Gulf Coast Environmental Systems

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Biogas – Case Study

December 2020 – Biogas Case Study

Location: Medora, Indiana

Customer: Archaea Energy

Employees: 65

Industry: Renewable Energy

Project Type: Biogas

Equipment Type: Blower and Flare Skid Package

Executive Summary: Gulf Coast Environmental Systems was tasked with finding a solution that would assist with VOC abatement and biogas processing at a landfill in Medora, Indiana.

Customer Summary: This customer, Archaea Energy, is a long-standing partner to GCES, purchasing multiple solutions to support their landfill applications which processes the landfill biogas into clean Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Founded by landfill owners and technology developers in the energy sector, they partner with other landfills to harness the power of their biogas. They source, build, and manage projects through the entire lifecycle of the project. GCES has been supporting Archaea in this goal since 2018 with several sites already operational and many more in development across the US. Archaea chose GCES to assist in the creation of these landfill gas to energy plants because of our extensive background in waste to energy projects with nearly 500 units currently in operation.

biogas industriesProject Summary: Potentially dangerous gases like methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfides, and ammonia are created by the decomposition and evaporation of organic compounds as well as chemical reactions between waste components. These gases and other hydrocarbons are often considered greenhouse gases and play a huge role in global warming. According to the EPA, in the United States landfills are the third most prevalent source of methane and other greenhouse gases. When condensed into a small space, methane is considered an explosive gas and should be handled with extreme caution. While a minimal amount of oxygen is present in this particular stream of waste gas which eliminates risk of the process concentration becoming combustible, it is important to note that the methane is still highly flammable. However, poorly designed or maintained landfills run the risk of higher levels of oxygen entrainment leading to elevated danger and uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]

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Is Pollution Control a New Source of Profit?

What if pollution control equipment was on the profit side of your budget sheet, instead of the expense side?expense to profit

Industrial air pollution gets a lot of slack in the media, because it has been directly linked to climate change. Regulatory agencies on nearly every continent have taken further steps to reduce the amount of emissions allowed by industrial processes, and the only method of reducing the pollutants in exhaust emissions is with industrial air pollution control equipment.

In many manufacturing processes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced as a byproduct of production or processing. Industrial air pollution control equipment is used to process or abate those dangerous chemicals and compounds, so they do not end up in the air, soil, and/or water. This encompasses just about every manufacturing process you can think of; food, beverage, packaging, steel, natural gas, oil, cosmetics, automotive, paint, pharmacy, printing, et cetera. The price to install this equipment varies greatly, from tens of thousands of dollars, to millions of dollars, depending on the size of the process streams, and what types of VOCs and hazardous air pollutants the streams contain. This equipment is mandatory in most cases, and is the responsibility of the facility to purchase.

Because of the associated cost, pollution control equipment is often something facilities are not excited to purchase. But what if pollution control equipment was on the profit side of your budget sheet, instead of the expense side? There are a few ways pollution control equipment can help pay for itself, and sometimes even produce a profit for the facility.

Profit Sources:

  1. Methane Abatement
  2. Heat Recovery
  3. Solvent Recovery
  4. Carbon Trading
  5. Tax Incentives
  6. VOC & NOx Trade
  7. RNG + Green Energy

[Read more…]

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Landfill RNG Case Study

CASE STUDY
THERMAL OXIDIZER
LANDFILL – BIOGAS | NOVEMBER 2018

Industry: Landfill/Waste Management
Project Type: Biogas
Project Goal: Building a biogas facility to develop pipeline quality natural gas
Equipment Type: Carbon Adsorber and Thermal Oxidizer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Gulf Coast Environmental Systems was tasked with finding a pollution control solution that could handle two combined PSA reject gas vent streams.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:
In this case, Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) systems are cleaning biogas from a landfill. Potentially dangerous gases like methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfides, and ammonia, are created by the decomposition and evaporation of organic compounds as well as chemical reactions between waste components. These gases and other hydrocarbons are often considered greenhouse gases and play a huge role in global warming. According to the EPA, in the United States landfills are the third most prevalent source of methane and other greenhouse gases. Another risk when dealing with methane is the flammability of the gas which is incredibly high. When condensed into a small space, methane is considered an explosive, and should be handled with extreme caution. The fact that a minimal amount of oxygen is present in this particular stream of waste gas eliminates risk of the process concentration becoming combustible that could lead to flashback. However, poorly designed or maintained landfills run the risk of higher levels of oxygen entrainment leading to elevated danger and uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]

Company Profile

Gulf Coast Environmental Systems (GCES) is your custom solutions provider for pollution control systems, industrial ovens, systems engineering and field support worldwide. Our unique approach is to analyze your process stream and business objectives and propose an ideal solution or range of options to help you optimize these objectives. GCES is a one-stop shop: we provide engineering services, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and ongoing support. With our broad base of expertise and large installed global base, we are well-positioned to solve your pollution control issues.

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