Press release
North America
October 17, 2018

Evonik SEPURAN® membranes successfully purify landfill gas at Enerdyne’s large-scale biomethane production site

Evonik Corporation today released the results of its first U.S. landfill biogas upgrading installation at Enerdyne’s large scale biomethane production facility at Lawrence, Kansas.

Since May, the plant has been running a membrane system to remove carbon dioxide at 1,600 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) feed flow with low (2%) methane slip. Besides desulfurization and water removal, the facility operates with a proprietary system to remove VOC’s, siloxanes, oxygen and moisture which was designed and fabricated by Advanced Biogas Systems, an affiliate of Enerdyne.

“The Evonik membranes have outperformed the older PSA technology originally installed at the site. We are proud to have achieved this milestone in partnership with Evonik,” said Steve Allman, Technical Director at Enerdyne.

Evonik’s SEPURAN® hollow-fiber membranes have the highest CO2/CH4 selectivity and are therefore superior for upgrading biogas. This exceptional selectivity enables high purity RNG with superior methane efficiency and low methane slip.

“We are pleased to see the high methane efficiency of the membrane unit which is allowing the project to achieve its financial goals,” added Chris Morley, Chief Financial Officer at Enerdyne.

“The SEPURAN® Green membranes have proven their performance in North America landfill gas operations, adding to the more than 150 biogas upgrading installations operating worldwide,” said Mimi Schaefer, Group Manager Membranes Americas at Evonik.

Dr. Simon Ting, Regional Product Line Head of Fibers, Membranes & Specialties for Americas at Evonik added: “Biogas upgrading with SEPURAN® is a strategically important growth area for the Americas region in Evonik and we have put in the resources needed to grow with the customer and market.”

The SEPURAN® product family includes membranes for upgrading biogas, nitrogen generation, helium and hydrogen recovery, and natural gas sweetening. These are produced at Evonik’s site in Schörfling (Austria). The neighboring Evonik site in Lenzing produces the high-performance polymer raw material.

Company information
Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The focus on more specialty businesses, customer-orientated innovative prowess and a trustful and performance-oriented corporate culture form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. They are the lever for profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company. Evonik benefits specifically from its customer proximity and leading market positions. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world with more than 36,000 employees. In fiscal 2017, the enterprise generated sales of €14.4 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €2.36 billion.

About Resource Efficiency
The Resource Efficiency segment is led by Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH and produces high performance materials and specialty additives for environmentally friendly as well as energy-efficient systems to the automotive, paints & coatings, adhesives, construction, and many other industries. This segment employed about 10,000 employees, and generated sales of around €5.4 billion in 2017.

About Enerdyne/Landfill group
The Landfill Group is comprised of three different operating businesses:

  • Enerdyne Power Systems - Enerdyne develops, owns, operates and consults on landfill gas to energy projects and has a national footprint with projects throughout the U.S. The current portfolio includes four operating LFG projects with various end uses, electricity, medium and high Btu.
  • Advance One Development – Advance One provides complete landfill gas to energy construction services including gas collection system construction, plant construction and equipment installation
  • Advanced Biogas Systems – Advanced Biogas Systems manufactures gas treatment equipment for the biogas industry. Its product offering includes blower/flare skids, siloxane removal, gas dehydration, hydrogen sulfide removal, oxygen removal among others. Advanced Biogas Systems built, installed and commissioned all of the equipment used at the Lawrence Kansas facility and other project across the country.

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.