Recent Developments in Renewable Natural Gas Technologies

Recent Developments in Renewable Natural Gas Technologies

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is a sustainable solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas networks. Emerging technologies like biomass gasification, anaerobic digestion, and power-to-gas enable large-scale RNG production to meet future energy demands. This article will discuss recent developments in RNG technologies and their potential impact on the energy industry.

What is Renewable Natural Gas, and How is it Produced?

RNG is produced by upgrading biogas obtained from different sources of organic waste, including organic waste operations, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. The biogas undergoes a purification process to eliminate impurities like water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, resulting in RNG.

RNG is a clean and renewable energy source as it is produced from daily life organic waste, and its production process involves capturing methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.

Processed biogas, or RNG, can be seamlessly integrated into existing natural gas networks, making it a versatile fuel source for industries, transit fleets, and homes without requiring any modifications.

Benefits and Applications of Renewable Natural Gas Production

Renewable and clean fuel

According to the California Air Resources Board, RNG from food and green waste landfill diversion can result in a 125% reduction in emissions, and RNG from dairy manure can lead to a 400% reduction compared to traditional fuels.

As RNG is chemically identical to natural gas, it can be used as compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) for natural gas vehicles, making it a practical alternative to conventional fuels. In addition, it qualifies as an advanced biofuel under the renewable fuel standard.

Storage of renewable energy for a continuous supply

RNG is a viable option for electricity generation, heating, cooking, and as a feedstock for bioplastics.

Energy providers can use RNG in their systems and benefit from the existing natural gas infrastructure, as RNG is more straightforward to store and manage than other renewable energy sources.

PG&E plans to upgrade and inject RNG into its pipeline infrastructure as part of its decarbonization strategy.

Strengthen the circular economy approach

The circular economy emphasizes sustainable loop consumption, which aligns with the production of RNG and the use of related technologies. For instance, microalgae can be cultivated to absorb CO₂ and upgrade biogas to RNG. In addition, excess renewable electricity can be transformed into hydrogen through power-to-gas processes.

RNG can improve the environmental footprint of hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy-duty trucking. Walmart and Chevron’s pilot program demonstrated using RNG-fueled trucks at a distribution center in California.

Emerging Technologies to Produce RNG

Gasification of biomass

Biomass gasification converts dry forest, wood, and municipal construction waste into fuel/gases. The process involves heating the biomass in fluids at high temperatures (850 to 1300 °C), resulting in a gas mix containing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water, and methane that undergoes methanation to produce RNG. This RNG can be purified to remove tar, yielding 210 m³ per ton of wood.

Several ongoing projects, such as the GoBiGas project in Sweden and the Gaya project in France, aim to produce RNG through biomass gasification using different feedstocks, such as wood pellets, straw, and forest waste.

Power-to-gas and methanation

Renewable electricity is transformed into hydrogen through water electrolysis in a power-to-gas process. The hydrogen is then converted into renewable natural gas through methanation.

Various projects are underway to test the potential of this technology, including BioPower2Gas, Helmeth (co-financed by the European Union), and GRHYD.

Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic Digestion is a process where bacteria break down biodegradable waste and sewage sludge without oxygen to produce biogas. This biogas is approximately 40% carbon dioxide and 60% methane and can be upgraded to renewable natural gas via methane pyrolysis.

Approximately 500 anaerobic digesters are operational in commercial livestock farms across the United States. These digesters primarily produce RNG for electricity generation, but some farms, such as Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana and Hilarides Dairy in California, use it as a transportation fuel.

Recent Research and Developments in Renewable Natural Gas Technologies

Hydron’s Mobile RNG Center

Hydron Energy Inc. is gearing up for the full-scale testing of its innovative INTRUPTor I-Multi Mobile RNG Solution Centre. This mobile gas upgrader produces

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
   • Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Indicator 11.6.1: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) in cities.

4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
   • Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.

5. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
   • Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the strengthening of institutional, systemic, and individual capacity-building to implement adaptation, mitigation, and technology transfer.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

The article discusses renewable natural gas (RNG) as a sustainable solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas networks. Based on the content of the article, the following SDGs, targets, and indicators can be identified:

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • The article highlights RNG as a renewable energy source that can contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix (Target 7.2).
   • The renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption can be used as an indicator to measure progress towards this target (Indicator 7.2.1).

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • The article discusses the use of innovative technologies like biomass gasification, anaerobic digestion, and power-to-gas for large-scale RNG production, which contributes to upgrading infrastructure and adopting clean technologies (Target 9.4).
   • The CO2 emission per unit of value added can be used as an indicator to measure the efficiency of these technologies and their impact on reducing emissions (Indicator 9.4.1).

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The article mentions that RNG can be used for heating, cooking, and as a feedstock for bioplastics, which can contribute to reducing the adverse environmental impact of cities and waste management (Target 11.6).
   • The annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities can be used as an indicator to measure the air quality improvements resulting from the use of RNG (Indicator 11.6.1).

4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • The article highlights the production of RNG from organic waste, which aligns with the sustainable management and efficient use

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     Source: azocleantech.com

      

     

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