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Did you know that 99% of the population breathes air that exceeds air quality limits and threatens their health?
With an increasing need for sustainable energy and organic waste management
solutions, renewable natural gas is a valuable solution that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while repurposing organic waste.
By providing a clean energy source while enhancing organic waste solutions, companies can reduce their environmental footprint and achieve sustainability goals, positioning themselves as leaders in sustainable innovation.
Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of RNG natural gas, where we’ll discuss how it’s produced, its various applications, and how businesses can get involved in the RNG market.
Key Takeaways
- Renewable natural gas is chemically like conventional natural gas but produced sustainably through the breakdown of organic materials such as farm waste, food waste, and wastewater treatment byproducts.
- RNG can be produced from various feedstock sources, including biogas from landfills, livestock manure, wastewater treatment, crop residues and agricultural waste, and commercial organic waste.
- RNG has diverse applications, including fueling natural gas vehicles, powering manufacturing operations, providing heating and electricity for buildings, and serving as a feedstock for renewable hydrogen production.
- Projects like the Linden NJ Digester and La Porte’s RNG facility are great examples of how companies can divert food waste from landfills, minimize methane emissions, and achieve sustainability goals.
What is Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)?
Renewable natural gas is chemically similar to conventional natural gas but produced sustainably through the breakdown of organic materials such as farm waste, food waste, and wastewater treatment byproducts. In particular, biogas from commercial food waste offers significant benefits, including landfill diversion, decreased methane emissions, and lower energy costs, making it a key contributor to RNG production.
RNG is virtually indistinguishable from fossil natural gas, meaning it can be injected into existing natural gas pipelines or used as a direct replacement for fossil gas.
As stated by the World Resources Institute, due to the potential benefits of renewable natural gas as an alternative to fossil fuels, a handful of states, including California, Washington, and Oregon, have integrated it into climate goals.
In addition to knowing what is RNG gas, companies should also recognize its role in organic waste management and sustainability.
RNG vs. Conventional Natural Gas: Key Differences
While RNG and conventional natural gas have similarities, they also have key differences that set them apart. Perhaps its biggest distinction is that RNG derives from biogas generation, with the main sources of biogas being manure, human waste, crop residues, and wastewater treatment.
However, to better understand the differences between renewable natural gas RNG and conventional natural gas, take a look at the table below.
Renewable Natural Gas Vs Convetional Natural Gas
| Renewable Natural Gas | Convetional Natural Gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Renewability | Rewnewable | non-renewable |
| Sustainability Impact | Circular Economy | Contributes to Climate Changes |
| Carbon Footprint | Carbon-neutral/Negative | High Emissions |
| Source | Organic Waste | Fossil-Based |
How is Renewable Natural Gas Produced?
There are 3 main steps involved in the production of renewable natural gas, including:
- Collection of organic waste: The EPA explains that biogas used to produce RNG comes from a variety of sources, including municipal solid waste landfills, anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants, livestock farms, food production facilities, and organic waste management operations.
- Anaerobic digestion or landfill gas capture: After collection, the next step is the anaerobic digestion of waste, a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable matter—such as food and other organic waste—in the absence of oxygen. When microorganisms decompose organic matter, they create two byproducts: biogas, a renewable energy source, and digestate, a nutrient-rich material that can be used as fertilizer.
- Removal of CO₂, water vapor, and contaminants: To transform biogas into RNG, impurities like water vapor and carbon dioxide must be removed. Removing carbon increases the methane content, making it indistinguishable from fossil fuel-based natural gas.
Feedstock Sources for RNG Production
There are different feedstock sources that can be used for RNG production, including:
- Biogas from Landfills: Biogas is produced naturally by anaerobic bacteria in municipal solid waste landfills and is called landfill gas. Some landfills have gas collection and control systems that treat biogas to produce RNG.
- Biogas from Livestock Manure: Manure serves as an alternative energy source for livestock farmers. Since mismanaged animal waste can lead to water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil degradation, converting it into RNG supports sustainable animal waste management.
- Biogas from Wastewater Treatment: Anaerobic digestion is an effective wastewater treatment solution. In fact, energy generated at U.S. wastewater treatment plants could potentially meet 12% of the national electricity demand.
- Biogas from Crop Residues & Agricultural Waste: Crop residue waste and agricultural waste are also common feedstock sources, as they help reduce the environmental, economic, and health impacts of improper waste disposal.
- Biogas from Commercial Organic Waste: Businesses that generate large quantities of organic waste—such as supermarkets, food manufacturers, restaurants, hospitals, and educational facilities—can help divert it from landfills by supplying it for RNG production.
The Role of RNG in Organic Waste Management and Sustainability
Turning waste into a renewable energy source has numerous benefits, such as supporting a circular economy and improving resource efficiency for businesses. There are various industries that can benefit from RNG adoption, including:
- Food processing companies: Food processing companies generate large quantities of food waste due to byproducts, spoilage, overproduction, and the rejection of imperfect produce. While reducing food waste in manufacturing should be a top priority, managing unavoidable waste sustainably—such as converting it into RNG natural gas—is equally important.
- Supermarkets and grocery stores: Food waste in supermarkets is a huge concern, with poor demand forecasting, overstocking, and inefficient handling all contributing to waste generation. By turning food waste to energy, companies can reduce their environmental footprint and maximize resource efficiency.
- Large-scale farms and dairy operations: Farms and dairy operations also could supply their waste for RNG production, thereby increasing waste diversion from landfills. Biomethane from dairy waste also offers a sustainable and eco-friendly energy source, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Municipalities managing organic waste: Proper management of food waste is also a high priority for many municipalities, as transforming waste into RNG renewable natural gas is a great way to support local sustainability efforts.
Applications of Renewable Natural Gas
Renewable natural gas RNG has various applications, including:
- Fuel for natural gas-powered vehicles: Powering vehicles is one of the top applications of RNG. In 2023, 79% of all on-road fuel used in natural gas vehicles was renewable natural gas.
- Manufacturing companies using RNG to power operations: Companies are increasingly using RNG natural gas as a primary source of energy for their day-to-day operations. RNG not only supports broader environmental initiatives but also serves as a reliable energy source during local power outages, enhancing both sustainability and energy security.
- Heating, cooking, and electricity: Both commercial and residential buildings can use RNG for heating, cooking, and as a fuel alternative, contributing to lower carbon emissions and greater energy efficiency.
- Feedstock for renewable hydrogen production: Renewable hydrogen can be derived from feedstocks like biomass, agricultural and food waste, wastewater, and landfill gas, making RNG a key source for clean hydrogen generation.
Benefits and Challenges of RNG
So, what are the benefits and challenges of RNG?
Let’s have a look:
Key Advantages
The key advantages of RNG production include:
- Landfill Diversion: RNG production enables companies and communities to divert waste from landfills, thereby reducing pollution, lowering methane emissions, and creating a sustainable energy source. This helps companies improve the waste diversion rate.
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Food waste in landfills generates more methane emissions than any other landfilled materials. RNG addresses this issue by capturing methane emissions and turning them into a clean energy source.
- Fuel Diversity: As mentioned, renewable natural gas can be used to fuel vehicles, thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting a circular economy.
- Economic Benefits: RNG contributed $7.2 billion to U.S. GDP in 2024, driven by job accessibility, economic output, and production capacity. In addition, various national, state, and local incentives—such as tax deductions—support its adoption.
Key Challenges
There are multiple challenges associated with RNG production, including:
- Availability: RNG is less available than conventional natural gas. A key challenge is limited feedstock availability, which can be addressed by advancing technology and adopting agricultural practices that prioritize RNG production.
- Upfront Costs & Infrastructure: While RNG can sometimes be used with existing gas pipelines, upgrading facilities—which may require new pipelines and interconnection infrastructure—can be time-consuming and costly. Government support through grants, tax incentives, and infrastructure funding can help offset these costs, making RNG adoption more feasible and widespread.
- Higher Production Costs: RNG costs more to produce than conventional gas, which is in part due to the fact that the lowest-cost RNG feedstock sources are scarcer. However, as research advances and technology improve, production efficiencies will increase, helping to lower costs over time.
How Businesses Can Get Involved in the RNG Market
While businesses can enter the RNG market by investing in production infrastructure, they can also partner with a waste management company to streamline processes and ensure compliance.
There are two projects we’d like to discuss to help you better understand how you can get involved:
- Linden NJ Digestor: The first project is the Linden NJ Digester, an organic waste anaerobic digester designed to tackle New Jersey’s growing food waste problem. Once completed, this digester is expected to manage 1,475 tons of organic waste material per day, making it the nation’s largest food waste-to-biogas facility. Our team at Shapiro has been participating in this project since 2022, with our current contract allowing us to supply up to 300 tons of organic waste per day.
- La Porte’s RNG facility: The second project is La Porte’s RNG facility, a facility that will generate biogas and inject the RNG into northern Indiana’s existing pipeline system. This facility is expected to process 200 tons of organic waste daily into renewable natural gas and other coproducts like biochar, organic fertilizer, and compost. At Shapiro, we’re excited to announce that we’re the exclusive provider of feedstock to this project.
By getting involved with projects like these, your business can divert food waste from landfills, minimize methane emissions, and achieve your sustainability goals.
The Bottom Line
RNG natural gas is an effective solution in addressing the food waste crisis and generating renewable energy.
Companies interested in turning waste into RNG should consider partnering with a company that provides comprehensive organic waste management solutions.
At Shapiro, we specialize in food waste recycling services tailored to the unique needs of your business. With our services, you can reduce waste, enhance sustainability, and improve efficiency.
Contact us today to learn more about our solutions.
Baily Ramsey, an accomplished marketing specialist, brings a unique blend of anthropological insight and marketing finesse to the digital landscape. Specializing in educational content creation, she creates content for various industries, with a particular interest in environmental initiatives.
