Linde LNG Transporter at the Livermore biomethane site.
Facility to produce millions of gallons of clean, renewable biofuel for collection trucks in California
Waste Management, Inc. (WM), North America’s largest waste services company, and Linde North America, part of global gases and engineering company The Linde Group, announced today that their joint venture company has begun producing clean, renewable vehicle fuel at its facility located at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore, California. The facility is said by WM to be the world’s largest landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.
The plant, which Linde built and operates, purifies and liquefies landfill gas that WM collects from the natural decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. The plant is designed to produce up to 13,000 gallons of LNG a day – enough to fuel 300 of WM’s 485 LNG waste and recycling collection vehicles in twenty California communities. Since the commissioning process began in September, the plant has produced 200,000 gallons of LNG.
“The Altamont LFG-to-LNG facility enables us to recover and utilize a valuable source of clean energy in another practical way, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Duane Woods, senior vice president for WM’s Western Group. “The ability to use recovered landfill gas to fuel our hauling fleet offers significant environmental benefits to the communities we serve in California.”
Pat Murphy, president of Linde North America, said the Altamont project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 30,000 tons a year. This will make a significant contribution toward California’s goal of reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.
Four California agencies contributed to the $15.5 million project, including the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The management of several of the state grants has been provided by the Gas Technology Institute, which also licensed elements of the LNG production technology used in the Altamont facility.
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