vvEPA
nvironmental Technology Verification Program
aste-to-Energy Technologies
The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program provides
credible performance information for commercial-ready environmental technologies
for the benefit of purchasers, regulators, and vendors/developers.1 ETV has verified
eight technologies (see Table 1) that produce or use fuels generated from biomass
wastes.
ETV's Greenhouse Gas Technology (GHG) Center, operated by Southern Research
Institute under a cooperative agreement with US EPA, verified two biogas
processing systems and four distributed generation (DG) energy systems in
collaboration with the Colorado Governors Office or the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The verified gas processing systems remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other
sulfur species from biogas so it is amenable for DG energy system use. During
verification testing one of the systems increased the low heating value (LHV) of the
gas by 8.5%, from 569 British thermal units per standard cubic foot (Btu/scf) to 617
Btu/scf. The other system did not show any change in gas heating value after being
processed.
The verified DG systems include one fuel cell, two internal combustion engines, and one microturbine in a heat and
power application. All four DG systems were operated on-site using either landfill gas or anaerobic digester gas
generated from animal waste or municipal sludge. Power production and emissions performance were verified for all
four DG energy systems, as shown in Table 2. (Continued on page 2)
Fuels from Waste
Opportunity fuels are usually by-products
or waste streams from other processes.
Although these fuels do not have the
same heating value characteristics as
conventional fossil fuels, they still are
beneficial as a potential source of
alternative energy, especially when used
with distributed generation (DG) energy
systems. Common opportunity fuels are
anaerobic digester gas, landfill gas, wood
and wood waste. These fuels are derived
mostly from solid biomass waste such as
crop residues, farm waste from animal
feeding operations, municipal solid waste,
sludge waste and wood waste.
Table 1. Summary of ETV Technologies that Have Been Verified, Plan to Verify and Use Fuels from Waste*
Technology Name
Technology Description/Application
Opportunity Fuel Source
Gas Processing Systems
NATCO Group, Inc., Paques
THIOPAQ
US Filter/Westates Carbon, Gas
Processing Unit (GPU) (verified with
the PC25C Fuel Cell Power Plant)
A Sour gas processing system for biogas purification that
removes hbS
A carbon based filter that removes hbS, other sulfur species
and hydrocarbons from biogas
Biogas from a water pollution control facility; LHV is 569 Btu/scf
for processed gas.
Anaerobic digester gas from a water pollution control facility;
LHV is 551 Btu/scf for processed gas
Fuel Cells
UTC Fuel Cells, LLC, PC25™ Fuel
Cell (Now called PureCell™ 200)
( Technology was tested using two
different opportunity fuel source)
A 200 kilowatt (kW) phosphoric acid fuel cell for commercial or
institutional use with the potential for heat recovery in a CHP
application
Biogas from municipal solid waste landfills; included a landfill
gas processing unit, verified 1998, LHV is 446 Btu/scf
Anaerobic digester gas from a wastewater treatment facility;
included a gas processing unit, verified 2004; LHV is 550 to
650 Btu/scf
Internal Combustion Engines
Martin Machinery Internal Combustion
Engine
CAT 379 Engine/Generator Set with
Integrated Martin Machinery CHP
An internal combustion engine combined with heat recovery
system for distributed electrical power and heat generation
A DG/CHP system consisting of a Caterpillar Model 379, 200
kW engine-generator with integrated heat recovery capability
Anaerobic digester gas from a Colorado Pork facility with up to
5,000 sows and an average LHV of 625 Btu/scf
Anaerobic digester gas from a dairy farm with 1 ,725 cows and
heifers; anaerobic digester gas has an average LHV of
approximately 525 Btu/scf
Microturbines and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems
Capstone 30 kW Microturbine System
Flex, Flex-Microturbine® (Flex)B
(planned verification 2011)
Microturbine combined with heat recovery system for distributed
electrical power and heat generation
Uses a proprietary flameless catalytic combustion system to
oxidize and destroy hydrocarbons in the waste fuel stream
before entering the turbine
Anaerobic digester gas from a Colorado Pork facility with up to
5,000 sows and an average LHV of 625 Btu/scf
Biogas from landfill or other waste gases
Biomass Co-fired Boilers
Minnesota Power's Rapids
Energy Center Boiler 5
University of Iowa Main Power Plant's
Boiler 10
A boiler with a steaming capacity of 1 75,000 Ib/hour. Fired with
western subbituminous coal, wood waste, railroad tires, on-site
generated waste oils and solvents, and paper wastes
A boiler unit rated at 170,000 Ib/h steam fired with Renewafuels
Pelletized Wood Fuel
Waste wood and bark from a paper mill and waste wood from
other facilities was co-fired with coal; Heating value of 7700
Btu/lb
Wood Pellets from a Renewafuel, LLC facility in Michigan was
co-fired with coal; heating value of 4600 Btu/lb
AComplete verification reports and statements for the technologies listed above, excepttor Flex Microturbine, may be found at
httD://www.erja.aov/etv/vt-aat.html#advanceenerav. BPlanned verification; not yet verified. Anticipated project completion 201 1
The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The program provides objective quality-assured data on the
performance of commercial-ready technologies. Verification does not imply product approval or effectiveness. ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and services mentioned in this document.
www.epa.gov/etv
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(Continued from page 1)
In 2008 ETVcompleted a waste-to-energy project under its Environmental Sustainability Technology Evaluation
(ESTE) Project, during which twobiomass co-fired boilers (See Table 3) were tested using woodwaste. EPA Office
of Air and Radiation, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, and Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
collaborated with ETV on this project. The results could potentially be used to support the development of a new area-
source Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard.
Selected Outcomes of Verified Distributed Energy Technologies
Based on ETV case studies for technologies verified prior to 2004 and pub-
lished in 2006, a capacity of 28 megawatts (MW) of ETV-verified fuel cells
and microturbines (in CHP applications) have been installed in the U.S.
since the verifications were completed. ETV estimates that these systems:
• Reduced C02 emissions by 53,000 tons per year and NOX by 240 tons
per year, with associated climate change, environmental, and health
benefits.
• Increased utilization of renewable fuels resulting in reductions in the
consumption of natural resources. (Note: Fuel cells that utilize anaero-
bic digester gas are responsible for 2 MW of the capacity listed above
and 14,000 tons per year of the C02 reductions.)
Assuming annual sales continue at the same rate as in 2005, ETV estimates
the total installed capacity of ETV-verified fuel cells should reach 89 MW
by 2010, reducing C02 by 191,000 tons per year and NOX by 600 tons per
year.
Table 2. Performance for the Four DG Energy Technologies
Parameters
Power Production6
Electrical efficiency
Potential thermal
efficiency
Potential total
system efficiency
Fuel Cells*
36.8%
56.9%
93.8%
Microturbines
19.7% to 26.7%
8. 14% to 33.3%
34.8% to 53.7%
Emissions Rates
C02, Ibs/kWh"
NOx, lbs/kWhc
1.44
1.3x10-5
1.44-3.45
8.21x10-5 -2.13x10-2
A Based on 2004 Verification data only
B At full load, under normal operation
clbs/kWh = pounds per kilowatt-hour
Upcoming ETV Projects
ETV expects to complete its second waste-to-
energy ESTE project involving an anaerobic
digester of animal manure in winter 2009. The
digester is being used to treat animal wastes at a
large-scale farm. Methane and energy generation,
organic solids reduction, phosphorus reduction, and
the reduction of potentially pathogenic
microorganisms will be verified. There is also a
planned joint demonstration and verification of a
microturbine using landfill gas with the Department
of Defense Environmental Security Technology
Certification Program. This project is expected to
be completed by 2011.
Benefits and Outcomes of the Use of
Selected Opportunity Fuels
Table 3. Verified Biomass(Woodwaste) Co-Fired Boilers
Minnesota
Power's Rapids
Energy Center
Boiler 5 (MP-5),
Wood Waste Co-
Firing with Coal
Iowa Main Power
Plant's Boiler 10
(UI-10), Renewa-
fuel Pelletized
Wood Fuel
Performance
Measures
Basel ineA
Averages
Co-fireB
Averages
% Difference0
Basel ineA
Averages
Co-fireD
Averages
% Difference0
Boiler
Efficiency,
%
74.5 ± 0.3
61. 3 ±0.7
-17.7%
84.9 ±0.4
84.1 +0.7
-0.90%
Total PME
0.0317 ±0.005
0.0060 ± 0.003
-81.2%
0.061 ±0.03
0.044 ± 0.003
-28.1%
C02
EmissionsE
160 ±7
131 ±4
-18.3
205 ±2
207 ±0.3
0.82%
A Baseline fuel = 100% coal; B Co-fire fuel = 8% coal; 92% woody biomass; c Statistically significant
changes are underlined; DCo-firefuel = 85.1% coal; 14.9% wood; E pounds per million Btu (Ib/
MMBtu) output
• The EPA AgSTAR Program estimates that 2,290 dairy operations and 6,440 swine operations are potential
candidates for anaerobic digestion and manure biogas production in the U.S.. Manure digester gas contains 60 to
80% methane, with an energy content of 600 to 800 Btu/scf.
• The EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program estimates that there are approximately 410 landfills already
collecting landfill gas (LFG) for energy recovery in the U.S.. In addition 570 landfills are good candidates for LFG
energy recovery and have the potential to generate approximately 1,370 MW of electricity.
• The 2004 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey estimates that there are 544 municipal wastewater treatment facilities in
the U.S. with influent flow rates greater than 5 million gallons per day that operate anaerobic digesters. Anaerobic/
CHP systems if installed by these facilities can generate approximately 340 MW of electricity.
References
U.S. EPA, 2006. ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating Program
Outcomes. Volume I (EPA/600/R-06/001. January) and Volume II
(EPA/600/R-06/082. September).
U.S. EPA, ETV, www.epa.gov/etv.
U.S. EPA, Clean Energy, http://www.epa.gov/RDEE/.
U.S. EPA, Combined Heat and Power, http://www.epa.gov/chp/.
U.S. EPA, 2007. Combined Heat and Power Partnership, Biomass
Combined Heat and Power Catalog of Technologies. September.
ETV Greenhouse Gas Technology Center
Lee Beck, U.S. EPA
beck.lee@epa.gov, Tel: (919) 541-0617
Tim Hansen, Southern Research Institute
hansen@southernresearch.org, Tel: (919) 282-1052
ESTE Anaerobic Digester of Animal Manure
Wendy Davis-Hoover, U.S. EPA
Davis-Hoover.WendY@epa.gov, Tel: (513) 569-7206
EPA/600/S-09/027
October 2009
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