Dow using landfill methane to power US plant

Dalton, Georgia - Dow Chemical Co. is replacing its use of natural gas with the construction of a pipeline to take methane gas from a local landfill to its latex manufacturing site in Dalton, Georgia. The project is the result of a collaboration with local authorities and, said Dow, will meet growing demand for more sustainably produced carpet backing.

The plant is based on Lomax technology developed by Dow Emulsion Polymers, which taps the landfill gas - 50% methane/50% carbon dioxide - generated by the anaerobic decomposition of municipal solid waste, via a system of pipes and blowers and delivers the fuel to central location, the company said.

According to Dow, the Dalton plant will use around 240 billion Btu annually of methane gas. This, it claims, will enable the operation to reduce oil consumption of more than 200,000 barrels per year and geenhouse gas emissions by about 27 million pounds annually.

"In the manufacturing of our latexes, our target will be to replace nearly all the fossil fuel required to manufacture latex with methane gas that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere," commented Todd Crook, global marketing manager, Dow Carpet Latex.

In the US, carpet backing products made with Lomax technology can receive between two to five points under the renewable energy section of the new NSF 140-2007 carpet sustainability standard. The products can also meet US Green Label Plus requirements, which allows specifiers to receive one LEED point. In addition, said Dow, the technology could qualify for an additional one to four LEED points under the ID (Innovation & Design Process) category.