07-05-2025

Cetna energy commissions MAN Energy Solutions for methanation project

Cetna Energy, an alternative-energy development and operating company, has commissioned MAN Energy Solutions to deliver the detailed engineering for a methanation plant. With a capacity of close to 1 million MMBTU (million British thermal units), the plant will generate synthetic methane. The carbon dioxide and hydrogen required for this is derived from woody biomass. The synthetic methane produced in the process is considered climate-neutral and in this case is classified as renewable natural gas (RNG). It is expected that the reactor will provide approximately 125 MMBtu, or about 2.7 tons, of RNG per hour while simultaneously consuming around 7.2 tons of CO₂.

“We at Cetna are very excited to be working with MAN Energy Solutions for our RNG plant in Brent, Alabama. MAN Energy Solutions brings to the project, not only excellent technology but unparalled experience and expertise.”, emphasises Mark L. Warner – Cetna Energy President and CEO.

Renewable natural gas from woody biomass

In Brent, Alabama, Cetna Energy's plant will produce syngas (H₂+CO) from local wood mill residues, which will then be processed into hydrogen and CO₂ in a water-gas shift reaction. MAN Energy Solutions' methanation reactor will subsequently convert these gases into RNG, and will be fed into the local gas grid.

Wagner Canelhas – Regional Sales Manager at MAN Energy Solutions, Houston – said: "We are very pleased that both MAN and Cetna are convinced about the Methanation performance and feasibility values during the basic engineering phase. This project demonstrates that MAN Energy Solutions' methanation solutions are ideally suited for biomass gasification in addition to classic Power‑to‑X applications."

Efficient technology and strong partners

Under the terms of the project, MAN Energy Solutions is responsible for the methanation package, employing an MAN DWE® SNG solution. The system achieves a very high product-quality in a single run. It features a simple, compact design with only a single reactor followed by a small quality booster stage to make the RNG compliant with US pipeline specifications. This not only reduces space requirements but also operating costs.