Making landfill gas into a clean vehicle fuel

Journal Article · · Solid Waste Technologies; (United States)

OSTI ID:5531803

Wheless, E ^[1]

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1. Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, Whittier, CA (United States)

Converting landfill gas into compressed natural gas (CNG) for use in vehicles has potential to provide both economic and environmental benefits. The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County in 1991 initiated a program to utilize CNG derived from landfill gas as a clean, alternative fuel for the District's fleet vehicles and heavy-duty equipment. The program also envisioned that fuel could be supplied to users of the landfill to reduce emissions from their vehicles and dependence on petroleum products. The CNG project was planned to take excess gas generated at the 12,000-ton-per-day Puente Hills Landfill in Whittier. Limited operation to date demonstrates that the process is capable of producing a high-quality product gas in a fully automatic operating mode. Initial problems included selecting the wrong wells to supply the gas; after adjustments, the project now continuously receives a feed gas with less than 1% air. The product is well above the project's specified methane concentration of 96% and overall meets the CARB alternative fuel specification for CNG. As such, the product fuel can be used on any vehicle designed to run on CNG, with predictable air emissions. Initial laboratory test indicate trace contaminants are being scrubbed from the product gas. An economic analysis of the system is also presented.

• OSTI ID: 5531803
• Journal Information: Solid Waste Technologies; (United States), Journal Name: Solid Waste Technologies; (United States) Vol. 7:6; ISSN SWATE7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090900 -- Biomass Fuels-- Processing-- (1990-)
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320604* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Municipal Waste Management-- (1980-)
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CNG PROCESS
COMPRESSED GASES
DESULFURIZATION
DIESEL FUELS
DISTILLATES
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GAS OILS
GASES
LIQUID FUELS
MANAGEMENT
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DISTILLATES
PETROLEUM FRACTIONS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION