First Biomethane Plant for Landfill Gas Processing

ETW Energietechnik, has successfully commissioned Italy’s first biomethane plant designed to process landfill gas, in collaboration with their long-time Italian partner Ranieri Tonissi from Genoa. Located in Taranto, in the Apulia region, the plant is capable of processing 4,400 standard cubic meters of landfill gas per hour. It features the ETW SmartCycle® PSA biogas upgrading system, known for its ease of use, along with a downstream Nitrogen Reduction Unit (NRU).

Tailored process for landfill gas treatment

ETW’s scope of work as the general contractor includes raw gas conditioning, post-treatment of lean gas through regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO), gas flaring, and biomethane feed-in with post-compression to 25 bar. Alexander Szabo, Sales Manager at ETW Energietechnik, explains, "Our specialised treatment process with the NRU, developed for landfill gas, enables us to process landfill gas with nitrogen levels above 20% into biomethane that can be safely injected into the grid."

Challenging gas treatment demands

Landfill gas presents unique treatment challenges. It contains high concentrations of harmful trace substances like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and siloxanes. Additionally, the composition and quantity of the gas fluctuate. As a landfill matures, methane is increasingly replaced by oxygen and nitrogen, and gas volumes decline. These variations require highly adaptable treatment systems. The methane concentration in landfill gas typically ranges between 40% and 60%, with nitrogen and oxygen levels varying from 2% to 25%. The system must operate effectively across a wide capacity range, from 30% to 100%.

Efficient construction and operation

The ETW SmartCycle® PSA with NRU has been designed to handle these complexities, and the plant in Taranto has been producing biomethane reliably since its commissioning in August 2024. “We’re achieving an impressive methane recovery rate of over 95% from the landfill gas,” notes Szabo.

The facility, which consists of six standardised containers arranged in a U-shape, includes a spacious covered area for the PPE technology and NRU. Remarkably, the entire plant was constructed in just under four months, demonstrating the efficiency and effectiveness of the ETW solution.