Largest Manure-to-Energy Project Begins Producing NatGas

In Missouri, the Roeslein Alternative Energy & Smithfield Hog Production – Ruckman Farm Project Renewable Natural Gas has commenced production, — the largest livestock manure-to-energy project of its kind is delivering renewable nmatural gas into the national pipeline.

Impermeable synthetic covers are now installed on 41 of the 88 existing manure lagoons at nine Smithfield farms in Northern Missouri, capturing methane from one of the largest concentrations of finishing hogs in the Midwest. The covers turn the lagoons into anaerobic digesters where as an interim step the resulting biogas has been flared.

Phase II of the project involved installation of equipment to remove impurities from the biogas to create pipeline-quality RNG. As of July 1, RNG from the anaerobic digestion of hog manure has been injected into the national pipeline using an interconnect that has been installed at Ruckman Farm. Duke Energy in North Carolina has agreed to purchase a portion of the RNG to help meet clean energy requirements for power generation.

When the project is totally complete several hundred million cubic feet of RNG will be available for similar transmission each year.