San Antonio Water System Opens Innovative Pipeline-Connected Biogas Facility.

[Fledermaus]

October 23, 2010 – Vol.15 No.31

SAWS, Ameresco Open Innovative Pipeline-Connected Biogas Facility.

San Antonio Water System (SAWS), of San Antonio, Texas, and Ameresco have opened their new biogas facility at the Dos Rios Water Recycling Center. The biogas project is the first sustainable project of its kind in the nation, capturing biogas generated during the sewage treatment process and selling it through a commercial gas pipeline.

Methane gas is generated by biosolids during the sewage treatment process. Previously, SAWS burned off the gas using flares. With this 20-year partnership, Ameresco will treat and transfer at least 900,000 cubic feet of gas to a nearby commercial gas pipeline, where they will sell it on the open market. In return, SAWS ratepayers will receive a royalty on the sale of the gas, estimated at $200,000 a year, reducing the cost of SAWS operations and keeping rates affordable. SAWS is the first large wastewater utility to partner with a private sector company, Ameresco, to actively sell biogas in the United States.

http://www.green-energy-news.com/nwslnks/clips1010/oct10024.html

[madokie]

1. A soy processing plant in our local industrial park

has these huge ponds where the by product decomposes and it smells just like you'd stepped in someones shit and anyway after a while and after many complaints they covered the ponds with a rubber membrane and pipe the gas back to the plant and use it for all they're heating. Processing soy uses a lot of heat. They may even sell some of it to the natural gas power plant that is directly across the road from them I don't know but anyway they are doing this very thing and it saves them a ton of money and a shitpot full of complaints.
To me the interesting part is that membrane is about a half inch thick and a cross section of it looks like a car tire sidewall only thicker. These ponds are several hundred feet by several hundred feet and the membrane will be 12 to 15 feet above the water level and held up by the pressure of the gas being created. Its really something to see.