Since the beginning of 2018, Air Liquide has commissioned three new biomethane production units, in the United States, in France and in the United Kingdom. This has doubled the company’s biomethane production capacity which now stands at 60 MW, the equivalent of 500 GWh for a full year of production. Used as fuel in vehicles, renewable natural gas or biomethane is also called bio-NGV.
Over the course of the last four years, the Group has decided around EUR 100 million (USD 123 million) in investments in biomethane production. Today, the Group operates 10 production units around the world, designed to purify biogas in order to transform it into biomethane and inject it into the natural gas network.
The three new biomethane production units commissioned by Air Liquide are located in the United States (Walnut, Mississippi), in France (Cestas, near Bordeaux), and in the United Kingdom (Northwick, near Birmingham).
The new biomethane production unit in the United States is located in the Northeast Mississippi Landfill (NEML) site. This is the first large-scale unit built by Air Liquide in the United States. It purifies the biogas that results from household waste treatment sites and transforms it into biomethane.
In Europe, the units purify the biogas from farm waste and transform it into biomethane, part of which is used for trucks fueled by bio-NGV (Natural Gas for Vehicles), a clean non-fossil fuel with no fine particulates emissions.
Air Liquide has developed technologies and expertise that cover the entire biomethane value chain: the purification of biogas for its transformation into biomethane, injection into the natural gas networks in collaboration with local players, liquefaction, distribution for clean vehicle fleets fueled by bio-NGV.
François Darchis, Senior Vice President, member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee supervising innovation, commented: “The commissioning of these new biomethane production units, whether in the United States or in Europe, illustrates the strong growth in new markets related to the energy transition. In transforming the biogas produced by waste into biomethane using its patented separation and purification technologies, Air Liquide contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.”
Biogas purification technology is based on the use of patented polymer membranes manufactured by Air Liquide.
Source: Air Liquide
