Agriculture accounts for 9% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is natural gas produced from organic waste materials like food waste and animal and plant-based materials. The major sources of RNG are landfills, animal manure, and solid waste extracted during wastewater treatment. The gas is considered to be “renewable” because it is created by waste that is continuously produced, and is naturally occurring as part of the decomposition process. Anaerobic digestion technology captures raw biogas, cleans, upgrades, and compresses it into RNG.
How Renewable Natural Gas is Made
Step 1
Dairy, food, animal, and other organic waste is collected from the farm.
Step 2
Waste is processed by the digester, which releases biogas/methane.
Biogas is captured in the digester.
Step 3
The biogas is then processed into renewable natural gas (RNG).
The RNG is injected into a pipeline for distribution.
Step 4
The remaining digestate is turned into commercial fertilizer or given back to the farm.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
Renewable Sources
Utilizes various renewable source inputs including food, dairy, and poultry waste.
New Products
The anaerobic digestion process takes waste and creates useful products from it.
Cost Effective
Cost effective due to various revenue streams, including energy sales and agricultural co-product sales.
Renewable Natural Gas is a Carbon Neutral Fuel
Throughout its life cycle, renewable natural gas offers myriad climate benefits when compared to traditionally captured gas and other fuels, drastically reducing the greenhouse gasses (GHGs) associated with agriculture and wastewater treatments. During the anaerobic digestion process, methane is captured as biogas and converted, rather than being released directly into the atmosphere. And when it is used in vehicles, natural gas emits 6% to 11% lower levels of GHGs than does gasoline throughout the fuel life cycle. Research shows that when all climate benefits are considered together, RNG from dairy manure can reduce GHG emissions 400% when it is used to replace traditional vehicle fuels.
Additional Byproducts of the Anaerobic Digestion Process
- Biofertilizer
- Biogas
- Compost
- Electricity
- Renewable Fuel
- Reusable Water
- Steam
