Wärtsilä forms Biogas Solutions unit to speed up adoption of clean fuels
The technology group Wärtsilä further strengthens its commitment to environmental sustainability with the formation of Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions, the company said in its release. Wärtsilä Puregas Solutions, specialists in biogas upgrading technology, is now merged with Wärtsilä’s biogas liquefaction team, a unit with expert capabilities in liquefying upgraded biogas for end-customer use. Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions will now be better able to offer customers a one-stop-shop service for advanced biofuel production.
The market for advanced biofuels is growing in line with efforts regarding the reduction of fossil fuels. The European Union, for example, under its RED II directive, has directed that by 2030, member states must require fuel suppliers to supply a minimum of 14 percent of fuel consumption in road and rail transportation from renewable sources. Additionally, in both Europe and the USA, efforts are being made to de-carbonise the natural gas grid. Wärtsilä’s biogas technology supports this trend by removing carbon from the waste cycle, thereby lowering greenhouse gas effects and reducing the level of carbon intensity. Furthermore, fossil driven natural gas grids may see an expansion towards transporting bio-related gases, such as biomethane or even synthetic methane, in the near future.
Wärtsilä has earlier provided the turnkey installation for the world’s largest bioLNG facility located in Skogn, Norway and will, by the end of the year, deliver two more bio-LNG plants to customers in Scandinavia. Interest from both the European and North American markets is high, and Wärtsilä anticipates continued strong growth in this sector.
Wärtsilä’s biogas upgrading plants utilise its in-house Puregas CA technology, a process that recovers more than 99.9 percent of the biomethane present in raw biogas. The process separates the CO2 from the biogas through chemical adsorption. The process is highly tolerant of variations in the raw gas composition resulting from changes in the feedstock.
The benefits of Wärtsilä’s in-house developments and offering are considerable. They include the ability to deliver turnkey solutions, easy integration of all systems, a single point of contact throughout the project lifetime, fast delivery time, and full technical and service support.
Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions supports the company’s vision for a 100 percent renewables future. The energy sector is undergoing a transformation towards the integration of increasing levels of power from renewable sources, and Wärtsilä’s development activities are focused on providing flexible solutions that speed and enable this transformation.