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Waste to Energy

Microturbines

LFG Treatment
Systems

Energy & Resources

Cleanup Objectives: Remediate soil and ground water contaminated by a 190-acre inactive landfill

Green Remediation Strategy: Convert the Operating Industries, Inc. (OII) landfill gas (LFG) to electric power for onsite use in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other contaminants from the landfill emissions

• Installed six 70-kW microturbines in 2002 to produce electricity from LFG collected through 460 gas extraction wells (including 185 dual-phase extraction wells) instead of continuing to manage the LFG exclusively as waste
• Use the waste gas-to-energy system to offset a $370,000 annual electricity cost for operating an existing LFG treatment system that uses energy-intensive LFG combustion blowers, thermal oxidizers operating at 1,800°F, and auxiliary equipment with a total demand of 600 kWh
• Avoid potential escape of VOCs to the air by returning microturbine emissions to the LFG treatment system

Results:

• Extracting LFG with a methane content ranging from 29% to 39% at an average rate of 4,200 standard cubic feet per minute for conversion to electricity
• Generated sufficient electricity upon microturbine startup to meet approximately 70% of the LFG treatment system's energy demand
• Generated more than 15,000 MWh of electricity to date, equivalent to an energy cost savings of nearly $21,000 for the project each month or approximately $1.75 million over 7 years of operation
• Recovered nearly 45% of the $1.25 million microturbine purchasing costs (including equipment, installation, and warranty) through receipt of a $450,000 energy grant from Southern California Edison and a $105,000 energy rebate from the California Energy Commission
• Incurring a current annual cost of $25,000 for microturbine operation, following an initial five-year equipment warranty period during which annual operating costs averaged $10,000
• Derived a cumulative net project savings conservatively estimated at $647,000 to date, based on 2006/2007 energy production rates
• Investigating next-generation turbines with a combined capacity of 500 kW and capability to generate power from LFG with lower methane content, to replace aging equipment now meeting a reduced portion (50%) of the LFG treatment system's energy demand
• Exploring potential onsite production of additional electricity or heat from solar resources or thermal recovery for onsite use by future businesses or sale to the local utility

Property End Use: Commercial/industrial operations or open space, pending Superfund close-out

Point of Contact: Shiann-Jang Chern, U.S. EPA Region 9

Update: June 2010

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