Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)

Is Renewable Natural Gas the Future of Clean Energy?

When the topic of clean or renewable energy comes up, most people think of the usual suspects: wind, solar and hydropower. While each of these energy sources have enormous potential to change our dependence on fossil fuels, there is another type of renewable energy that is often overlooked: renewable natural gas (RNG). In recent years, interest in RNG has increased significantly given not only the potential environmental benefits, but financial incentives for its production.

What Is Renewable Natural Gas?

Renewable natural gas is produced from organic waste, such as animal manure, wastewater, landfill waste, and even food waste. Also referred to as biomethane, RNG comes from the gaseous product of the decomposition of organic matter that has been processed. It is considered an advanced biofuel under renewable fuel standards. It is functionally indistinguishable from natural gas, but it is derived from biological materials instead of fossil fuel deposits.

This gas may be produced via a biochemical process, such as anaerobic digestion, or through a thermochemical method like gasification. Once the gas has been produced, it is then processed to meet purity standards. With minor levels of cleaning, the RNG can be used to generate electricity and heat. It can also replace traditional natural gas.

With additional processing, biogas can also be used for vehicle fuel. Known as conditioning or upgrading, this process involves removing water, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and other trace elements. The resulting product has a higher concentration of methane, making it comparable to conventional natural gas. When processed to these higher purity standards, this form of renewable natural gas can be used for any application that requires pipeline-quality gas.

There are three main sources for biogas:

·        Landfills, which are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S. Biogas from landfills is also known as landfill gas (LFG). This type of gas is produced using an anaerobic digestion process that takes place underground. As of March 2023, there are 532 LFG energy projects in the United States. Most of the LFG produced in the U.S. is used to produce electricity.

·        Livestock operations, which involves collecting animal manure and putting it into an anaerobic digester to produce a biogas that can later be processed into RNG. This gas may also be used to fuel vehicles that run on natural gas to produce electricity. There are 248 anaerobic digesters operating on livestock farms in the U.S. as of March 2023.

·        Wastewater treatment, where the solids removed from wastewater are digested using an anaerobic digester to produce biogas. This gas can then be processed into RNG to be used for vehicle fuel and/or to produce energy. According to one study, energy generated at wastewater treatment plants has the potential to meet 12% of the national electricity demand. In March 2023, there were more than 1,200 wastewater treatment plants with anaerobic digesters in the U.S.

There are other potential sources of biogas that may become more popular in the future. This includes organic waste from industrial, institutional, and commercial operations. For example, a biodigester in Perry, California uses a variety of organic waste materials to produce enough RNG to fuel its fleet of 900 vehicles.

Benefits of Renewable Natural Gas

There are many advantages to renewable natural gas as a form of energy. As an initial matter, these fuels are produced from matter that would otherwise have no use – like garbage in landfills, solids from wastewater, and cow manure. This makes RNG a great way to make use of something that has traditionally been considered worthless.

Importantly, by using these waste products to create RNG, there is a strong potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many waste products – such as cow manure – produce high levels of methane. This chemical compound’s global warming potential warming potential is 25 times higher than carbon dioxide. Capturing and recovering the methane from organic waste can have significant benefits when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, and in turn, global warming.

At the same time, replacing traditional fuels like diesel and natural gas with RNG can improve local air quality. Renewable natural gas is mostly comprised of methane, with very low levels of trace hydrocarbons like ethane, propane, and butane. Local communities may greatly benefit from the use of RNG instead of traditional fossil fuels.

At the same time, cities and towns across the U.S. may see economic benefits from the construction and operation of RNG processing and fueling infrastructure, as well as the manufacture and sale of gas-powered vehicles. In many places, local governments are adding anaerobic digesters to existing facilities like wastewater plants, and then selling the resulting biofuel for profit.

Producers of RNG may also be eligible for a range of financial incentives, primarily from federal, state, and local governments. The federal government has numerous programs available that provide financial assistance, tax incentives, and credits for producing or selling renewable natural gas. This includes the Advanced Biofuel Feedstock Incentive, Alternative Fuel Excise Tax Credit, Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit, Alternative Fuel Mixture Excise Tax Credit, and State Energy Program Funding. Many states also have similar programs, such as the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program.

Finally, the use of renewable natural gas increases the country’s fuel diversity and security. As we all witnessed in 2022, world events – like the Russian invasion of Ukraine – can cause massive price spikes for fuel. By diversifying domestic energy production – and using existing infrastructure – the United States can have far greater fuel security.

Interested in a Career in the Renewable Natural Gas Field? Give Us a Call.

Renewable natural gas has gone from a niche sector to big business. RNG operations are located throughout the country, with even more on the horizon. If you have education or experience in the energy field and are looking to make a career change, the timing has never been better.

Global Recruiters Elizabeth City has recently found positions for general managers, site, facility and plant managers, directors of engineering and construction, instrumentation and control engineers, landfill GCCS operations managers, plant technicians and plant operators. Our placements occurred with companies across the country, from California to Texas to Michigan to New York.

If you want to get in on this booming industry, reach out to Steve Wolff today at 252.331.2775 or via email at [email protected]