Case Study

JBS — Worthington, MN

HDPE cover and enclosed flare system for methane destruction at one of JBS's largest pork processing facilities.

31,000+ tpy

CO2e Destroyed

99.5%

Destruction Efficiency

$2.0M

Total Capex

Client

JBS USA

Location

Worthington, MN

Completed

2024

Industry

Food Processing

System Type

HDPE Geomembrane Cover with Enclosed Flare

The Challenge

Problem

JBS Worthington's open wastewater lagoon was venting approximately 31,000 tCO2e per year of methane equivalent. The facility evaluated RNG conversion but the $10-25M price tag and 5+ year timeline made it impractical. JBS needed a cost-effective methane destruction solution that could be deployed in months, not years, while generating carbon credit revenue.

Our Approach

Solution

EFI installed an HDPE geomembrane cover ($1.16M) and enclosed flare ($150K) with monitoring and O2 injection systems. Total project cost of $2.0M — a fraction of what an RNG system would require. The system was operational within 4 months of contract signing, with carbon credit verification built into the monitoring infrastructure from day one.

HDPE CoverEnclosed FlareO2 InjectionMonitoring

Outcomes

Results & Metrics

31,000+ tpy

CO2e Destroyed

99.5%

Destruction Efficiency

$2.0M

Total Capex

1.7 years

Payback

57.5%

IRR

4 months

Time to Operational

Key Outcomes

31,000-33,000 tCO2e destroyed per year
99.5% methane destruction efficiency
$2.0M total project cost (vs $10-25M for RNG)
Projected 57.5% IRR
1.7-year payback period
Operational in 4 months from contract signing

“We looked at RNG and the numbers just didn't work. EFI gave us a solution at a tenth of the cost that was operational before our next quarterly report. The carbon credit revenue was a bonus we didn't expect.”

Director of Sustainability, JBS USA

Related Work

Similar Projects

Poultry / Food Processing

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Results & Metrics

31,000+ tpy

CO2e Destroyed

99.5%

Destruction Efficiency

$2.0M

Total Capex

1.7 years

Payback

57.5%

IRR

4 months

Time to Operational

Key Outcomes

31,000-33,000 tCO2e destroyed per year
99.5% methane destruction efficiency
$2.0M total project cost (vs $10-25M for RNG)
Projected 57.5% IRR
1.7-year payback period
Operational in 4 months from contract signing

JBS — Worthington, MN

Problem

Solution

Results & Metrics

Key Outcomes

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JBS — Worthington, MN

Problem

Solution

Results & Metrics

Key Outcomes

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Have a Similar Project?