Synthica Energy receives air quality permit for San Antonio AD facility

Synthica Energy, a Cincinnati-based developer of waste-to-energy (WTE) anaerobic digestion facilities, has received an air quality permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for its new facility in San Antonio.

The new facility is projected to divert up to 250,000 tons of industrial organic waste each year when completed. The permit paves the way for Synthica to break ground at the site in the third quarter of 2024.

Synthica is currently working with manufacturers across Greater San Antonio on contracts to handle their organic waste feedstocks, including food and beverage manufacturing byproducts, expired or damaged produce, spent yeast, expired beer and other depackaged beverage products.

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“Demand for a facility like this is significant across the San Antonio region,” says Grant Gibson, co-founder and chief development officer at Synthica. “Despite being home to hundreds of manufacturers, there are currently no anaerobic digestion plants within 50 miles of downtown San Antonio. That means operating a food and beverage manufacturing plant in this region is more expensive than other markets because of the increased cost of hauling away and disposing of byproducts. Combine that cost savings with the environmental impact of anaerobic digestion and the new production of RNG [renewable natural gas], and this solution is a win for manufacturers, for the Bexar County community and for the environment.”

Synthica has already broken ground on its flagship location in Cincinnati and is developing similar facilities in other markets, including Houston, Atlanta and Louisville.