Generating Electricity from Landfill Methane Gas in Miami, Florida

Miami-Dade County, Florida is carrying out a project to use methane gas from a landfill to generate electricity for a regional wastewater treatment plant. As reported by April Saylor for the U.S. Department of Energy, this methane sequestration project involves an investment of $15 million and received a $1.7 million grant through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

The wastewater treatment plant uses digester gas from the plant to cogenerate electricity. The landfill gas will be collected at the landfill and transferred by pipeline to the water treatment plant. There the digester gases and landfill methane gas will be combined and used to generate electricity. The benefits are two-fold: the waste methane gas from the landfill is not released into the atmosphere, and the methane serves as an alternative fuel to cogenerate electricity.

According to Steve Kronheim, Chief of Plant Operations, South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, the plant's current electric bill is about $100,000 a month, with $20,000 of that cogenerated. In the future, the electric bill will be around $200,000 with $60,000 cogenerated. The heat generated will be used to heat the digesters and also to dry the sludge from the wastewater treatment process. This dried sludge is used to produce a composted material that is sold to farmers in central Florida and in Miami-Dade County.

Kathleen Woods-Richardson, Director of Solid Waste Management for Miami-Dade County indicates that the design work is being done and the permitting is in process. Jorge Gonzalez, President of ABC Construction, estimates that the project will create 20 to 25 new jobs, including construction and technical positions.

In an article for Miami Today, Ashley Hopkins quotes Lee S. Casey, chief of the environmental compliance division of the Department of Solid Waste Management as indicating that instead of flaring off the methane gas produced in the landfill, it will now be used as a fuel to generate electricity, eliminating the waste.

In reporting on its groundbreaking ceremony at the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miami-Dade County points out that its Methane Sequestration Project is one of 13 projects funded through a $12.5 million grant awarded in September, 2009 through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, which was part of the federal stimulus plan. Other projects include the installation of a cool roof on a Homestead Library, hosting home energy savings workshops for residents, grants for energy efficiency projects for community organizations and non-profits, loans to local business for energy retrofits, and solar panels for park recreational buildings.

In April, 2011, Miami's methane sequestration project was recognized by the White House in its "Winning the Future: Champions of Change Series" for the project's creativity and environmental benefits, and also because it was creating jobs and saving money.

Sources:

April Saylor, How Miami, Florida is Turning Waste into Cash, Energy.gov

Ashley Hopkins, New pipeline will help convert Miami-Dade landfill gases to electricity, Miami Today

Miami-Dade County's Alternative Energy Leadership Recognized in the White House Winning the Future: Champions of Change Series, Miami-Dade County