Biogas plant producing fuel for taxis will open in northeastern Brazil

Biomethane will start to be produced in Ceará at the Caucaia West Metropolitan Sanitary Landfill

(ASMOC), located in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza. The project, called Fortaleza Renewable

Natural Gas (Fortaleza RNG), is a state government partnership with Fortaleza City Hall and private

companies. The first stage of the plant was inaugurated on April 11, when the system to process the

gases from the garbage dump was turned on.

Márcio Schittini, CEO of Ecometano, one of the companies participating in the project, explained that in

the first stage they have installed about 150 vertical and horizontal drains (the total will be 200) in areas

of the landfill to capture the gases, which will be directed to a gas treatment unit where biomethane will

be produced.

According to him, Fortaleza RNG will start producing 70,000 m³ of biomethane per day and can reach up

to 150,000 m³/day, ranking the landfill as the second largest biogas producer in Brazil (the first is Jardim

Gramacho in Rio de Janeiro, which already has the capacity to produce 240,000 m³ of biogas per day).

“At a first moment, the natural gas will be used by the industry. Then it is expected to arrive in houses,

taxis, and if we aspire something more positive, this gas can replace the diesel used in bus fleets and

garbage trucks. The plant construction should be completed by the end of 2017 and the first stage

received an investment of $28.34 million,” said Schittini.

ASMOC receives more than 5,000 tons of solid waste per day coming from Fortaleza and Caucaia.

NGS INDIA