This project aims to evaluate the feasibility of using waste to produce alternative fuels such as biogas, renewable natural gas (RNG), and hydrogen (H2) for transit and transportation systems in the…

The Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy awarded Houston Advance Research Center a $935,190 cooperative agreement on October 1, 2026, to evaluate the feasibility of converting waste into alternative fuels for transit and transportation systems in the Rio Grande Valley.

The recipient will analyze the technical and economic viability of installing waste-to-fuel technologies, including anaerobic digesters and modular methane pyrolysis systems, at regional wastewater treatment plants. The team will assess feasibility for producing biogas, renewable natural gas, and hydrogen to power local transit and transportation vehicles, with the goal of reducing particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides emissions while leveraging existing waste streams and land availability at treatment facilities.

The award funds work under the Renewable Energy Research and Development program (CFDA 81.087), which supports balanced, long-term research in renewable energy technologies. Performance runs through March 31, 2028, with work performed in The Woodlands, Texas.

This project aims to evaluate the feasibility of using waste to produce alternative fuels such as biogas, renewable natural gas (RNG), and hydrogen (H2) for transit and transportation systems in the RIO grande valley. This initiative aligns with regional sustainability goals and offers the benefits of reducing particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), sulfur oxides (SOX), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions and costs, promoting clean transportation, and providing resilience for regional communities by converting local waste into fuels for local transit systems. The team will analyze the feasibility and impacts of installing commercially available waste-to-fuel technologies like anaerobic digesters and modular methane pyrolysis systems, among others, at the main wastewater treatment plants (wwtps) in the area. Some wwtps have great potential to host fuel production systems due to their land availability and other synergies, such as waste availability and low differential impact from existing plant activities.