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For Immediate Release 13 March, 2006
QuestAir demonstration plant at City of Vancouver Landfill
recovers methane from landfill gas
VANCOUVER, B.C. – QuestAir Technologies Inc. (AIM: QAR; TSX: QAR) and the
City of Vancouver announced today that a demonstration project at the Vancouver
Landfill Site has begun upgrading landfill gas to methane suitable for injection into the
natural gas distribution system or for use as a transportation fuel.
Jonathan Wilkinson, President and CEO of QuestAir, said that the demonstration plant
will help the company market its commercially available M-3100 landfill gas (“LFG”)
upgrading system to municipal landfills around the world.
“Oil and natural gas prices are at record levels and are likely to stay high for the
foreseeable future. These prices improve the economics of upgrading LFG to a high value
fuel that can supplement existing supplies of natural gas.”
“In addition, purified methane recovered from LFG can also be used to fuel the waste
disposal trucks servicing municipal landfills, reducing both operating costs and the
greenhouse gas emissions of waste collection fleets,” Wilkinson said.
Paul Henderson, the City of Vancouver’s Manager of Transfer & Landfill Operations,
said the joint demonstration project is an opportunity for the City of Vancouver to
participate in innovative work that can help extend the use of landfill gas as a fuel source
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Vancouver is among the leading municipalities embracing sustainability objectives. The
Vancouver Landfill is a model facility demonstrating sustainable disposal of the fraction
of solid waste that is not recycled or otherwise removed from the waste stream,” Henderson said.
“QuestAir’s plant demonstrates an alternative to existing uses of landfill gas — and is
likely to be seen by other municipalities and landfill operators throughout North America
and Europe as a new technology to add economic value to their LFG projects,” Henderson said.
The Vancouver Landfill Site, owned and operated by the City of Vancouver and located
in the Municipality of Delta, serves approximately 940,000 residents in the Greater
Vancouver region. A system to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and local air
pollutants from the landfill site by collecting and burning LFG was installed in 1991 and
expanded in 2001. In 2003 the City began utilizing a portion of the LFG generated at the
site for commercial purposes. Maxim Power Corporation currently uses LFG from the
site to generate electricity for sale to the local electrical utility B.C. Hydro and hot water
to heat a nearby greenhouse operation owned Hot House Growers Inc.
The QuestAir demonstration plant upgrades up to 317,000 cubic feet of LFG per day,
producing sufficient purified methane to heat approximately 470 suburban homes.
Energy Recovery from Landfill Gas
- LFG is produced by the decomposition of organic waste at municipal landfills. LFG typically contains between 40 and 55 percent methane, with the balance primarily carbon dioxide, plus minor amounts of nitrogen and other non-methane organic compounds.
- More than 1,000 landfills in Canada, the United States and Europe capture energy from LFG by burning it to generate electricity or to heat buildings. To date, only a handful of landfills in the US and the Netherlands pursue a higher- value use for LFG by upgrading it into high-purity methane. QuestAir’s M-3100 pressure swing adsorption (“PSA”) system offers landfills a cost-effective means of upgrading LFG into high-pur ity methane suitable for injection into natural gas distribution networks or for the production of transportation fuels, such as compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas.
- In the United States, there are approximately 2,200 landfills. Approximately 450 of these landfills have operating energy projects, most generating electricity and/or heat through the combustion of LFG. These projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 61.3 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year—roughly equal to removing the carbon dioxide emissions of 11.8 million passenger vehicles. The U.S. Government’s Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are an additional 600 landfills suitable for LFG projects that can recover energy and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
- In Europe, including the United Kingdom, there are more than 700 landfills that recover energy from LFG, with Germany, Italy and the UK having the largest number of installed LFG plants. As in the US, electricity generation is currently the most common method of energy recovery from LFG in Europe.
- In Canada, 16 landfills currently recover energy from LFG, with nine projects
generating electricity and seven projects generating heat for industrial or agricultural uses. These projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year—equal to removing the carbon dioxide emissions of about 723,000 passenger vehicles.
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About the QuestAir M-3100
QuestAir’s M-3100 PSA product upgrades metha ne-containing gas streams to high-purity
methane, suitable for supplementing existing natural gas supplies. QuestAir’s M-3100
system can upgrade up to 9.0 million cubic feet of LFG per day, producing sufficient
purified methane to heat approximately 13,400 homes.
QuestAir’s proprietary PSA technology was originally developed to purify hydrogen for
industrial markets, such as oil refineries, and for fuel cell markets. QuestAir’s PSA
process and proprietary rotary valve technology deliver higher efficiency than
conventional PSA systems in a more compact, cost-effective package. QuestAir has sold
more than 60 PSA systems since 1997 to customers in North America, Asia and Europe.
About QuestAir Technologies Inc.
QuestAir Technologies, Inc. is a developer and supplier of proprietary gas purification
systems for several large international markets, including existing markets such as oil
refining, biogas production and natural gas processing, and emerging markets such as
fuel cell power plants and fuel cell vehicle refuelling stations. The Company has joint
development agreements with Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Company and
Shell Hydrogen, and a collaboration with FuelCell Energy. QuestAir is based in Burnaby,
British Columbia and its shares trade on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange
Plc. and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “QAR”.
Certain statements in this press release may constitute ‘‘forward-looking’’ statements
which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may
cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry
results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this press
release, such statements use such words as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘will’’ and other similar terminology. These statements
reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak
only as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements involve significant
risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results,
and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be
achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the
results discussed in the forward- looking statements.
For further information, please contact:
QuestAir Technologies Inc.
Andrew Hall
Director, Corporate Development and External Communications
Phone: (001) 604-453-6967
Email: hall@questairinc.com
Web: www.questairinc.com
UK media contact:
Charles Ryland
Ben Willey
Eleanor Williamson
Buchanan Communications
Phone: 020 7466 5000
Canadian media contact:
Terry Foster
James Hoggan & Associates
Phone: (001) 604-739-7500 |
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