WASHINGTON, LA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/06/13 -- St. Landry Solid Waste Disposal District, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana has received the federal Environmental Protection Agency's 2012 LMOP Project of the Year Award for its efforts to fuel Parish vehicles with cheaper, cleaner-burning compressed natural gas (CNG), executive director Katry Martin announced today in a joint release with BioCNG, LLC, one of the private companies that partnered with the Parish.

The District and its partners accepted the federal Environmental Protection Agency's 2012 Project of the Year Award for the St. Landry Parish as part of the agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP).

"On behalf of the District, I am proud to have received this prestigious award," said Martin. "We evaluated all the potential beneficial uses for the landfill gas collected at the St. Landry Parish Landfill and determined that the biogas-to-vehicle fuel project was the most economical alternative. We are extremely pleased that the efforts of the District and its partners have been recognized."

The fuel is used for Sheriff's Department cars, light duty trucks and a light duty van, and the solid waste district's utility trucks. As part of the project, the Sheriff's Department committed to converting twelve of its vehicles to bi-fuel capability, and added a passenger van fueled solely on CNG. The District's system can produce 250 gallons of gasoline equivalent (GGE) of CNG per day from 50 scfm of biogas containing 55 to 58 percent methane. This can be expanded by adding multiple units if necessary.

In 2011, the District partnered with several private companies that specialize in turning landfill gas into CNG, including BioCNG, LLC, GT Environmental Finance, LLC, Aucoin and Associates, and Franklin and Associates. Unison Solutions, Inc. manufactured the BioCNG unit. Together the partners implemented the BioCNG system, enabling the District to produce CNG fuel at less than half the cost of gasoline. The unit began operating in March 2012, and the District has since hosted hundreds of groups and individuals interested in implementing similar systems.

"The BioCNG technology is truly advancing the waste management industry by providing a new, clean fuel source at a significantly reduced price for municipalities and industries alike," said Michael S. Michels, PE, vice president of BioCNG, LLC. The company also participated in the team that received a 2011 LMOP Project of the Year Award for Dane County, Wisconsin's Rodefeld Landfill BioCNG Vehicle Fuel Project.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2221985
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2221988