Landfills, dairy farms and sewage plants produce clean-burning, totally renewable methane as a waste by-product. Now, thanks to Clean Energy Fuels, that biofuel has entered the retail market. The company, backed by oil giant T. Boone Pickens, is the first commercial distributor of biogas for cars, trucks and buses. There are 35 public Clean Energy stations in California selling the fuel, which has been branded Redeem.
Redeem is derived from biogenic methane or biogas, which is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. Clean Energy captures and extracts methane gas from landfills and other waste streams, then processes and purifies it before sending it into the interstate natural gas pipeline. It is available exclusively to Clean Energy customers, including AT&T, Verizon, Mattel and Williams-Sonoma, and large fleet operators such as SuperShuttle and Hertz.
Not only is Redeem less expensive to produce than diesel, but it burns 90% cleaner and gives Clean Energy a competitive advantage with customers on price and environmental concerns. “It’s just a win all around,” said CEO Andrew Littlefair.
(via NYTimes)
Photo credit: AdStock RF/Shutterstock (via Salon)
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