Industrial giant Air Liquide of France has launched a new product to capture and reclaim methane from landfills.

Named BIOGAZ, and originally developed in the U.S., the system converts methane gas into pipeline quality energy, the company says.

Organic waste buried in landfills degrades into biogases, which comprise methane, the major constituent of natural gas. When released in the atmosphere, methane contributes to the greenhouse effect.

In the summer of 2006, a BIOGAZ system was installed at a new landfill methane recovery project near Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

“We are so pleased with the performance of the BIOGAZ system that we have already ordered two more units for projects in Western Pennsylvania. MEDAL’s BIOGAZ technology has given us a way to capture and recycle energy in an economical and environmentally friendly way that would have otherwise gone to waste or been burned in the landfill’s flare,” said Harry Crouse, Chairman of Keystone Renewable Energy, which runs the landfill project.

The additional Keystone installations are scheduled for completion late in the summer of 2007.

Each BIOGAZ system is capable of removing and reprocessing 40,000-160,000 cubic meters of landfill gases per day.

Present in 72 countries, Air Liquide is a world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has more than 36,000 employees.