Greater MSP; Justin Tomljanovic, Xcel Energy; Sam Hsu, Ecolab; Beth Sullivan, Bank of America; Peter Carter, Delta Air Lines.
ANNA SIMET EDITOR
asimet@bbiinternational.com
A Bright Future for Biofuels
On the cover of this issue is a photo taken of a panel at the North American SAF Conference & Expo held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in September. Pictured are representatives of the anchor partners driving efforts behind the Minnesota SAF Hub, a full-steam-ahead initiative to bring sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Minnesota and the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Announced one year ago at the same event, the SAF Hub’s progress since then has been nothing short of impressive—already under development by hub partner Delta Air Lines and Flint Hills Resources is a 30 MMgy SAF blending facility in Rosemount, Minnesota, which is expected to be completed in late 2025. Read about it and the many other discussions had at the conference, in “According to Plan,” on page 18.
Our other feature, “State of Play” on page 12, dives into the North American renewable natural gas industry, from drivers to potential to limiting factors (though they are few). Though this sector has seen incredible growth in the U.S. over the past decade, there is still vast potential to continue the buildout. Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council, highlighted one of the major opportunities as being within voluntary corporate greenhouse gas reduction goals—i.e., a cosmetics company purchasing RNG versus conventional natural gas for its manufacturing process. These goals are largely being driven by fund managers deciding to only include stocks from environmentally responsible companies in their investment portfolios, thus driving companies’ interests in these types of initiatives, Serfass says.
On the note of RNG and biogas, if you’re a developer or project stakeholder, be sure to read our page 6 column, “Securing Investment Tax Credits for Biogas Projects Before Year End,” by Christopher Peterson, partner at Husch Blackwell LLP. In the article, he walks through investment tax credits for qualified biogas property under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code—which expire at the end of this year—and the new Section 48E clean energy ITCs that take their place and apply to developers beginning construction after 2024.
Right now, the future looks bright for SAF, RNG and other biofuels like ethanol. With an election on the horizon, it will undoubtedly be interesting to see how the policy and regulatory landscape unfolds in the coming year. We’ll be sure to follow it to keep you informed—if you don’t receive it already, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter, Biomass Week, at biomassmagazine. com, to stay on top of the latest news.
Now in its 18th year, the International Biomass Conference & Expo is expected to bring together more than 900 attendees, 160 exhibitors and 65 speakers from more than 25 countries. It is the largest gathering of biomass professionals and academics in the world. The conference provides relevant content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. In addition to abundant networking opportunities, the largest biomass conference in the world is renowned for its outstanding programming—powered by Biomass Magazine—that maintains a strong focus on commercial-scale biomass energy and biofuel production, new technology and near-term research and development. Join us at the International Biomass Conference & Expo as we enter this new and exciting era in biomass energy.
(866) 746-8385 | www.BiomassConference.com
2025 Int’l Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo
JUNE 9-11, 2025
CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Now in its 41st year, the FEW provides the ethanol industry with cutting-edge content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. As the largest, longest-running ethanol conference in the world, the FEW is renowned for its superb programming—powered by Ethanol Producer Magazine—that maintains a strong focus on commercial-scale ethanol production, policy, plant management, advancing technology and near-term research and development. The event draws more than 2,400 people from over 31 countries and from nearly every ethanol plant in the United States and Canada.
(866) 746-8385 | www.FuelEthanolWorkshop.com
2025 Carbon Capture & Storage Summit
JUNE 9-11, 2025
CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Capturing and storing carbon dioxide in underground wells has the potential to become the most consequential technological deployment in the history of the broader biofuels industry. Deploying effective carbon capture and storage at biofuels plants will cement ethanol and biodiesel as the lowest carbon liquid fuels commercially available in the marketplace. The Carbon Capture & Storage Summit will offer attendees a comprehensive look at the economics of carbon capture and storage, the infrastructure required to make it possible and the financial and marketplace impacts to participating producers.
Please check our website for upcoming webinars www.biomassmagazine.com/pages/webinar
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Securing Investment Tax Credits for Biogas Projects Before Year End
BY CHRISTOPHER W. PETERSON
Biogas developers looking to take advantage of the investment tax credits (ITCs) for their “qualified biogas property” under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code may only have until the end of 2024 to do so. Existing ITCs were extended and expanded with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, including the addition of “qualified biogas property” for certain property used in the conversion of biomass into methane. The taxpaying entity could potentially qualify for a base ITC of 6%, subject to increases for smaller projects with a maximum net output less than 1 megawatt of electrical or thermal energy, or projects that satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements, domestic content requirements or are placed in service within an energy community. With all of the bonus credits, a taxpayer could potentially increase the ITC rate to 50%.
The ITCs under Section 48 for qualified biogas property are set to expire after December 31, 2024, so long as they are not extended before then. Biogas projects that have “begun construction” prior to the end of the year will still be eligible to claim credits under the existing Section 48 credit regime. Projects that begin construction in 2025 and later will be subject to the new, technology-neutral Section 48E clean energy ITCs, which will leave some biogas property without credits.
Beginning and Continuing Construction
A biogas developer will be found to have “begun construction” if it meets one of the following requirements before the end of 2024: (1) commences physical work of a significant nature or (2) pays or incurs at least 5% of the total cost of the ITC eligible property (the 5% safe harbor). The commencement of physical work can be met at the construction site or offsite (for example, the factory), but will not include certain other preliminary activities, such as planning and designing, permitting, financing, studying, surveying, site clearing and manufacturing, or ordering equipment that is held in inventory by a vendor. The 5% safe harbor requirement will be met if 5% of cost of the ITC eligible property (including the hard costs and costs for preliminary activities) are paid or incurred prior to the end of the year. This typically occurs when the eligible property is provided to the developer or a delivery point under the developer’s control.
Both the physical work test and the 5% safe harbor also require continuous progress toward completion once construction has begun, excluding disruptions from certain delays, such as those caused by severe weather conditions, natural disasters, labor stoppages, delays in obtaining permits, interconnection-related delays and delays in the manufacture of custom components. Additionally, if ITC eligible property is placed in service by the end of a calendar year that is no more than four years after the year during which construction began, this continuity requirement will be satisfied.
Beginning Construction After 2024
In the event biogas developers begin construction after 2024, Section 48E would thereafter govern potential investment tax credits. Section 48E similarly provides a base credit of 6%, which can increase to 30% with satisfying the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements or exceptions in constructing, repairing or altering the facility. However, instead of focusing on the specific qualified technologies used in converting biomass to methane (in the case of qualified biogas property), Section 48E is focused on facilities that produce electricity and have a greenhouse gas emissions rate of zero or less. This new ITC regime would preclude ITCs for those facilities used to convert biomass into biogas that is then refined and conditioned into renewable natural gas and injected into the natural gas pipeline for uses outside of the generation of electricity (for example, the transportation market). Consequently, the new ITC regime appears to significantly limit the ITCs available for biogas projects that begin construction after 2024. Therefore, biogas developers looking to take advantage of the more beneficial Section 48 ITCs will want to make sure they meet the applicable requirements before December 31.
Author: Christopher W. Peterson Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP Chris.peterson@huschblackwell.com 417-268-4057
Why Biomass Energy Matters for Georgia
BY TIM ECHOLS
Have you ever filled up with premium gasoline at the pump? I do it regularly, despite it costing more, because of improved fuel economy and the long-term benefits to my vehicle’s fuel injection system—avoiding future repairs. That same dynamic happens when Georgia diversifies energy fuel sources. Biomass energy is the equivalent of the premium fuel of our day. For additional, reliable power, it allows us to use homegrown wood residuals that would otherwise be burned or sent to a landfill. We might pay a little more for it, but the benefits to our electric system and our state are worth it.
The Georgia Public Service Commission on Sept. 17 approved three biomass contracts at paper and pulp mills in south Georgia. These contracts are somewhat more expensive than coal or gas and represent only a tiny fraction of our total generation, yet they are very important to our state. Here’s why.
Georgia is a top forestry state, and a “major player known for sustainable forestry practices,” according to Valerie Sarisky-Reed with the U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technology Office. Pine trees grow for decades, get harvested and are replanted—just like crops. The pine tree is a treasure trove of resources for making lumber, paper, filters, cartons, turpentine, rosin, oils, wood tars, ethanol and even everyday products such as toothpaste and shampoo. All of the tree can be used.
When that tall, straight tree is hauled away, the logging slash (limbs and tops of trees) remains on the ground. Without our PSC action, all harvested materials not taken from the field are burned or left to rot. This causes fugitive emissions from their decay, releasing methane, carbon dioxide and particulates as it is burned in piles. The contracts we just approved allow this logging slash, along with tree bark and sawdust from mills, to be recovered and used for power—bolstering the power grid with new electricity. The cost associated with getting this material to mills could be prohibitive without this program. Georgia landowners will benefit by the opening of new markets for this previously unused debris harvesting.
Rural economic development is top of mind for many in our state, especially for our governor and rural legislators who are tasked with improving life outside of bustling metro Atlanta. If you drive through the more forested parts of our state, you quickly see that good jobs are often hard to find. Approving a long-term contract for biomass energy ensures that entrepreneurs who own logging equipment have three decades of work to do. They become part of the energy ecosystem, bringing a local fuel—wood debris—to a plant owned by companies like WestRock, Georgia Pacific, Graphic Packaging, International Paper or RYAM. That
energy goes right back onto the Georgia Power grid, providing needed reliability for everyone.
Cost is no doubt a factor, but it isn’t the only factor. With the Vogtle nuclear energy plant, it was the bankruptcy of Westinghouse that drove up the projected low cost at the beginning of the project. The war in Ukraine caused natural gas prices to skyrocket for a moment and triggered a surcharge on power bills. Who knows what pitfalls await us in the future? So, when I see an opportunity to acquire additional megawatts from a fuel that is locally sourced and benefits rural Georgia entrepreneurs trying to make a living, I seize it. We have done this with solar and battery storage, giving us a measure of energy independence when coupled with our nuclear reactors, and now, with this new biomass energy.
Opponents of this measure are concerned with burning wood, but according to the Georgia Forestry Commission, we are growing 48% more timber volume than we are harvesting. The trees we are planting now grow faster than the trees we planted 40 years ago because of improved genetics. And, using every part of every tree helps ensure healthy and sustainable forests that absorb CO2 all day and all night, benefiting our air quality. Georgia is also the home of LanzaJet’s Freedom Pines, which is the nation’s first refinery for turning ethanol alcohol into sustainable aviation fuel. We all have a lot to be proud of in Georgia, and our infrastructure is like a magnet drawing more economic prosperity to our state: our ports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the reliable grid anchored by a nuclear plant no one thought we could finish, Kia and Hyundai car plants, winning sports teams, Fintech, our universities, and even world class athletic facilities such as Augusta National and the Benz. No wonder people want to move to Georgia, and they are going to keep coming.
The pioneering legislators of our state created an energy commission elected by all the people of Georgia—not just ratepayers of a single utility. That reality reminds me daily that my job as a constitutional officer of the state requires me to think beyond just current energy trends, or what California might be doing, or even the traditional metric of cost. My priority is reliability—from the power line outside your house to the unseen infrastructure all the way back to the power plant. I take this job seriously, and I know my four colleagues do as well. Let’s keep Georgia moving forward.
Author: Tim Echols Vice Chair, Georgia Public Service Commission Founder,
RNG’s Rise from Alternative to Essential Energy
BY CHET BENHAM
Renewable natural gas (RNG) emerged as part of the alternative energy conversation in the early 2000s as waste-to-energy pioneers began to realize its potential as a low-carbon fuel. At the time, support was mixed—energy experts debated RNG’s viability, the technology was in its infancy, and regulatory backing was inconsistent. Infrastructure was sparse, and big energy companies were largely uninterested. You were more likely to encounter two guys in a pickup truck roaming the countryside looking for landfills to tap than representatives from any major oil and gas company.
Yet, as the threat of climate change intensified and the appetite for renewables grew, RNG began gaining traction as governments and businesses sought sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Nearly two decades later, RNG has matured into a vital component of the energy mix—with energy derived from landfill, dairy, wastewater and food waste feedstocks used to heat homes and businesses, fuel heavy-duty vehicles, and power industrial operations.
While acceptance has grown, the industry has faced challenges. Several high-profile projects have struggled with production issues and high costs, drawing public scrutiny. Critics question whether there is enough supply to meet growing energy demands, especially as many of the most straightforward projects have already been developed. Those questions—paired with uncertainty about the long-term stability of current regulatory support—have led some to wonder if RNG’s momentum will continue or plateau.
So, what is the next chapter for RNG?
At Viridi Energy, we are more confident than ever that increasing demand, expanding use cases, and growing industry sophistication are decidedly moving RNG from a niche energy alternative to a cornerstone of the future energy landscape.
Charting the recent expansion of RNG gives a glimpse of what’s to come. In September, the RNG Coalition reported that 433 RNG facilities were now operational across North America. A year prior, the industry celebrated the milestone of 300 facilities in operation, representing a significant 44% year-over-year increase and more than a 1,300% increase from the 30 facilities in operation when the RNG Coalition was formed in 2011. With many more facilities under construction or in the planning stages, the RNG Coalition estimates the industry will reach 500 North American facilities by 2025, 1,000 by 2030, and 5,000 by 2040.
This growing supply—and RNG’s near-identical chemical composition to traditional natural gas—is supporting its economical use as a sustainable alternative across various industries. Major utilities, particularly in Canada, are integrating RNG into pipelines to reduce emissions and power grids. Transportation companies rely on RNG for heavy-duty fleets, while sectors such as tech, ag-
riculture and food processing turn to RNG to meet their sustainability targets.
Moreover, favorable regulations like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Renewable Fuel Standard, along with Canada’s goal to replace 10% of natural gas with RNG by 2030, have strengthened the business case for RNG. These policies have spurred investment, fostered longterm agreements between utilities and operators, and encouraged broader adoption of RNG in commercial and industrial sectors.
While RNG is already a key component of the North American energy mix, we’re just scratching the surface of its applications.
According to Boston Consulting Group’s report, “Is Renewable Natural Gas Poised for Future Growth or Doomed to Decline?,” U.S. demand for RNG could increase nearly tenfold to around 2 billion cubic feet per day by 2040. RNG’s scalability makes it particularly attractive to high-demand sectors like AI, data centers and logistics, where energy needs are rapidly rising.
Despite concerns about feedstock limitations due to the number of existing and developing projects, ample supply remains. BCG estimates that less than one-third of economically viable RNG feedstocks are currently under contract, suggesting sufficient inventory to meet growing demand as operators shift toward more complex, higher-potential projects.
At Viridi Energy, we see this emerging infrastructure as an essential driver of the next chapter of RNG. In the coming years, RNG will increasingly enter the everyday lives of regular energy consumers—not just as a fuel for specialized uses, but as a true complement to traditional natural gas in powering everything from home heating systems to the electricity grids that keep their lights on.
Two decades after RNG first emerged in the alternative energy conversation, the industry has made significant strides from its early days of landfill gas projects. While challenges remain, there are strong reasons for optimism backed by real progress.
Today, the sector benefits from experienced teams, technological advancements that lower costs, and increased investor interest. With hundreds of facilities already operating and many more in development, the groundwork for RNG’s success is well established.
The industry now faces the opportunity—and responsibility—to leverage past lessons learned and current opportunities to deliver on the long-held promise of a more sustainable, RNG-powered future.
Author: Chet Benham President & Chief Operating officer, Viridi Energy viridi@backbaycommunications.com
From Concept to Reality: Led by Experience
Opportunities in biochar production continue to present themselves to organizations with biomass streams, and although launching and successfully executing a project can be a daunting process, it doesn’t have to be.
Heyl Patterson Thermal Processing has been delivering custom-made rotary calciners to customers for over 50 years, now operating as part of fully integrated services provider Carrier Process Equipment Group (CPEG). The company’s facility in Louisville, Kentucky, has been the testing ground for hundreds of different types of biomass. Douglas Spisak, president of Heyl Patterson, says that carbonization of wood streams tops the list. “They account for over 75% of the projects we see coming in,” he says.
Heyl Patterson provides services specifically tailored to fully assist clients down the project development road, beginning with education regarding different technologies, how they work and the incentives available, and then devising a path forward
to get as much economic backing behind a project as possible. Spisak emphasizes that the project development process involves many components, from feed handling and biochar storage to the capture and use of volatile gasses coming off the process. Because of this, the company has dedicated individuals to support these different areas, some of whom have been employed there for as long as 40 years. “Another organization we have handles the financial, economic and carbon credit support areas of our business,” Spisak says. “We try to have all of those entities involved right at the start so everyone hears the same story and can work with a potential client to find a solution, including details like how much it will really cost, expected production and must-knows from an emissions standpoint. If it gets beyond that, we have a series of tests that we recommend going through to ensure there wasn’t anything uncovered in the earlier testing, and also to give us a higher degree of confidence in the solution that we’re offering.”
As a subsidiary of CPEG, Spisak says, Heyl Patterson has become a full solution system provider. “We think that puts us at an advantage—I’ll equate it to a puzzle. You can go out and buy all the individual pieces of the puzzle from 100 companies, or you can go to one company and buy the whole puzzle, and be assured that it works.”
Experience matters, Spisak emphasizes. “Within our organization, most individuals have over 20 years’ experience, and most of the five companies within CPEG have over 100 years of experience. It’s important for our customers to hear potential solutions from all these companies— there are range of technologies available; we’re not trying to shoehorn them into one particular technology with a single offering. More importantly, we’re able to provide many years of experience behind each solution, so at the end of the day, our customers feel confident that what they’re getting is going to work.”
Biomass News Roundup
North America’s largest dedicated biomass-powered generating station near Thunder Bay, Ontario, has entered into a new five-year contract with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator to allow the plant to continue operations as a peaking plant.
For 27 years, Atikokan Generating Station operated as a coalfired station before Ontario Power Generation converted the station to biomass in 2012 as part of the closure of its entire coal fleet. Over the past 10 years, the facility has operated as a purely biomass-fueled plant, capable of powering about 70,000 homes while employing about 60 people. The plant is one of area’s main employers and is the largest consumer of industrial wood pellets in Canada.
Gevo Inc. on Sept. 12 announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the ethanol production plant and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) assets of Red Trail Energy LLC for $210 million. Gevo plans to add sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capacity to the site.
Red Trail Energy is a 65 MMgy ethanol plant located in Richardton, North Dakota. The facility began operating its CCS project in June 2022. Gevo estimates the company’s existing CCS assets have a total sequestration capacity of 1 million metric tons per year. Approximately 160,000 metric tons of that capacity is currently being utilized.
The transaction is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025, subject to Red Trail Energy shareholder approval, regulatory approv-
als and other conditions. Gevo expects to retain all of the approximately 50 full-time employees currently operating the assets being acquired. Gevo officials did not disclose a timeframe for the planned addition of SAF capacity at the Red Trail Energy site, but did discuss potential plans to future reduce the carbon intensity of the plant’s ethanol production during a conference call held Sept. 12.
FortisBC Inc. on Sept. 10 announced it is looking to add up to 1,100 gigawatt hours of energy supply to its portfolio as soon as 2030 from low-carbon and renewable energy sources, including biomass, biogas, hydroelectricity, solar, wind and geothermal projects. The company has issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEOI) to identify potential electricity-generating projects both within and outside its electricity service areas that would help meet growing electricity needs in British Columbia’s southern interior region.
According to FortisBC, it is looking for power providers with experience building projects in British Columbia and with a focus on developing innovative, lower-carbon and renewable energy sources. The company indicated that projects will ideally have a minimum size of 5 megawatts. Responses to the RFEOI are due Nov. 4. FortisBC plans to initiate a procurement process in April 2025.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration is proposing to make a small change related to its monthly data reporting on densified biomass fuel. The change aims to clarify reporting requirements and reduce out-of-scope reporting.
The EIA on Sept. 6 published a notice in the Federal Register proposing a three-year extension of its Form EIA-63C, the Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report. The report, launched in 2016, is part of EIA’s comprehensive energy data program. The monthly survey collects information on the manufacture, shipment, exports, energy characteristics and sales of pellet fuel and other densified biomass fuel products.
In the Federal Register notice, the EIA is proposing to make one change to the instructions for Form EIA-63C by adding the term “heating fuel” to clarify the reporting requirements and reduce outof-scope reporting. Currently, the instructions direct respondents to “not report products for grilling, animal bedding or uses other than fuel.” The proposed change would direct respondents to “not report products for grilling, animal bedding or uses other than heating fuel.”
The EIA believes there will be a reduced number of required survey respondents, estimating that 93 would be required to submit monthly reports, down from an estimated 106 respondents as of July 2021. A public comment period on the notice was open through Oct. 7.
Thunder Bay Generating Station was converted from coal to wood pellets over a decade ago and is the largest consumer of wood pellets in Canada.
On Sept. 11, an interagency team led by the U.S. DOE, USDA and the Federal Aviation Administration released the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge: Metrics Dashboard Fact Sheet. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack made the announcement at the North American SAF Conference & Expo in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Metrics Dashboard Fact Sheet summarizes actions and progress to help drive innovation and expand the production and use of SAF to meet the SAF Grand Challenge target of 3 billion gallons of SAF in the U.S. by 2030.
Supporting the SAF Grand Challenge, the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office also announced $12 million in funding for the advancement of integrated biorefinery technologies to decarbonize the transportation and industrial sectors. The funding opportunity announcement (FOA), FY24 Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries, will help reduce technology uncertainty and demonstrate bioenergy technologies that produce low-carbon-intensity biofuels and biochemicals, particularly SAF, using biomass and waste resources.
The FOA aims to accelerate cost-shared research, development and demonstration projects with partners in industry, academia and DOE national laboratories. Selected projects will be focused on the design, construction, testing and verification of new technology and feedstock pathways for the scale-up of integrated biorefineries. The concept paper deadline is Nov. 7, and full applications are due Jan. 16, 2025.
On Sept. 17, the Georgia Public Service Commission voted to approve a proposal that would allow Georgia Power to add nearly 80 megawatts (MW) of biomass power to its portfolio via three power purchase agreements (PPAs).
Georgia Power in 2022 issued a request for proposals seeking up to 140 MW of new biomass power capacity. That effort resulted in proposed PPAs with a combined 77.9 MW of capacity, including one greenfield project and two expansions of existing capacity. Now approved by the Georgia PSC, the projects are expected to come online between 2025 and 2029.
SAFFiRE Renewables held a groundbreaking ceremony for its corn stover-to-cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Liberal, Kansas, on Aug. 29.
SAFFiRE Renewables LLC has broken ground on its pilot plant at Conestoga Energy’s Arkalon Energy facility in Liberal, Kansas, which will convert corn stover into a low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Once finished, the plant will be capable of daily processing 10 tons of corn stover, yielding cellulosic ethanol that can be upgraded into SAF with a carbon footprint at least 83% lower than
conventional jet fuel, according to the company. SAFFiRE utilizes exclusive technology developed by the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory with funding from Southwest Airlines and the U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office.
Construction completion of the pilot plant is targeted for Q4 2025.
IMAGE: BBI INTERNATIONAL’S NORTH AMERICAN RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS MAP
STATE OF PLAY
Policy, decarbonization goals, technological advancements and abundant feedstocks have helped drive the enormous growth the renewable natural gas industry has experienced over the past decade-plus, and potential is still vast.
BY KATIE SCHROEDER
The accelerated growth of the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry has been making headlines in the biomass industry for years. A renewable fuel with incredibly low carbon intensity scores, RNG is an attractive option for companies and utilities pursuing decarbonization. This trend is evident in the 40% increase in RNG facilities in just the past year.
Dylan Chase, manager of public relations for the RNG Coalition, describes the incredible growth that the coalition has witnessed since its founding in 2011. At that time, he says, the industry had a total of 31 facilities in North America. Now, the industry boasts a total of 436 facilities planned or under construction across Canada and the United States.
There are 300 operational biogas and RNG projects across Canada, which com-
bined produce 22 petajoules of energy, according to Sarah Stadnyk, director of policy and communications with the Canadian Biogas Association. According to data from the Canadian Biogas and RNG Summary Market Report, 28% of the biogas produced in Canada is turned into RNG. A consistent trend throughout the Canadian biogas and RNG industry has been a shift away from using biogas to generate electricity, which still makes up a significant portion of Canada’s existing biogas facilities, and toward biogas to RNG.
Stadnyk explains that in the past, feedin tariff programs supported biogas projects aimed at producing electricity, and those projects are still selling power to provincial power suppliers under power purchase agreements (PPAs). Currently, provincial targets relating to natural gas supply are driving
RNG’s growth in Canada. “All the new projects are producing renewable natural gas and selling it to provincial natural gas utilities,” Stadnyk says. British Columbia and Quebec have set targets for a certain percentage of the grid’s natural gas to come from renewable sources. Long-term PPAs provide the needed certainty to keep the industry growing, Stadnyk explains.
The trend toward RNG production is also present in the U.S., explains Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council. For the past couple years, roughly 75% to 90% of new biogas projects coming online have been dedicated to RNG production, with around a hundred new projects expected each year.
Growth Drivers
RNG offers a unique value proposition, with several qualities that offer significant value to those pursuing decarbonization. Serfass explains that RNG is most often more attractive than biogas to power because it fetches a higher price. “Part of the reason for that is that if you need natural gas to make whatever [product you produce],
whether you’re making transportation fuel or cosmetics, for example, that [manufacturing] process requires heat,” Serfass says. “You really don’t have any other ... renewable options, besides RNG for heat. It’s incredibly inefficient to use electricity to meet those heating needs, especially when you’re talking about large quantities of heat.”
As a fully fungible replacement for natural gas, there are myriad RNG applications because of the natural gas infrastructure engrained in North America’s way of life, installed in schools, homes and offices, Chase explains. Reusing the existing infrastructure has environmental benefits and makes it easier to develop these projects and deliver fuel to end users quickly with the knowledge that there are existing users.
The use of compressed RNG as a fuel powering heavy-duty vehicles and fleets constitutes another market opportunity that drives growth. The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard’s 2023 carbon intensity scores for various renewable fuels gave biobased compressed natural gas a CI score of -126.42, making it the fuel with the low-
est score by a significant margin.
Large vehicle fleets are a significant opportunity for RNG as companies and governments seek a sustainable solution to diesel, Serfass explains. Vehicles running on natural gas can now be found in city bus fleets, Coca-Cola fleets, UPS and FedEx delivery trucks and others. Decarbonizing those vehicles could be as simple as using RNG instead of natural gas. “It is a much bigger leap for a company to totally switch their vehicles to an electric fleet,” he says. “In the case of heavy-duty vehicles, it doesn’t really make practical sense because of the weight and space of the batteries needed to make those electrical.”
The two major policy drivers for RNG in the U.S. are California’s LCFS and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Chase calls the LCFS “the gold standard” when it comes to dealing with methane and promoting the use of clean fuels such as RNG. “Aside from providing support for and creating more development of RNG projects, the program has been demonstrably successful in displacing fossil fuels, which is the name of the game when it comes to the energy transition,”
Dylan Chase, RNG Coalition
Sarah Stadnyk, Canadian Biogas Association
Patrick Serfass, American Biogas Council
Chase says. California’s SB 1440, which requires a certain amount of natural gas to be used by the state’s utilities, has helped drive demand for RNG as well.
Feedstock Dynamics
Currently, there are four main feedstocks used in the North American RNG industry: wastewater accounts for 4% of projects, food waste makes up 5%, agricultural waste makes up 24% and municipal solid waste
(MSW)/landfill gas constitutes the most by far, at 67%.
Stadnyk explains that Canadian cities are demonstrating an interest in using anerobic digestion to process source-separated organics (SSO). “On-farm organic waste is so much more prevalent, and without green bin programs and organics diversion, a lot of the food waste is just being sent to landfill,” she says. “However, more and more municipalities are implementing green bin programs, so
that’s really good—we’re getting more organics diversion. One consideration is that SSO, the green bin material, can have more contamination, but there are technological solutions available to address that.”
One of the fastest-growing sectors, dairy waste RNG developments make up a substantial amount of the industry’s newly producing projects. In 2024, 24% of North America’s RNG came from agricultural and dairy waste, explains Chase. “Dairy farm energy projects are a really critical tool to reduce emissions in the dairy sector, which contributes a significant portion of methane greenhouse gas emissions,” he says.
The largest-volume feedstock, MSW, is continuing to grow, according to Chase. “Between July 2023 and July 2024, based [on] our project master list, operational landfill projects increased by 20%, and the total number of landfill projects of all statuses, including those under development, increased by 18%,” he says. “At the same time though, landfills’ share of total gas production fell from 72% to 67% of the total, due in part to advances in the dairy RNG arena.” Although the share of production has shrunk, the total number of landfill gas projects continues to grow. Chase also explains that technological developments, such as Waga Energy’s WAGABOX, could
help expand the landfill gas sector due to a design that fits well with the needs of small to mid-size landfills.
With so many sources, organic waste will always be present. However, transforming these materials into biogas is a beneficial, closed-loop method to utilize them, Stadnyk explains.
Limiting Factors
There are not many factors limiting RNG’s growth potential, according to Serfass and Chase. The amount of organic material available to convert is the only limiting factor, explains Serfass.
Policy, in many cases, is often the “missing piece” when it comes to pushing growth of RNG to the next level, Chase says. “RNG is ready to go, and that’s why California, which has created the right policy supports, is off like a rocket in terms of displacing diesel in its transportation supply and growing development of projects that capture methane emissions,” he says. “That’s why it’s the gold standard. It’s a bit of a no-brainer; you set up the policy supports, the infrastructure is already in place, most people want to reduce emissions and don’t want dirty air and climate change impacts, so your resistance is not going to be overwhelming.”
Missing policy is a limiting factor for the Canadian market, as a lack of investment tax credits that could support investments in the national biogas and RNG industry reduces potential investment, Stadnyk explains.
Potential Growth
The potential for sourcing energy from biogas and RNG in Canada could reach 544 petajoules by 2050 with the most favorable policies, while delivering significant GHG reductions, according to Stadnyk. “By 2030, it would be 26.7 megatons reductions, and by 2050, it would be 40.2 megatons, delivering 55% of Canada’s methane pledge,” she says.
Digestate is an untapped market in both the U.S. and Canada. In the Canadian market, Stadnyk explains, most digestate, such as that made on farms, is used locally on crops. “There isn’t really a strong revenue pathway
right now for digestate, but we’re hoping that will change,” she says.
Another source of potential growth moving forward is the opportunity in voluntary markets. These markets arise from companies looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily, often to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria put forward by investors. Fund managers deciding to only include stocks from environmentally responsible companies in their investment portfolios has driven interests in choosing environmental responsibility, leading companies to buy RNG rather than conventional natural gas to make their products, Serfass explains.
Cosmetic brand L’Oreal is an example of a company that has integrated RNG into its process in order to pursue decarbonization. “You can’t make cosmetics very well without heat—you need gas to provide heat—but if you want to lower your carbon footprint, you have to buy renewable gas,” Serfass says. “So, that ... is driven by investors and by consumers choosing to buy sustainable products, and that is really driving the growth of the voluntary RNG market. It really is voluntary; there’s no compliance there, there are barely any laws on the books.”
CO2 utilization could be another opportunity for RNG projects. As many of the ethanol plants that currently provide merchant CO2 used for beverages and food processing start pursuing carbon capture and sequestration, a demand for CO2 may emerge, Serfass explains. The tax credits available to those who can sequester their CO2 are becoming more lucrative than the costly transportation associated with selling it on the merchant market. This could increase the price of CO2 as more ethanol plants shift toward sequestration, opening the door for biogas projects, including RNG, to sell their captured CO2 on the merchant market.
Advocacy Priorities
Public education regarding RNG’s value, how it works and why it is useful is a key focus of the RNG Coalition moving forward, and an important element that impacts the
voluntary market’s role in encouraging the growth of RNG. The public perception of a clean energy solution’s “impact and viability” influences corporate entities’ decision making when selecting a decarbonization strategy, Chase explains. Although there may be some critics of RNG who challenge its use, categorizing it as an imperfect solution and claiming that it cannot replace the entire gas supply, these criticisms are a way of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” when looking for ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, he says.
Chase believes it is key to emphasize RNG’s value as a significant molecule with a critical role to play in the energy transition, due to its potential to decarbonize heavy industry and serve as a feedstock for bio-LNG, clean hydrogen and biomethanol.
Stadnyk and her team promote awareness through their two microsites, which make available self-assessment tools and case studies aimed at educating rural and municipal communities about the benefits of biogas and RNG.
On the policy front, Serfass would like to see guidance come out from the U.S. Department of Treasury for the Inflation Reduction Act in order to make the tax credits useful to the industry. “We think the more flexible the tax credits can be—especially 45Z—to encompass all renewable fuels or renewable sources of electricity, the better. It’s in the country’s best interest to be inclusive of all the renewable energy technologies out there,” he says.
As a way to utilize methane emissions created in so many aspects of modern life, Chase adds that it is an essential component of the energy transition. “Increasingly, RNG will be a global story, as it’s at the nexus and center of the modern way of life, whether it be here in the U.S., in Europe or anywhere else where molecules are burned.”
Author: Katie Schroeder Associate Editor, BBI International Katie.schroeder@bbiinternational.com
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ACCORDING TO PLAN
Exciting progress has been made on the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge, which was the focal point of discussion at the North American SAF Conference & Expo.
BY ANNA SIMET PHOTOS BY SARAH MORREIM PHOTOGRAPHY
Doubling in attendance from its debut in 2023, the North American SAF Conference & Expo drew over 500 industry stakeholders to discuss progress and double down on initiatives to reach the near- and long-term goals of the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge.
Opening the event, held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Sept. 11-13, was Steve Csonka, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative. He began by providing an overview of challenge, which includes a near-term goal delivering 3 billion gallons of SAF in the United States by 2030, with at least a 50% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. “Sec-
ondly, [the challenge requires] a full replacement of petroleum-based jet fuel with SAF by 2050, estimated to entail about 35 billion gallons per year usage in that timeframe, with certain assumptions on the growth profile of the industry,” Csonka said. “And then, a subsequent commitment through the Clean Fuels and Products Shot, which was introduced last year to increase our greenhouse gas emission reductions to 55% and beyond in the midterm.”
Activities of the SAF Grand Challenge are being guided by a roadmap that relies on stakeholder input to determine the barriers that need to be addressed and how, Csonka said. “Part of CAAFI’s role working with
the SAF Grand Challenge is not only to provide thought leadership based on our experience to date, but to create these kinds of convening activities where collaborators can learn about progress and further engage with government teams.”
Csonka added that the SAF Grand Challenge team will have an implementation framework report and progress report ready to share in the coming months. He emphasized the unique nature of the challenge, in having so many government agencies working together to achieve a common goal. “The SAF Grand Challenge truly does infuse the work of nine federal agencies, with the efforts of the commercial sectors,
various producers and end users, and as enabled by various policies and congressional funding,” he said. Following Csonka, representatives from the key contributing departments—the USDA, Transportation Department and Energy Department—discussed attributes of their work.
Three Years In
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recorded remarks that were played at the event, which included the announcement of a SAF Grand Challenge metrics dashboard fact sheet to help track figures and stay on target.
U.S. SAF production was at 5 million gallons in 2021, growing to 52 million gallons by the first half of 2024, he said, highlighting the new opportunities the SAF industry is creating for farmers to earn extra income, tap into value-added, climate-smart agriculture markets and help with the clean energy transition. “USDA has also partnered with the Treasury Department to expand farmer participation in SAF through the 40B USDA Climate Smart Agriculture Pilot Program,” he said. “This is our first step toward incorporating climate-smart ag practices like cover crops and reduced tillage into renewable fuel policies ...”
Robert Bonnie, undersecretary of the USDA, said the SAF industry represents “an enormous opportunity for U.S. agriculture,” and that the USDA’s focus is currently on three main challenges in terms of policy and how to boost farmer interest in SAF and the commodities necessary to do so. The first, he said, is quickly scaling up climate-smart practices. “Two, is measuring, monitoring, reporting, verification and how we can make sure we have the science and wherewithal … to track CI scores in U.S. commodities … and three, how do we create a system that allows us to track those CI scores and commodities through a supply chain?” He noted that (through the In-
Taking part in a U.S. SAF Grand Challenge regional commercial activities panel were (from left) Steve Csonka, executive director, CAAFI; Sean Newsum, managing director, Airlines for America; Julie Bushell, founder and president, Global Sustainability Developers LLC; Chad WIllis, director of planning and sustainability, Allegheny County Airport Authority.
flation Reduction Act) $20 billion has been committed to the Agriculture Department for the scaling up of climate-smart commodities practices across the country.
Months ago, Bonnie added, the USDA put out a request for information regarding the creation of a standard to track CI scores through the supply chain. “This is the third big [aforementioned] challenge, making sure we create a system that has public confidence ... that we track low-carbon commodities through the supply chain. ... USDA is looking at potential ways of creating a standard that could be embedded in future biofuels policy, and there will be more to come on that in the coming weeks and months ahead.”
Following Bonnie, Annie Petsonk, assistant secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the Transportation Department, discussed the most pressing aspects of SAF policy and implementation. “In
terms of the SAF Grand Challenge, while 35 billion gallons of SAF by 2035 is very ambitious, what’s really ambitious is the 3 billion gallons by 2030,” she said. “Because if we can get to the 3 billion gallons by 2030, it means that we will have the policy, architecture, infrastructure and supply chain in place to get to the 35-billion-gallon goal.”
Petsonk said the government agency partners want to hear from stakeholders on three aspects of SAF policy and implementation. “The first is clarity ... clarity on what counts as sustainable aviation fuel, how you measure it, and the life cycle emissions modelling its used ... we were deeply involved and engaged in the revisions of the GREET model that we’ve developed for 40B implementation, and we are looking forward to working with our interagency partners as we move forward on guidance for 45Z.”
Consistency was the second aspect that Petsonk said the government wants to hear about from stakeholders. “We know that you need a set of rules and guidance that you can follow over time. Why do you need that? Because agriculture is an activity that depends on working over longer and longer periods of time, and aviation, frankly, is one of the sectors with the longest-lived capital stock for its infrastructure—airports and airplanes, and decades of planning, implementation and use of those.”
Petsonk said continuity is the final aspect about which stakeholders are urged to provide feedback. “Policy changes … that creates difficulty for investors who are looking for long-term returns on the capital that they put into this sector,” she said. “I hear over and over again from investors, ‘Well, two-year tax credit, a five-year tax credit, is the aviation industry’s commitment to sustainability durable over time? Because
TURNKEY RNG SYSTEMS
otherwise, we’re going to pull back on making the kinds of extended investments that are needed to achieve the goals of the SAF Grand Challenge.’ ”
Petsonk also discussed engagement in the international arena, highlighting global SAF mandates in other countries such as the United Kingdom and the European Union, and emphasized the importance of the U.S.’s ability to compete in the global market. “So, everything we can do in the U.S. to support and incentivize production of SAF here at home is vital,” she said.
The Road Ahead
Laurence Wildgoose, assistant administrator for policy, international
affairs and environment at the Federal Aviation Administration, provided an update on the FAA’s Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition grant program.
In August, $291 million was awarded to 16 projects in two categories, he said—$244.5 million for 22 projects that will reduce, transport, blend or store SAF, and for scoping studies related to SAF infrastructure need, as well as $46.5 million for 14 projects that will help develop, demonstrate or apply low-emission aviation technologies. He gave a few examples of the projects being supported, including $16.8 million to Gevo Inc. to convert its existing biofuel facility in Luverne, Minnesota, into a fully integrated alcohol-to-jet production facility, and
Csonka said U.S. SAF Grand Challenge implementation framework and progress reports will be available in the coming months.
$240,000 to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to conduct a study of regional supply chains, infrastructure and distribution needs to enable SAF deployment.
Valerie Sarisky-Reed, director of bioenergy at the U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, filled attendees in on the previously mentioned roadmap implementation report, taking a deeper dive into progress made on the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge thus far. “The White House announcement of the SAF Grand Challenge happened in 2021 … a year later, the working group came together and created the road map, which was established to get into the detail necessary to meet the aggressive goals of the SAF Grand Challenge,” she said. “It’s incredibly aggressive to get to 3 million gallons, so some of the goals are directed right at that volumetric goal, which is just as important as getting to 35 million gallons by the year 2050, and a 50% or better greenhouse gas emissions reduction.”
Sarisky-Reed referenced the fact sheet published along with the dashboard, which she emphasized “is really important. We heard the fact that domestic SAF production, since the start of the grand challenge, has grown 10%. On a graphic, it looks really impressive, but we all know that’s in millions of gallons, and we need to be in billions of gallons. So, while it’s exciting, we have a long way to go.”
The dashboard will enable the tracking of metrics such as the status of potential feedstocks, and where technology is in terms of commercial readiness, Sarisky-Reed said. “And as you’ll note, through the dashboard, you’ll see that between 2.6 [billion] and 4.9 billion gallons per year of SAF ca-
pacity has been announced. That’s really incredible; that will get us to our goal and beyond, however, these are [just] announcements. So, we know that we’re at a very tentative time to try to ensure that we can keep the program strong, keep the momentum strong and clear the pathway to these facilities getting built and producing the fuel.”
Following updates from SAF producers and suppliers including Montana Renewables, LanzaJet, Phillips 66, World Energy and AvFuel, was an update on the Minnesota SAF Hub.
Minnesota Leading the Charge
The formation of the Minnesota SAF Hub was announced one year ago at the inaugural North American SAF Conference & Expo, with major partners including the Greater MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab and Xcel Energy. At this year’s event, the coalition discussed major developments and discussed the past year’s accomplishments toward operating the first large-scale, endto-end SAF value chain in the U.S. In particular, the partners announced the first SAF blending facility in Minnesota, which will be built by Flint Hills Resources in collaboration with Delta Air Lines. In the early stages of development, the facility will blend up to 30 million gallons of neat SAF at Flint Hills’ Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota, and is expected to be completed in late 2025. Shell will supply the neat SAF, which will be delivered via Flint Hills’ existing pipeline to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Delta’s second-largest hub.
Peter Carter, executive vice president of external affairs at Delta Air Lines, joined several of the hub’s partner representatives on stage to discuss
Jordan Godwin, director of renewable fuels at OPIS, presented on policy support for SAF markets.
IMAGE: SARAH MORREIM PHOTOGRAPHY
Katherine Reed, senior communications manager at the Clean Fuels Alliance America, attends the organization’s booth in the expo hall. This year’s event attracted nearly 50 exhibitors.
IMAGE: SARAH MORREIM PHOTOGRAPHY
progress toward goals thus far. “We kicked off the Minnesota SAF Hub at this conference one year ago, and what a year it’s been—it’s incredible to see where we are only after a single year,” he said. “At Delta Air Lines, we set a goal in Feb 2020 that as an airline, we would be net zero from a carbon perspective by 2025, and that by 2030, we would use 10% SAF in our jet fuel. I will tell you that, at the time we made those goals, we knew they were audacious. But sitting where we are today, I can tell you that we had no idea how audacious they really were.”
Carter said Delta has learned a lot over the four-plus years since it set its net-zero goals. “Delta Air Lines alone burns 4 billion gallons of fuel every year ... 90% of our carbon footprint is jet fuel.”
Carter highlighted Delta’s carbon reduction initiatives outside of SAF, which
includes buying the most efficient aircraft engines possible and refleeting with aircraft that are 20% more fuel efficient. “We also really focus on how we fly these aircraft, such as making sure when we land we get off our auxiliary power unit, which [runs on] jet fuel and onto the electricity grid as soon as possible,” he said. “Just that alone saved us something like 20 million gallons of jet fuel last year. How we land, how we fly ... our routing, those kinds of things [matter]. What became crystal clear very quickly though, was that the real way to get us where we need to go is going to be through sustainable aviation fuel.”
Author: Anna Simet Editor, SAF Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com
Allan Doherty, William Stark and Justin Blackledge from Platinum Level Sponsor Fagen Inc. pose for a photo at the company booth.
IMAGE: SARAH MORREIM PHOTOGRAPHY
RIN GENERATION UNDER THE ALTERNATIVE MEASUREMENT PROTOCOL
With full implementation of the Biogas Regulatory Reform Rule fast approaching, new limitations are set to be imposed on the equipment that can be used for measurement.
BY JAMES JONES
The U.S. biogas industry is enduring a period of change at the moment. Amid efforts from congress and the U.S. EPA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost the nation’s RNG production, the industry has been faced with a constantly shifting legislative landscape over the course of the past year. The major overarching development in this regard is the Renewable Fuel
Standard, which aims to establish guidelines surrounding the annual volume of renewable fuels that are blended with traditional petroleum-based fuels for transportation. These targets aim to grow the industry as a whole, with the added benefit of reducing national reliance on imported oil.
While these reforms paint a bright picture for the sector’s future, their success depends upon the implementation of tighter
regulation from the ground up. Central to this are renewable identification numbers (RINs), which can be thought of as the currency of the RFS program. Each physical gallon of RNG produced is assigned a unique RIN, which travels with the batch of fuel between parties when traded, though the two can also be separated in order to be sold independently of one another. Understandably, the entire system hinges on RINs
CONTRIBUTION: The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Biomass Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s).
An in-field gas analyzer installation IMAGE: QED ENVIRONMENTAL
not being logged or counted incorrectly, which many industry stakeholders have highlighted as a potential issue.
A Double-Edged Sword
It is for this very reason that an adjacent piece of legislation, the Biogas Regulatory Reform Rule, has been introduced, aiming to strictly regulate RNG production via new limitations on the equipment that can be used for measurement. While this is intended to improve the accuracy in the generation and tracking of RINs, it is important to also acknowledge the impact that this will have on day-to-day productivity for RNG producers.
Under the BRRR, the EPA previously ruled that only gas chromatographs would be able to be used for measurement during RNG production. However, this offers up a series of challenges, especially given that the vast majority of the industry is already using gas analyzers for the very same task. Gas chromatographs, while highly accurate, are more traditionally associated with the laboratory environment, rather than that of an active biogas plant. As a direct result, they are in scarcer supply, with a much higher point of purchase. Should the entire industry transition to gas chromatographs as required by the BRRR, there would likely be significant effects for the continuity of RNG supply.
Exploring the Alternatives
Fortunately, this is an issue that the EPA has again listened to industry stake holders about, with the alternative mea surement protocol, (AMP), introduced as a solution. Under the AMP, original equip ment manufacturers such as QED Environ mental Systems are able to submit equiva lent technology for use in place of a gas chromatograph, which will be reviewed by the EPA on a case-by-case basis.
Critically, this allows biogas producers to continue using gas analyzers as the in strument of choice for measurement. Ver sus a gas chromatograph, these units offer a specialized design for biogas production and the outdoor environment, and can
achieve the same highly accurate results as a gas chromatograph in a fraction of the response time, while also being easier to operate. Perhaps most importantly, gas analyzers benefit from a well-established install base already in operation, meaning that an industrywide switchover would not be necessary.
Forging a Credible Path
While final approval on these instruments is pending, the EPA recently indicated that facilities with completed registrations proposing to use equipment covered by the AMP can proceed with provisional approval. Here, RNG producers need only register their facility using the original equipment manufacturer’s unique number to be eligible for provisional approval. For example, QED Environmental Systems’ EPA registration number, JSDEP-25477, will allow RNG producers to use the Biogas
3000 and Biomethane 3000 for the generation of RINs while full AMP approval is pending.
In this sense, the AMP allows RNG producers to continue down their current path and ensure minimal disruption to production, without need for equipment changeover. Here, the AMP is a landmark development for the industry in that it will allow biogas producers to reap the benefits of the RFS without impacting the continuity of supply. With this legislation in place, it is our hope that the industry can continue to grow and cement the U.S. as a world leader in RNG production.
Author: James Jones Gas Instruments Product Manager, QED www.qedenv.com
THE RENAISSANCE OF ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
Scientific breakthroughs are shaping the future of renewable energy and waste management.
BY ALEXANDRA ARNDT
Scientific advances of the past decade are ushering anaerobic digestion (AD) into a new era in which the technology can deliver more than just biogas, unlocking unprecedented efficiencies in clean energy production, revolutionizing environmental impact mitigation, and enabling unmatched global waste reduction. The AD industry has undergone a striking transformation in recent years. This once-niche technology has become a cornerstone in the renewable energy sector as a powerful waste management solution. Will Charlton, president of Digester Doc, and Carl Hinchman, chief analytic officer of Valkyrie Analytics, explain what’s fueling this rapid evolution behind the scenes in data analytics and microbial science.
Unlocking Feedstock Secrets
Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests are emerging as a key component of this new era of AD. With recent advancements in BMP testing, operators now have access to precise and accurate data regarding the energy potential of diverse feedstocks before they enter the digestion process. This new scientific understanding can help maximize methane like never before. Now, operators can clearly pinpoint feedstock selection and mixtures, paving the way to significant efficiency improvements.
Charlton highlights the magnitude of reimaging BMP testing in our industry. “The days of trial and error are behind us,” he says. “With
BMP testing, we can accurately predict how each feedstock will perform, allowing us to make informed decisions that maximize energy production and system stability.” Uncertainties of economic viability, environmental sustainability and energy production of AD systems are quickly becoming a challenge of the past, thanks to the strategic partnerships being forged between scientists and operators.
Optimizing Microbial Activity
Microbial activity is the driving mechanism behind how AD systems break down organic matter into biogas. Recent studies have explored how to optimize the unique microbial environments within each system to maximize biogas production. Charlton explains how his team has been charting this unexplored facet. “We’ve been able to understand and see correlations between things that we didn’t understand before, such as the relationship between volatile fatty acids and acetic acid levels, assisting operators in predicting potential issues before they arise. We’re working on solutions to provide microbial Band-aids with tailored nutrient supplements and advanced inoculation techniques.”
This new view of the microscopic composition and biological health within each digester system has yielded increased output, stabilized processes and improved system productivity, positioning AD as a crucial technology for industrial-scale utilization.
CONTRIBUTION: The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Biomass Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s).
Valkyrie Analytic’s Middlebury, Indiana, pilot site codigests food and animal waste.
IMAGE: VALKYRIE ANALYTICS
“We are entering an era where understanding the microbiome of a digester is as crucial as understanding its mechanical components,” Charlton says. “Tailoring the microbial environment is how we can push AD systems to their highest potential.”
Hydrogen Sulfide Reduction and Prediction
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been a well-known challenge in AD systems, posing risks to both infrastructure and safety. Recent advancements in H2S reduction technologies, including innovative predictive modeling and reductive studies, mitigate these risks, ensuring longer equipment lifespans and safer operations. Charlton shares Digester Doc’s development of predictive tools to forecast H2S levels. “We started to develop a calculation that allows us to very accurately portray how much H2S there will be during startup and operations,” he explains. “This has been pivotal for clients, enabling them to avoid substantial setbacks and enhance the safety and longevity of their systems.”
By controlling and predicting hazardous H2S levels, operators can maintain safety and employ cost-effective solutions to meet strict environmental regulations. It’s a game-changer as the industry scales to meet the growing demand for renewable energy and overcome the mounting challenges that have stood in the way of industry progress.
Real-Time Data Analytics
Real-time data analytics is one of the most transformative technologies reshaping AD technology today. With the integration of advanced monitoring systems, operators can now track and adjust key parameters—such as pH, temperature and gas output—in real-time, allowing for proactive intervention. “We’re moving away from the days of manual grab samples, which provide only a snapshot of the system’s performance,” explains Carl Hinchman, chief analytics officer at Valkyrie Analytics. “Real-time analytics give a continuous feed of data allowing operators to see what’s happening inside the digester at every moment of the day.”
The impact of real-time monitoring is clear at Valkyrie Analytic’s Middlebury, Indiana, pilot site, where food waste is codigested with animal waste. “Since implementing our system, the site has stabilized its energy output at over 16,000 kilowatts per day, nearly achieving its maximum potential,” Hinchman explains. Such consistency in performance was unimaginable before the advent of real-time data analytics, and it represents a major step forward for the industry.
Real-time data platforms allow operators to monitor, predict and optimize system performance dynamically. Hinchman emphasizes the importance of continuous data flow. “The key to unlocking AD’s full potential is consistency; real-time monitoring provides that stability,” he says. “Whether it’s a food waste site or an agricultural digester, our technology ensures the digester operates at peak performance day in, day out.”
These advancements aren’t just improving operations; they directly contribute to the global push for energy security and waste reduction. This bold initiative is a great step toward AD’s deployment on a massive scale.
The Future of Anaerobic Digestion
In this renaissance of anaerobic digestion, data-driven solutions are unlocking unprecedented efficiency levels and tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The future is bright, with limitless potential for growth and improvement. As we move forward, continued collaboration between scientists, industry leaders and policymakers will be essential to fully realize this technology’s promise. The future of anaerobic digestion isn’t just about producing more biogas—it’s about doing it smarter, safer and more sustainably. The power of innovation is key to making that future a reality.
Author: Alexandra Arndt Director of Sales & Marketing Digester Doc alexandra@digesterdoc.com
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