Garbage In, Power Out: South Carolina BMW Plant Demonstrates Landfill Gas to Hydrogen Fuel

[RiverLover]

Garbage In, Power Out: South Carolina BMW Plant Demonstrates Landfill Gas to Hydrogen Fuel
By Sunita Satyapal | U.S. Department of Energy on August 28, 2015 at 5:00 PM

A BMW manufacturing plant in Greer, South Carolina, demonstrated that fuel cells can be powered by fuel from a unique source: Garbage.

In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, the Energy Department, BMW and project partners Ameresco, Gas Technology Institute and the South Carolina Research Authority powered some of the facility’s fuel cell forklifts with hydrogen produced on-site from biomethane gas at a nearby landfill.



In order to achieve this, project researchers and engineers had to overcome two main obstacles. The first challenge involved converting the biomethane gas into hydrogen. This required the development and testing of multiple tanks with catalysts for removing contaminants. The second was purifying the hydrogen enough so it could be used in fuel cells. To do this, the project team had to purge the gas stream of all non-hydrogen molecules, including nitrogen.

Fuel cell forklifts have several advantages compared to standard forklifts that use lead-acid batteries. Unlike batteries, fuel cells can be rapidly refueled in less than three minutes, boosting productivity by eliminating the time and cost associated with battery change-outs and charging that can take up to several hours. Fuel-cell-powered lift trucks can reduce labor cost of refueling and recharging by up to 80 percent and require 75 percent less space as compared to battery recharging equipment. Also, fuel cells provide consistent power throughout work shifts, unlike battery-powered forklifts, which may experience power reductions during a shift.

Full story~
http://breakingenergy.com/2015/08/28/garbage-in-power-out-south-carolina-bmw-plant-demonstrates-landfill-gas-to-hydrogen-fuel/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Ummm ... and what happens to the carbon in that biomethane ?

CO2 seems the safe bet. Same as if the garbage were burned.

Of course, we're getting energy out of garbage, so that's not a small thing. But you have to wonder if a similar investment in solar-to-H2 wouldn't give better EROI.

[nationalize the fed]

2. .