Bio-LNG: ideal for long haul in SA?
Bio-LNG: ideal for long haul in SA?
Whether it’s because of new legislation, changing consumer preferences or growing concern over climate change, alternative fuels are increasingly in the spotlight. But, given the wide variety of fuels available, it can be difficult to understand the pros and cons and the source of each.
As a transport owner and operator, it’s essential that one has a good overview of some of the alternatives that may overtake the conventional diesel engine in the future.
In South Africa, for instance, Volvo Trucks started running tests late last year on two Volvo liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks. These gas-powered trucks have specifically been developed for heavy regional and long-haul operations, and results and feedback on this endeavour will be available soon.
At the time, Marcus Hörberg, vice president of Volvo Group Southern Africa, said many of their customers were already working hard to reduce their environmental footprint. “There is clear potential for LNG units to be a vital part of the solution. Our vision is that trucks from Volvo will eventually have zero emissions, although the way of achieving that is not by one single solution but rather through several solutions in parallel.”
The transport industry is also slowly waking up to the potential of bio-LNG (also termed “liquefied biogas”) as a promising alternative to diesel. And rightly so. Let’s look at some of the reasons why bio-LNG might be the fuel for future long-haul transport.
An ally of the circular economy
It’s easy to see why bio-LNG is promising. Firstly, it’s a true ally of the circular economy as it can be made from feedstock like non-edible parts of grain, sewage and household waste. This means that bio-LNG doesn’t compete with the food supply – something for which biofuels have been widely criticised.
The process to make bio-LNG is relatively straightforward. In a biogas facility, various sources of feedstock are placed in a warm, oxygen-free environment and digested by bacteria. In the fermentation process complex molecules of organic matter are broken down into simpler molecules such as alcohol, CO2 or methane renewable gas which can be used for heat and power.
When biogas is purified or upgraded to natural gas quality (then mostly referred to as biomethane) it can be compressed to Bio-CNG (compressed biogas) or liquefied to bio-LNG and used in vehicles.
“Bio-LNG is a highly efficient fuel with minimal CO2 emissions, which can also be produced locally, cutting costs and transport emissions,” explains Lars Mårtensson, the environment and innovation director at Volvo Trucks.
But, despite its green credentials, bio-LNG has had a tough time gaining a major foothold in the trucking industry, mainly because of costs. “Even though biogas is made from ‘waste’ and relatively easy to produce, the cost of producing it is still higher than the cost of diesel. That is due to issues such as economies of scale and distribution costs,” says Mårtensson. “The production of biogas has traditionally been handled by municipalities at a local level. It has lacked the scale and incentives to be truly efficient, since the primary purpose most of the time has been waste treatment.”
Added to this is the fact that building biogas plants is a complicated venture with many prerequisites, including access to organic waste, ensuring the right temperatures, moisture, and type of waste to support methane-emitting bacteria. It also must produce enough gas to make the cost of the facility worthwhile. Refilling infrastructure for bio-LNG, which is sporadic in most countries, is hard to develop due to insufficient incentives.
Other alternatives
With the growing hype over electric vehicles, some attention (and investment) has been diverted from alternatives like bio-LNG. Some manufacturers, for instance, have ruled out further investments in LNG and are instead focusing on hydrogen or electric vehicles.
So does all this sound the death knell for bio-LNG? Hardly. And here is why.
A new look at waste
Thanks to the rise of the circular economy there has been a shift in attitudes – what farmers, supermarkets and municipalities previously saw as “waste” is now seen as a resource, which is increasing the supply of material needed to make biogas. Last year, German supermarket chain Lidl announced a cooperation with Gasum to produce biogas from biowaste generated at its grocery stores and use biogas-powered trucks for deliveries. (See our feature earlier this year in SHEQ Management issue 3.)
Investments driving down cost
More private actors are getting involved in biogas production and distribution, which is set to raise efficiency and reduce costs. For example, privately held Biokraft AS in Norway inaugurated the world´s largest plant to produce bio-LNG last year. Meanwhile, Finnish-Swiss biotech firm Ductor opened its first commercial-scale organic fertiliser and biogas-production facility in Mexico. And a 70 000 tonne-per-year capacity anaerobic digestion facility opened in Tyne and Wear in the UK in 2020. “This is all great news for biogas as a viable source of fuel,” notes Hörberg.
A solution fit for long-haul
While electric vehicles may have stolen biogas’s thunder in recent years, when it comes to long haul, Hörberg says bio-LNG really comes out on top. “And that is good news for countries like South Africa,” he points out.
Not only is it possible to carry large quantities of bio-LNG and ensure the necessary operating range for long-haul assignments but it’s also possible to fill up a tank in just a couple of minutes. There is also little compromise on driveability and reliability.
The Volvo FH LNG, for instance, drives and performs just like the diesel version but tank-to-wheel CO2 emissions can decrease by 100% (compared to diesel) when using bio-LNG.
Things are also moving ahead on the infrastructure front: Shell has just announced that it will extend its German LNG station network to 35 to 40 sites and supply it with bio-LNG. The company is also looking to switch its own road tanker fleet to LNG.
In contrast, electrifying long haul has been a challenge due to the current range of batteries, their weight and the relatively long time it takes to charge them.
Potential other uses
While liquefying is the most widespread use of biogas in transport, other uses are quickly emerging. One interesting scenario that is being explored is using biogas to produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. Researchers have even figured out how to convert methane to hydrogen in the fuel cell itself via a new catalyst. Though still far from being a mainstream solution, advancements like these are a great way to drive down the cost and environmental impact of hydrogen production while highlighting the bigger role biogas can play in transport.
So, will your next truck be powered by bio-LNG? Hörberg says: “Insufficient fuelling infrastructure and biogas production plants is of course a big challenge. And if you are living in a part of the world where biogas is not incentivised it can end up being an expensive choice.
“However, there is no denying that the world we live in today is demanding each person and company to consider how to reduce waste and emissions. And transport is no different.
“While bio-LNG might not be the obvious choice for many transport operators today, it will be in the future, as the technology evolves, costs go down and infrastructure grows.”
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