In Cestas, near Bordeaux, France-headed global industrial gas major Air Liquide SA has inaugurated a biomethane production unit and a multi-energy distribution station as part of its clean mobility offer for the French road freight transport sector. By replacing fossil fuel with biomethane, the Group says that it is committed to a circular economy approach serving the energy transition.
Located at a farm waste biogas plant, the biomethane unit is operated by Air Liquide and the biomethane is injected into the gas grid which supplies a new multi-energy station that distributes bio-NGV (Natural Gas for Vehicles).
Accessible to hauliers, the multi-energy station is open 24/7 and can refuel up to 100 trucks daily. By the end of 2018, the station will also supply liquid nitrogen for trucks equipped with cryogenic coolers used for the refrigerated transport of food products, without emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) or particulate matter (PM). Combined with bio-NGV, the liquid nitrogen silent solution, known as “Air Liquide blueeze”, offers a real advantage for urban and suburban deliveries, particularly those that occur at night.
According to Air Liquide, bio-NGV reduces emissions of PM by up to 85 percent, CO2 by up to 90 percent, and noise pollution by up to 50 percent compared to fossil diesel. The company is developing technologies and expertise that cover the entire biomethane value chain and currently operates a total of 10 biomethane production units worldwide and more than 60 bio-NGV stations around the world.
The Cestas biomethane production unit, coupled with a multi-energy distribution station, illustrates the strong growth of the new energy transition markets, notably in France. The company says that it is an example of a circular economy that revolves around the biogas recovery chain while it demonstrates its “commitment to the deployment of clean transportation solutions in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve air quality”.
