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Wärtsilä forms Biogas Solutions unit

Finnish marine and energy technology group Wärtsilä has merged its biogas upgrading technology operations with its biogas liquefaction team to form a unit that offer customers a one-stop-shop service for advanced biofuel production. The new subsidiary, Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions, offers products for biogas upgrading to biomethane and the liquefaction of biomethane into bioLNG.

The Finnish group explained that its in-house Puregas CA technology eliminates carbon from the waste cycle and thus reduces both greenhouse gas effects and the level of carbon intensity. The process used by Wärtsilä’s biogas upgrading plants recovers more than 99.9% of the biomethane present in raw biogas. The process separates the CO2 from the biogas through chemical adsorption and is highly tolerant of variations in the raw gas composition resulting from changes in the feedstock, the company said.

Wärtsilä said 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 2 directive, has directed that by 2030, member states must require fuel suppliers to supply a minimum of 14% of fuel consumption in road and rail transportation from renewable sources.

Additionally, in both Europe and the U.S., efforts are being made to de-carbonize the natural gas grid and 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. “Currently, our market share in this field is almost 60%, and we expect this to continue to grow as we further develop our capabilities,” said Arne Jakobsen, General Manager, Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions.

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.

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Teaser image source: shutterstock.com/Paul_K