RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS COMPRESSION SOLUTIONS
Ariel's RNG compressors are critical to the methane-capturing process used at wastewater processing facilities, converting waste into a renewable energy source.
Ariel Compression Technology – Capturing Methane for Fuel and Helping Our End-Users Meet Their Sustainability Goals
Building on over 50 years of manufacturing natural gas compression equipment for the global energy industry, Ariel is now providing compression solutions for the relatively up-and-coming renewable natural gas (RNG) industry. RNG, a derivative of organic waste, is chemically identical to conventional pipeline gas, and it is the only alternative fuel that, when produced according to best practices, is carbon-negative.
Ariel's RNG and biogas compressors are vital to the methane-capturing process. The gas can be used for on-site power generation or as a CNG vehicle fuel source, or it can be dispensed into existing natural gas pipelines for the energy grid.
GreenGas USA of South Carolina – an integrated RNG producer – called upon Ariel and ANGI Energy Systems LLC to provide a solution for a wastewater biogas capture project. ANGI has been a premier manufacturer of CNG fueling equipment and biogas systems in North America for over 30 years.
ANGI and Ariel worked with GreenGas to develop a methane gas capturing system for McCall Farms, a flourishing canning operation comprising well-known national food brands headquartered in Effingham, S.C. The system was designed to capture methane from McCall's wastewater ponds at their extensive vegetable processing facility.
Methane, a gas that has historically been released in the atmosphere, is captured, processed, and put into a pipeline to be used for a new green energy source.
GreenGas has targeted several biomethane sources, including landfills, animal waste, industrial facilities, pulp and paper processing plants, and vegetable processing facilities, to grow their business.
"GreenGas USA was founded three years ago. It was an idea to make the environment better by capturing fugitive methane from waste sources," said Marc Fetten, founder of GreenGas USA. "But the demand for that renewable fuel that we generate from the waste streams is enormous, and it's being driven by sustainability leaders, Fortune 500 companies that are adamant about decarbonization and doing the right thing."
The McCall Farms' enterprise is an excellent example of that aspiration. McCall's core business is food production, which includes a large amount of food waste during processing. GreenGas offered McCall a solution to gather emissions from their wastewater processing and convert their waste into a renewable energy source.
Here's where ANGI and Ariel came in. ANGI and Ariel developed a compression system that safely takes the gas from their plant for processing. The captured methane gas is treated and injected into the pipeline for industrial or home heating purposes.
Ariel and ANGI provide compression solutions to produce clean biogas from water treatment facilities directly to pipelines and other fueling opportunities.
"With the advent of RNG being economically feasible, we see customers displacing their already very clean CNG with even cleaner RNG, which is a renewable fuel," said John Barker, ANGI director of sales for RNG and special applications.
Eric Diehl, Ariel's eastern regional manager, added, "We are super-excited about the RNG industry. We see it continuing to grow. We're taking a gas that has historically been thrown away into the atmosphere, capturing it, and then putting it into a pipeline so it can be used for a new green energy source."
ANGI's John Barker noted, "There's a huge demand for ultra-clean, renewable natural gas, which is spurring investment of producers going after organic waste feedstocks and other types of feedstocks like landfills, animal waste, and food waste — taking that feedstock and, through anaerobic digestion, creating biomethane. What we see in the future is continued demand for ultra-clean RNG, but also the potential to produce hydrogen from biogas as well."
Ariel compression technology is utilized to better the environment, improve air quality, and help our end-users meet their sustainability goals. Ariel can help you take full advantage of RNG's benefits.
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