Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC, an environment-focused engineering consultancy, is part of a team that received a 2011 Project of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Rodefeld Landfill BioCNG Vehicle Fuel Project as part of the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP). The award was presented during the 15th Annual LMOP Partner and Project of the Year Awards Ceremony on January 18, 2012, in Baltimore, MD. The project partners include the Dane County Solid Waste Department, Cornerstone Environmental Group, ANGI Energy Systems, Unison Solutions LLC, and Madison Area Technical College.
The patent-pending biogas conditioning system economically produces biogas-based fuel to power compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The BioCNG system fuels Dane County parks and public works trucks, with the potential to expand to supply fuel to waste trucks and other County vehicles. It is currently operating at a capacity of 100 gallons of gasoline equivalent (GGE) per day, but the system is now being upgraded to operate at a capacity of 250 GGE. The landfill’s BioCNG vehicle fueling station operates in conjunction with an existing landfill gas electrical generation system.
Image courtesy of Cornerstone
“The BioCNG process allows for the first time ever the ability to make vehicle fuel at a cost less than pipeline CNG. It is a wonderful showpiece for all the project partners and it is now being implemented nationwide at numerous landfills, waste water treatment plants and anaerobic digesters,” said Richard A. Peluso, PE, president of Cornerstone.
The change also benefits the environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG reduces carbon monoxide by 90 percent, ground-level ozone emissions by 75 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.
The project was a team effort between Dane County and several public and private entities. Cornerstone contributed design, permitting and site implementation services. ANGI Energy Systems, Inc. was responsible for the CNG fueling station refurbishment. Unison Solutions, LLC provided fabrication of the gas conditioning system and the Madison Area Technical College donated a trailer-mounted CNG fueling station.
(This article compiled using information from a Cornerstone Environmental Group press release)
