The first U.S. industrial scale renewable natural gas facility using agricultural residues as its feedstock began production Tuesday in Nevada, Iowa.

VERBIO AG, the German parent company, purchased the former DuPont Cellulosic ethanol plant in late 2018. With the commissioning of the Nevada plant, VERBIO will produce seven million ethanol gallons equivalent (EGE) of RNG with the completion of Phase I; upon completion of Phase II in the 4th quarter of 2022, the site will begin operating as a biorefinery, producing 19 million (EGE) of RNG and 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol. The integration of RNG and ethanol production incorporates advanced operational technology as currently practiced at the company’s facilities in Germany.