Cincinnati-based Synthica Energy (Synthica) has received approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for its air quality permit, clearing the way for a new anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in San Antonio.
Labelled as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ project in the region, the facility will convert up to 250,000 tons of industrial organic waste into renewable natural gas (RNG) – or biomethane – each year.
The plant, set to break ground later this year, will use AD, a process where microorganisms break down organic material in an oxygen-free environment to produce biogas and digestate. The RNG, primarily methane, will be upgraded to meet natural gas specifications for use as a clean, low-carbon energy source.
Grant Gibson, co-founder and chief development officer at Synthica, highlighted the demand for such a facility in San Antonio, noting the city’s extensive food and beverage manufacturing industry.
“San Antonio has a lot of food and beverage manufacturing here,” Gibson told San Antonio Report. “We don’t do [composting] like the City of San Antonio … we’re complimentary to that. We focus on industrial byproducts — a lot of people call those pre-consumer products.”
Synthica is working with local manufacturers to secure contracts to handle specific organic waste streams, including byproducts from food and beverage manufacturing, damaged produce, spent yeast and expired beverages.
Despite the significant industrial activity in the area, there are currently no AD facilities within 50 miles of downtown San Antonio.
Gibson pointed out that the only existing RNG-producing facility in the area is the Tessman Road Landfill. While CPS Energy, the city’s electric utility, receives methane-based renewable energy from the Covel Gardens and Nelson Gardens landfills, Gibson said Synthica Energy has been in communication with CPS Energy regarding the new facility’s potential contribution to the region’s renewable energy capacity.
AD facilities offer both environmental and financial benefits for manufacturers. By converting organic waste into renewable natural gas, companies can reduce the cost of waste disposal while contributing to cleaner energy solutions.
“We have to upgrade it to the exact specs of natural gas,” Gibson said. “Then the benefit is that it has only trace amounts of carbon.”
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), replacing fossil fuels like diesel and gasoline with biogas can significantly reduce harmful emissions, improving local air quality.
Methane, the primary component of biogas, has a global warming potential 28 times greater than carbon dioxide, making its capture and conversion critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
While there are fewer than 1,500 AD facilities across the US, Synthica is focusing its growth in regions like San Antonio, Cincinnati and Atlanta, where demand for sustainable organic waste management is high.
The San Antonio plant will have the potential to expand its capacity by an additional 125,000 tons in the future.
Synthica is also working on projects in Houston and Dallas. The company’s flagship facility in Cincinnati broke ground last summer and is set to begin operations soon.
As of 2023, the US boasts over 2,200 biogas-producing sites, including 270 AD facilities at wastewater treatment plants and more than 660 landfill gas-to-energy projects.
However, the potential remains vast: the EPA estimates that the country could support nearly 13,500 biogas systems, which would produce enough biogas to power 3 million homes or fuel 7.5 million vehicles annually.
