Parish celebrate BioCNG vehicle fuel facility

The state’s only BioCNG vehicle fuel facility, located at the St. Landry Parish landfill near Washington, has expanded.
Katry Martin, St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal District executive director, said “On behalf of the district, I am delighted to celebrate the expanded facility’s completion, which has been a year in the making. Progressive Waste has been successfully using the facility and is now fueling up to 10 refuse trucks per day with an estimated annual consumption of 140,000 gasoline gallon equivalents.”
About 75 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the compressed natural gas fuel facility, which is located next to the landfill, and the attendants were given a fueling demonstration during the event.
Steve Wittmann, BioCNG, project manager said, “BioCNG’s four-year relationship with the District has been gratifying and we are proud to see the expanded BioCNG fueling station come to fruition.”
Project partners for the expansion were St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Commission, Progressive Waste Solutions Cornerstone Environmental and Aucoin and Associates.
Garbage disposed of in the landfill generates methan biogas, and prior to the installation of the vehicle fuel system in 2012, the gas was destroyed as per agency relations.
“In 2012, we began fueling vehicles on a small scale, about 10 to 12 trucks,” Martin said. “Phase One of the project was a small conditioning system with a limited amount of storage. The sheriff was also willing to convert some of his vehicles to compressed natural gas vehicles.”
Phase 1 of the project was a $750,000 capital expense, most of which was paid for by Department of Energy subsidies, and Katry said the parish has already recovered its original investment in the system.
“Since the project’s inception, the landfill has reduced approximately 1,200 tons of CO2 emissions, and that number is expect to increase to over 2,200 tons of CO2 per year,” he said. “About $800,000 has been returned to taxpayers in the sale of carbon reductions. This was the first carbon reduction project at a landfill in the state of Louisiana.”
Phase 2, the first expansion on the original system, is a fuel purchase agreement between St. Landry Solid Waste and Progressive Waste Solutions and the additional BioCNG system and a remote, mobile transport CNG fueling station in Opelousas. Progressive Waste purchased 10 new CNG-powered refuse trucks to pick up garbage in the parish. BioCNG, which partnered with the district to develop the original system, designed, installed and commissioned the new primary-satellite BioCNG station format – the first of its kind in the country. BioCNG fuel will also be available to other St. Landry Parish clients. Phase 2’s price tag was $2.7 million.
“This is out of pocket money the commission stepped up and put,” Martin said. “We expect a return on our investment in 10 years. All our predictions are very conservative. We don’t think we are extending the taxpayer in a way that we can’t completely recover all the costs associated with the investment.”
“There are only seven other facilities like this in country, but ours is unique. We did not and will not integrate natural gas into our fuel. We want pure, renewable gas only.”
Martin estimated that the CNG-powered refuse trucks will have an annual consumption of 120,000 diesel gallon equivalents.
Bruce Emley, area manger in Louisiana for Progressive Waste Solutions, said, “We are proud to be a leader in the conversion of refuse trucks from diesel to natural gas fleets that delivers on our commitment to create a more sustainable future. CNG is a cleaner source of fuel and by converting to it we provide our customers in the communities we serve a more environmentally friendly approach to collecting residential and commercial waste and recyclable materials.”
“This is a unique project. We bring it here and take it back out, the product. Here is the only place we take the gas off the landfill. I would like to congratulate the municipality on the project. St. Landry is a fantastic partner for us.”
Emley said Progressive Waste has 150 CNG powered trucks nationally, including trucks in use in Jefferson and Natchitoches parishes.
“This has laid the groundwork for other municipalities and the general public,” Martin said. “Our long term goal is to get the fuel to an alternate site more convenient to others. Maybe the fuel can eventually be used for school buses and transit buses.”
In 2012, the parish’s BioCNG Vehicle Fuel Project received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program Project of the Year Award.