Wärtsilä biogas plant to reduce methane emissions

A part of the technology group Wärtsilä, Puregas solutions has been contracted to supply a turnkey biogas upgrading plant to the USA. The plant is set to upgrade an existing anaerobic digester (AD) to produce biomethane. It has been ordered by a leader in sustainable agricultural practices, located in the state of Oregon.

The Puregas solution will process 3100cfm (cubic feet per minute) of biogas from the anaerobic digestion of manure, which will come from over 50,000 dairy cows. The renewable natural gas is then to be injected into a pipeline for use as transportation fuel in the adjoining state of California.

The plant is expected to produce around 81mmBTU of biomethane a year. This is the equivalent to the annual energy consumption of over 15,000 households, 570 city buses, or 10,000 cars, with an annual CO2 reduction of 51,000 tons.

Managing Director of Puregas Solutions, Jan Molin, says that the project, “is environmentally significant and an indicator perhaps of a future trend in biogas upgrading in the agricultural industry.”

She continued, “Our capability to deliver the necessary technology in a turnkey solution was the key to securing this important contract.”

According to the press release, this is due to be Puregas’s first order to be received from the USA; it is in line with the increasing global trend to use chemical absorption technology to provide unrivalled methane recovery, which therefore maximises revenues with low operating costs.