An innovative renewable natural gas (RNG) project is putting Sioux City, Iowa on the map as a region of the United States that is accelerating the clean energy transition. The Sioux City Renewable Fuels Facility is turning waste gas from the anaerobic digestion of high strength waste at a municipal wastewater treatment plant into pipeline quality RNG. An essential component of the wastewater-to-biogas system, anaerobic digesters enable the plant to receive the renewable biomass feedstocks and generate biogas.
The facility employs an advanced purification and filtration system that cleans the biogas to pipeline specification before the compressed gas is injected into the natural gas pipeline. A third party assessment of the facility, based on sample data over a 24-month period, found that 82% of the high strength waste processed by the facility would otherwise be sent to landfill – where it would decompose anaerobically and release methane to the atmosphere. The project, therefore, avoids significant methane emissions, in addition to producing renewable energy to displace the use of fossil natural gas.
Key benefits include reduced carbon emissions and air pollution, improved odor control, and increased efficiency at the plant. Additionally, the project is anticipated to lower water bills and position Sioux City as a sustainability pioneer in the Midwest region. To support projects like the Sioux City Renewable Fuel Facility, voluntary market participants can purchase Renewable Thermal Certificates (RTCs).
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PROJECT TYPE: Wastewater-to-RNG
LOCATION: Sioux City, Iowa
ONLINE DATE: 2022
CARBON INTENSITY: 0.57gCO2e/MJ, as assessed by a third-party
TRACKING SYSTEM: M-RETS Renewable Thermal
To learn more about the Sioux City Renewable Fuel Project and how your organization can support this initiative and address its GHG emissions with renewable natural gas (RNG) certificates, Get in Touch.
Project Photos
Photos provided by Sioux City Renewable Fuel Facility
