UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Missouri using gas from landfills

|
 
Published: Oct. 20, 2009 at 11:51 AM

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon inaugurated a renewable energy project that uses the biodegradation processes in landfills to generate electricity.

The Democratic governor attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a joint project for Republic Services Inc. and Ameresco to develop a landfill gas-to-electricity project for the Jefferson City Landfill.

"This project creates a clean, reliable and consistent source of energy from a naturally occurring byproduct of our landfills," said Nixon. "I commend this innovative partnership for the benefits it will bring our economy, environment and communities."

Organic material gives off methane gas when it decomposes. Gas is captured in the landfill and used to generate electricity, heat or steam.

Methane from the Republic Services-operated Jefferson City Landfill could generate 3.2 megawatts of electricity, or enough to meet the energy demands of around 2,000 customers. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is the equivalent to removing 28,000 vehicles from Missouri roads.

Heat generated from the decomposition process in the landfill provides steam and hot water for the state-owned Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Topics: Jay Nixon
© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Energy Resources Stories
1 of 18
Iranians celebrate the qualification of  their soccer team  for 2014 World Cup
View Caption
Iranian women flash the victory sign during a street celebration in Tehran, Iran on June 18, 2013. The Iranian national soccer team defeated South Korea in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match in Ulsan, South Korea. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian .
fark
Photoshop this female's flop
James Gandolfini found de
Why Yahoo's plan to release email addresses is really, really bad
Oops. Amazon may have just accidentally revealed the location of one of the CIA's data centers
Man who threw spear at passing car looks exactly the way you think he does. With mugshot goodness...
After an unwatched stove sparks a fire that burns down a house, naturally the fire marshal blames...