Landfill gas a win-win for city, ethanol producer

Business Week
The Associated Press
January 25, 2010, 9:43AM ET
By DIRK LAMMERS

CHANCELLOR, S.D.

The tall flame bursting from the flare at the Sioux Falls landfill used to prompt concerned 911 calls from passing drivers.

The flare now sits cold and dark, relegated to a backup role for a system that pipes the landfill gas 11 miles south to help power a biorefinery owned by Poet LLC, the nation's top ethanol producer.

"Poet's a good customer because they're open 24-7," said landfill superintendent Dave McElroy. "They can take all the gas we have. As a matter of fact, if we could produce more, they could take more."

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