BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS: How Renewable Natural Gas Turns Environmental Liability into Clean Energy Assets

By: Sumit Majumdar, CEO of Buffalo Biodiesel & Limited Partner of Verite Capital Partners

As New York State pursues aggressive decarbonization, the answer may not lie in abandoning gas infrastructure, but in changing what flows through it.

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME: "Why are you so passionate about the environment? Why are you building an RNG plant and what the heck is RNG? How is it different, and why is it so important?"

To answer that, I have to go back to the beginning. As a lifelong environmentalist and a person living with asthma, my journey didn't start in a boardroom—it started with a simple desire to breathe clean air. Having traveled the world and choked on the smog of countless industrial cities, I became hyper-focused on carbon. I asked myself a fundamental question: What can I do to reduce my own carbon emissions right now?

Mass transit wasn't a viable option for my line of work, and cycling 50 miles a day wasn't practical. While zero emissions is the ultimate goal, electric vehicles (EVs) didn't exist at the time. So, I went after my greatest emission source: my vehicle. I traded my SUV for a Volkswagen TDI running on biodiesel made from recycled fryer grease.

The result was immediate. Carbon emissions dropped by 81%. I felt I was doing my part.

This personal victory evolved into a business mission. I began recycling cooking oil to produce biofuels, displacing diesel fuel to help others lower their footprints. But as we processed fryer oil, we were left with a byproduct: effluent and food slurry. For over a decade, we took this food slurry to incinerators or farm-based digesters.

I soon realized the limitations of the existing system. The farm digesters would typically compost the waste, or worse, flare the resulting methane—burning it off into the atmosphere. Even if they used it in electrical generators, it felt like a half-measure.

A schematic of an anaerobic digester, showing the conversion of organic waste into biogas and bio-fertilizer.

I saw a hidden danger in this energy cycle. We burn vast amounts of natural gas in our homes and businesses, producing CO2. The common refrain is to "electrify everything," but we must ask the uncomfortable question: Where does that electricity come from? Is it from the Huntley plant? Is it from burning coal or natural gas?

If we are running natural gas generators to make electricity, we are only shifting the emissions, not solving them. This is where the quiet revolution of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) begins.

The "Now" vs. The Underground

In the global race to mitigate climate change, the spotlight has largely fallen on electrification. However, a pragmatic solution exists that addresses the immediate threat of methane while utilizing our current infrastructure.

Unlike conventional natural gas, which is extracted from geological reserves deep underground, RNG is the product of the "now."

It is derived from the decomposition of organic matter—food waste, agricultural manure, and wastewater sludge—that society generates daily.

By capturing the methane released from this waste and refining it to pipeline quality, we create a carbon-negative fuel source. We don't need to dig for it; we just need to stop wasting it.

A schematic of a gas upgrading unit, showing the repurposing of the RNG and the green carbon dioxide.

The Anatomy of an RNG Plant

The technological heart of this process is the Anaerobic Digester. Unlike a landfill, which is an open environment where waste rots unpredictably, a digester is a sealed, oxygen-free tank.

Inside these tanks, microorganisms break down organic material in a controlled environment. The result is raw biogas—a mixture of roughly 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide.

This raw biogas is then passed through a sophisticated upgrading system. The system removes moisture, siloxanes, and other impurities, purifying the methane to over 99% concentration. At this stage, it is chemically identical to geological natural gas and can be injected directly into the interstate pipeline grid to heat homes, power factories, or fuel heavy-duty trucks.

The remaining carbon dioxide is easily cleaned to food grade 99.9% purity, with membrane filters making it a valuable commodity. This CO2 can be run through an attached greenhouse, creating the perfect atmosphere for massive, healthy produce. It can also be liquified or frozen to be used in carbonics, such as green dry ice or green liquid carbon dioxide for your favorite soft or hard beverages at your local bar!

The Methane Emergency

To understand the value of RNG, one must understand the enemy: methane. While carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas, methane (CH4) is the most aggressive. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), methane is over 80 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period.

Currently, vast amounts of methane leak into the atmosphere from two primary sources:

1. Fossil Fuel Operations: Through leaks in extraction and the wasteful practice of "flaring" (burning off excess gas).

2. Organic Decay: From landfills, dairy farms, and wastewater treatment plants where organic matter rots uncontrolled.

"Flaring is a double failure," energy analysts explain. "Not only are you burning a valuable resource without capturing its energy, but flares are often inefficient, releasing unburnt methane and other pollutants directly into the air."

RNG production reverses this dynamic. Instead of drilling for new carbon, it captures the "fugitive" methane from organic waste before it hits the atmosphere.

A cross-section of a landfill showing uncontrolled methane emissions and inefficient flaring.

BY THE NUMBERS: THE NEW YORK OPPORTUNITY

New York State generates a massive amount of organic waste annually. Currently, this is a liability costing taxpayers money to dispose of. RNG turns it into an asset.

• Total Organic Waste Available: 8–10 Million Tons per year statewide.

     o Includes: 2.4 million tons of NYC food scraps, upstate dairy manure, and food processing waste (cheese/yogurt whey).

• RNG Production Potential: ~44.4 Trillion Btu per year.

     o Volume: Roughly 44 Billion cubic feet of renewable natural gas.

     o Impact: This is enough energy to heat over 430,000 homes in New York State.

     o Alternative: Or, replace 320 million gallons of diesel fuel annually (enough to power every refuse truck in the state 15 times over).

A Double Environmental Win

This is where the "carbon negative" aspect of RNG comes into play. By capturing methane that would have escaped and using it to displace fossil fuels, you get a double benefit.

1. Methane Reduction:

Organic waste currently accounts for 34% of New York State's total methane emissions. Diverting this waste to digesters would effectively eliminate these fugitive emissions, cutting the state's overall methane footprint by roughly 15%—a massive single-step reduction.

2. CO2 Equivalent Reduction:

Using this RNG would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 3–4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

• Visual: That is the equivalent of taking over 850,000 cars off the road permanently.

The Landfill Kicker

Beyond the clean air and energy, there is a tangible benefit for every municipality: space. Digesting this waste, rather than dumping it, slows down the "rate of climb" on our garbage mountains by 35%. This drastically reduces the need for new landfills in our backyards.

For clean air, we need to do a few things. First, we need to reduce METHANE emissions—the giant problem. Taking organic waste and digesting it tackles the methane problem, the energy problem, and the landfill problem all at once.

It is the common sense solution for a cleaner New York.

DATA: THE CLEAR ADVANTAGE

A comparative chart illustrating the environmental benefits of an RNG system over a conventional natural gas system.

A Blueprint for the Future

What began as a decades-long dream is now crossing the finish line, evolving from a concept into a concrete reality. This facility represents more than just a renewable energy plant; it is a proof of concept for a new industrial age—one where clean air technology is happily married to agriculture and industry.

By treating "waste" not as a burden but as a resource, we are closing the loop on pollution. We are capturing methane that would otherwise heat our atmosphere, purifying water that protects our local watersheds, and creating high-quality jobs that support our community. This project demonstrates that the principles of Gaia theory—where living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings to form a self-regulating, complex system—can be applied to modern industry to solve our most pressing challenges: employment, nutritional security, and environmental stewardship.

The science is better than it has ever been, and the support from government and industry confirms that the time for this transition is now. We are not just building a plant; we are building a legacy of conservation and innovation for the next generation.

COMING NEXT WEEK: In the next installment of this series, we will move from the machinery to the greenhouse. I will take you on an in-depth dive into the agricultural breakthroughs of this system, detailing exactly how the captured CO2, nutrient-rich liquid effluent, and organic solids from the RNG digester are used to supercharge crop growth and revolutionize sustainable farming.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sumit Majumdar is a lifetime environmentalist who has served as the CEO of Buffalo Biodiesel Inc. for over 20 years. He is a regular contributor to Bloomberg Green Markets and has held positions on the boards of publicly traded companies on both the Nasdaq and Frankfurt stock exchanges in the technology and green energy sectors. He is the recipient of the Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense and has received numerous accolades for his commitment to the community and the environment, including honors from the New York State Senate.

Mr. Majumdar recently joined Verite Capital Partners as a Limited Partner. He is currently being personally mentored by Don Jones, the Chairman of Verite Capital Partners.

Outside of his leadership at Verite Capital, Don Jones is a board member of Nuvance Health and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Felician University, where he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award. Mr. Jones is also the recipient of the Catholic Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and has been a long-time advocate for community programs to elevate underserved groups and to promote ethical business practices that benefit both the community and the environment.

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BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS: How Renewable Natural Gas Turns Environmental Liability into Clean Energy Assets