Brickmaker goes live with landfill-fueled plant

Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer US
Published : 20 Nov 2006 20:07

Montgomery, AL, November 20, 2006 – Landfill gas is being used to fuel the new Jenkins Brick manufacturing facility in St. Clair County, Ala. This is Jenkins’ second plant to utilize landfill gas as a fuel.

CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, construction, and operations firm provided environmental consulting and landfill/natural gas design for this $56 million project, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 62,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

CH2M HILL was involved with the William M. Jordan, Jr. Plant from the earliest planning stages. The firm evaluated 301 landfills in the Landfill Methane Outreach Program and was able to narrow the list down to 13 sites where more detailed evaluations were conducted. Evaluations were based on a number of factors, including: natural gas availability, permitting issues, stormwater construction, site runoff, wastewater disposal, and water availability. Based on detailed evaluations the Star Ridge Landfill in Moody, Ala. was selected as the most appropriate site for the brick manufacturing facility.

“The fact that this is the world’s largest brick manufacturing facility and Jenkins’ second plant to utilize landfill gas shows their desire to be good stewards of the environment and provides an example for all manufacturing firms to follow,” said Beth Vaughan, CH2M HILL project manager. “As a firm with deep environmental roots, CH2M HILL was proud to be a part of this sustainable project.”

In addition to providing site evaluation, CH2M HILL assisted Jenkins Brick with permitting, land assessments, evaluation of landfill gas pipeline locations, and oversight for pipeline installation.

Using landfill gas will satisfy 40 percent of the plant’s initial energy needs; this percentage will increase to 100 percent over the next 10 years as the landfill grows. The result is reduced operating costs and reduced greenhouse emissions.

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