Methane is the primary component in biogas or natural gas. Methane is produced in nature by methanogens , a family of bacteria that as part of their metabolism produce methane. Methane has the chemical formale CH4.
Most of these bacteria live in shallow rivers, marshes, lakes and the oceans. But also in the istomachs of ruminants and even in the digestive systems of most higher lifeforms on Earth, like for example mammals.
Methane can burn cleaner than for example diesel or gasoline. Volvo trucks has introduced a 500hp transport truck that runs on liqified natural gas, or liquified biogas. Which is in essence of course the same product , only the means of producing methane differs.
Engines:
This is good news. But now it is waiting for the opposing piston engines to be further developed and be used in transport trucks to increase total efficiency of the biogas powered truck.
For information about (double) opposing piston engines see post# 13 and post#76 :
post# 13:
Hi all, I though it would be a good idea to place some good information here. Over the years i learned al ot about how life works form microscopic to macroscopic... The planet , the climate. How the weather changes because of all kind of events that come up in daily life all over the planet and...
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post#76 :
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Volvo trucks:
Volvo Trucks is now launching a new, stronger gas-powered truck that can run on liquified biogas. The new truck can carry out demanding, long distance transport tasks, while reducing overall CO2 emissions.
www.volvotrucks.com
Small excerpt from website text:
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Five years ago, Volvo Trucks launched its trucks that can run on liquified biogas, often called bio-LNG, which is a renewable fuel that can be produced from many types of organic waste, including food scraps. The fuel can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 100%.
“Biogas is a great complement to electric transports, helping hauliers with their sustainability ambitions and aims towards climate neutral transports,” says Daniel Bergstrand, product manager for gas-powered trucks at Volvo Trucks.
The gas-powered trucks, the Volvo FH and FM are getting a new power level of 500 hp, joining the previous 420 and 460 hp engines. The gas engines also get major technical upgrades that makes them up to 4% more fuel efficient**, which together with a new 10% larger gas tank, contributes to a longer range.
“Our efficient gas-powered trucks have a performance comparable to their diesel equivalents. Fueling up is almost as fast as a diesel truck and the growing network of more than 600 fuel stations for both bio-LNG and LNG in Europe makes them ideal for long-haul transports,” explains Daniel Bergstrand.
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No single solution can solve climate change
The strengthened gas-powered line up fits well with Volvo Trucks three-path strategic roadmap to reach zero emissions: battery electric trucks, fuel cell trucks and combustion engines that run on renewable fuels like biogas, HVO or even green hydrogen.
“Several technical solutions are needed because the availability of energy and fuel infrastructure differs greatly between countries and regions, and also because the requirements for each transport assignment can vary,” comments Daniel Bergstrand.
Massive plans to replace fossil LNG with bio-LNG in Europe
European production of bio-LNG is expected to ramp up quickly to shift away from the use of fossil LNG. The EU Commission has put forward a plan called REPower EU, where the focus is on creating greatly increased domestic production capacity for different kinds of energy. The plan is to boost annual biogas production ten times by 2030* and the sector has already started a rapid growth phase. Also outside of Europe the potential for biogas is gaining interest.
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Facts about liquified gas:
- Bio-LNG (also called LBG) is a renewable fuel that is liquid biogas (biomethane). Any organic waste can be digested to produce biogas, for example sludge from treatment plants, food waste, manure and other residual products.
- LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) is a fossil gas (methane) which is extracted from underground or undersea reserves.
- The process for liquifying biogas is the same as for LNG; the gas is cooled down to –162 °C. The fuel then takes significantly less space, which makes it possible to bring a much larger amount of energy onboard the truck, which increases the range significantly.
- The EU Commissions goal (REPower EU) is to boost annual biogas production ten times to 35 billion cubic meters by 2030*. More than 78 bio-LNG plants are already confirmed to be ready in Europe by 2024. Germany and Italy, together with the Netherlands, are expected to be the leading bio-LNG countries in the coming years.
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An efficient, renewable fuel made from food scraps and other waste products may sound too good to be true – but that is essentially what liquid biogas, or bio-LNG, is. So, why does it receive so little attention in discussions about potential alternative fuels for trucks?
www.volvotrucks.com
Small excerpt from website text:
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What is bio-LNG?
Bio-LNG is made from organic waste material, including household food waste, agricultural and industrial waste, as well as manure, sewage sludge and wastewater. Simply put, the waste material is broken down and purified to create biomethane. This is then cooled down to around -160°C, at which point it condenses and liquifies to create bio-LNG.
Bio-LNG is chemically equivalent to conventional LNG. It delivers the same performance and can be used in the same vehicles and refueling infrastructure. However, because it is made from organic waste rather than fossil natural gas, it is
renewable and carbon-neutral as a tank-to-wheel fuel source.
In fact, when the biogas is produced from manure, the production process can even
generate negative CO2 emissions of up to 200% (well-to-wheel).* This is because it not only prevents the release of carbon from burning fossil fuels, but also hinders the release of methane into the atmosphere that would ordinarily come from manure storage and processing. In other words, under this scenario, the net emissions from one gas-powered truck could cancel out the emissions from two diesel trucks.
Furthermore, because bio-LNG utilizes waste material, and the left-over digestate can be used as fertilizer, it contributes to a circular economy. It can also be produced locally, further eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from transportation.
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How does the market for bio-LNG look?
Until recently, low production and insufficient refueling networks for gas-powered trucks have limited bio-LNG’s potential. However, that is changing.
The EU aims to increase biomethane production to
35 billion cubic meters (bcm) by 2030 as part of its
REPowerEU plan. As of 2023, combined biomethane and biogas production is already
up to 22 bcm. (The EU’s total natural gas consumption
in 2023 was 295 bcm.) In the US, production of biogas has seen three years of record growth, with bio-LNG production representing
over 90% of all new projects in 2023. Meanwhile China aims to produce
20 bcm of biogas by 2030.
Currently, there are
780 LNG refueling stations in Europe today, which are fully compatible with bio-LNG as production increases. China and India are also seeing
strong growth in gas-powered trucks as an alternative to diesel, and are expected to see more extensive refueling networks in the coming years.
Which truck operations are bio-LNG best suited for?
The advantage of a gas-powered truck is that it can deliver the same range and refueling times as a conventional diesel engine. For example, Volvo Trucks’ range of gas-powered vehicles have the same power and torque as their diesel equivalents, and can reach
ranges of up to 1000 km.
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See for more background information about biologically produced methane : posts 2 ,17 and 18.
post#2:
Hi all, I though it would be a good idea to place some good information here. Over the years i learned al ot about how life works form microscopic to macroscopic... The planet , the climate. How the weather changes because of all kind of events that come up in daily life all over the planet and...
forums.anandtech.com
post#17:
Hi all, I though it would be a good idea to place some good information here. Over the years i learned al ot about how life works form microscopic to macroscopic... The planet , the climate. How the weather changes because of all kind of events that come up in daily life all over the planet and...
forums.anandtech.com
post#18:
Hi all, I though it would be a good idea to place some good information here. Over the years i learned al ot about how life works form microscopic to macroscopic... The planet , the climate. How the weather changes because of all kind of events that come up in daily life all over the planet and...
forums.anandtech.com
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