Many applications and benefits
Biogas is upgraded and liquified into Bio LNG, consisting of almost 100% methane. This gas is a renewable form of energy and liquifying the bio gas increases the valuation of the gas. Bio LNG (also known as liquefied biomethane) is ideal for manufacturing and industrial businesses with energy-intensive operations, as well as the transport industry.
- Businesses that already use LNG can easily switch to Bio LNG as there is no need to change LNG equipment to adapt to Bio LNG.
- Bio LNG will help governments meet climate action targets to reduce CO2, in the EU alone, with policies to boost production of Bio LNG tenfold by 2030.
- Likewise, Bio LNG can be mixed with LNG to confer significant CO2 emissions reductions, supplementing the existing LNG value chain.
Anaerobic digestion and “closing the loop”
By producing fuel from waste, Bio LNG contributes to the circular economy by closing the loop on household waste, industrial waste and agricultural waste.
Anaerobic digestion is the cornerstone of sustainable waste management and the recycling of organic matter into fuel. AD is a naturally-occurring biological process that transforms waste into energy: when biological matter is broken down, a gas is emitted in the process.
The waste inputs for the process include organic effluents such as sewage sludge; bio-waste; organic food waste; and agricultural by-products from farms like manure and straw.
Adding anaerobic digestion to organic waste management to produce fuel curtails greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from decomposing organic matter – when organic waste is digested in biogas plants, significant GHG emission savings is conferred:
- Emissions are diverted from landfills;
- Renewable energy production replaces fossil fuels;
- When created from waste material, biogas does not compete with the food production chain.
Upgrading Bio Gas to Bio LNG
The removal of CO2 content from biogas is called upgrading, or further purifying the gas to prepare it to be converted into a liquid. There are various methods to upgrade biogas prior to liquefaction, and all processes to upgrade biogas remove CO2 and other impurities for reuse purposes.
- Generally, upgrading costs are less than 5% of the energy of the gas itself and with smart solutions only will cost a few cents per cubic meter of bio-methane produced.
- High purity biogas has the same properties as natural gas, especially in terms of heating value, therefore, clean and upgraded biogas is ready for liquefaction in the same way that natural gas is converted to liquid for transport.
Transport of Bio LNG
Bio LNG can be transported using the existing LNG infrastructure with no further technological adaptations or additional costs. For this reason, the support of LNG infrastructure is fundamental to the future success of bio LNG.
Today, the EU alone has 53 ports where LNG bunkering is available and over 330 filling LNG stations. This number will increase exponentially in the coming years. In the case of LNG stations, it will be six times bigger, reaching 2,000 LNG stations by 2030. The use of the current infrastructure also boosts cross-border trade of Bio LNG globally.
Renewable Gas for carbon neutral mobility
Bio LNG has a much lower carbon footprint than other fossil fuels or biofuels and can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 80% compared to diesel. There are many benefits for the transport sector; with low Well-to-Wheel or Well-to-Wake (WTW) GHG emissions in production and distribution, as well as low emissions generated during the fuel combustion on the vehicles makes Bio LNG a strong accelerator to carbon neutral mobility.
Supplementing bio LNG to existing LNG value chains will significantly reduce CO2 emissions:
- Using a 40% bio LNG mix with LNG will help reduce the CO2 emissions from this heavy-duty transport by 55%;
- In the shipping sector, 50% of large container vessel orders today are LNG fuelled or ready for conversion to LNG;
- 20% of Bio LNG mix in maritime transport would reduce CO2 emissions by up to 34%.
Go Jettyless to strengthen the Bio LNG value chain
Bio LNG is a versatile, renewable fuel that will help accelerate net zero goals in the industrial and transport sectors. ECONNECT’s IQuay jettyless technology is suitable for Bio LNG transfer, allowing for seaborne transportation and enabling the value chain without having to build a time- and resource- intensive jetty. Learn more about the IQuay Jettyless terminal technology here.
