From Refuse to Refueling: Linde and Waste Management discuss landfill gas to LNG plant

Companies to present project details at National Biomethane Summit

Sacramento, CA.– Construction on the world’s largest plant to convert landfill gas into clean vehicle fuel is nearing completion. As start-up approaches, joint venture partners Linde North America and Waste Management will share project details during a presentation and discussion today at the National Biomethane Summit in Sacramento, California.

Linde North America is a member of The Linde Group, one of the world’s leading gases and engineering companies; Waste Management is North America’s largest waste management company.

The companies are installing systems to purify and liquefy landfill gas, a source of renewable biomethane fuel, at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore, California. When the plant begins operating later this year, it is designed to produce up to 13,000 gallons a day of liquefied natural gas that could fuel hundreds of waste collection trucks in California.

Media are invited to attend the summit, which is being held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel. Legislators, researchers, scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders are convening to discuss the latest biomethane information, applications, success stories and technologies.

Attendees will be able to see “From Refuse to Refueling,” a multimedia presentation from Linde and Waste Management about the Altamont project, which offers a unique opportunity to “close the loop” by fueling collection trucks with clean fuel produced from garbage.

The Altamont project is one of several LNG and biomethane projects around the world in which Linde is participating, and is an industry Linde says is ripe for growth.

“Biomethane is a truly renewable and readily available green source of high quality fuel. Although it is still an emerging commodity, its economic and environmental value is rapidly being recognized,” said Bryan Luftglass, manager of Linde North America’s energy segment.

Kent Stoddard, vice president of public affairs for Waste Management’s West Group said, “Waste Management’s partnership with Linde will allow us to tap into a valuable source of clean energy while greatly reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Natural gas is already the cleanest burning fuel available for our collection trucks and the opportunity to use recovered landfill gas offers enormous environmental benefits to the communities we serve.”

Experts from Linde and Waste Management also will be on hand at the summit to discuss project details during a separate panel discussion, “Down and Dirty Case Studies and Examples of Creating Biomethane from Landfills and Dairy Farms.”

Landfill gas is produced by the breakdown of organic waste under anaerobic conditions. Once purified, biomethane can be compressed or liquefied to fuel cars and heavy transport vehicles. As a replacement for natural gas, biomethane is becoming an increasingly desirable alternative fuel — far more environmentally friendly than existing fuels — emitting up to 90 percent lower carbon dioxide and 75 percent less particulates and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere than diesel fuel.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 52,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.