Biogas as Vehicle Fuel

Biogas as Vehicle Fuel

SUMMARY

This reports is a survey over biogas production and utilisation in the EU. The biogas is a non-fossil gas which is produced from sewage, manure, landfills or food industry waste. With those numerous and abundant origins, the potential of the European biogas production is so large that it could replace 12 to 20 % of the natural gas consumption. However, because of a high investment cost and a heavy infrastructure, only fifty percent of the biogas production is upgraded, and the natural gas replacement is very low.

This renewable energy is already used for heat and electricity production, but the best upgrading solution of this clean energy should be the injection into the natural gas grid or the production of vehicle fuel. Today, the lack of European legislation and regulation on the renewable energies is a barrier to the development of upgraded biogas. Even if European and national incentives focused on the utilisation of clean energy and renewable fuel is now being discussed, the biogas future depends very much on national concerns.

There is evidence that a good natural gas infrastructure and a favourable legislation would permit a faster biogas development and spread (this is the case for Switzerland and South of Sweden). Nevertheless it is necessary to take in consideration that biogas is worth using rather than natural gas because of its renewable sources. Despite of those obstacles, some European countries and cities have set up biogas as vehicle fuel projects. It is the case of Sweden, France, Switzerland, Iceland and Italy who started in the 90´s bus, lorries and cars biogas fleets. It is important to know that today, the development of the biogas production is more a question of marketing and industrialisation than a question of research and development.

With about 1500 vehicles and 22 biogas refuelling stations, Sweden is the most advanced country of Europe. It is followed by Switzerland who has about 600 biogas vehicles running on a mix of biogas and natural gas. At least, the cities of Lille (France, 124 vehicles), Reykjavik (Iceland, 44 vehicles) and Roma (Italy, 12 vehicles) developed viable and important biogas fleet realisations.

An analysis of those pilot biogas achievements shows incontestable positive results. From an environmental point of view, the biogas as vehicle fuel demonstrated its qualities in comparison with fossil fuels. Even if there it is not economical profit yet, all those projects are economically viable because they respect some basic rules as providing a sufficient infrastructure, producing substantial volumes through industrial solutions, proposing favourable legislation, support by politics, reaching fixed goals and being helped by European Commission and International projects.

As a conclusion to the guideline, setting up a city biogas project needs a strategic alliance between the actors of the project (politics, producers, and distributors). But it is important to have in mind the satisfaction of the consumer that passes through a good infrastructure, an attractive product and a large communication.

INTRODUCTION

The fossil resources of oil, gas and coal are not unlimited. The environmental problems caused by waste and wastewater have to be repaired and to be avoided in the future. Beside the above-mentioned problems there is to be regarded that water itself is also limited. One effective way to avoid these problems is biogas-plants; actually the biogas, which is produced by the fermentation of animal dungs, human sewage or agricultural residues, is rich in methane and has the same characteristics as the natural gas. The use of biogas as a clean fuel answers to current concerns dealing with economics, ecology and energetics:

- search on renewable energies while the fossil deposits are draining,
- reduction of the energetic dependence,
- limitation of the atmospheric pollution linked to the gas emissions,
- decrease of the smell and noise annoyances
- reduction of the green house effects.

Biogas fuels usually cause low pollution to the atmosphere and because they come from renewable energy resources, they have a great potential for future use. For the last decade the use of biogas coming from sewage collection, farms and industrial treatment has risen constantly. Nowadays biogas plants are easily available in the market, and biogas constructions have been installed all over Europe. The upgraded biogas is mainly used for heat and electricity production. However more and more projects using biogas as vehicle fuel are set up in European cities. Indeed, this vehicle fuel is the best way to upgrade waste. Nevertheless a governmental support is needed in order to make the biogas market attractive because of its high investment costs.

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