Transpacific scores first “waste to fuel” project for New Zealand

An Auckland waste management company has converted gas from a landfill site into vehicle fuel, a first for New Zealand. Transpacific Industries is running one of its rubbish trucks on the gas, which is produced entirely from methane at one of the company’s dumps. Tom Nickels, Transpacific’s managing director, says Redvale Energy Park has the potential to produce the equivalent of 54 million liters of diesel fuel each year. At least 5% of New Zealand’s current transport fuel needs could be met with biogas from municipal and rural waste, the company said. The Redvale Biogas Project is a collaborative effort between Transpacific Industries, Greenlane Biogas, NIWA and DieselGas International Ltd. Greenlane Biogas has provided a biogas upgrading plant for installation at the Redvale site, NIWA has provided biogas expertise as well as a gas compressor and DieselGas has developed and provided a dual fuel waste collection truck which operates on the biogas fuel being produced at the site. (November 25, 2010)