French PM and Ecology Minister visit SIAAP’s WWTP

During their first trip, Edouard Philippe and Nicolas Hulot decided to visit BioGNVal, a project which addresses the challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, while helping create a new industrial sector and associated jobs. At the Valenton water treatment plant, SUEZ produces biogas, a mixture of methane and CO₂, from wastewater. From this biogas, Cryo Pur’s industrial demonstrator makes liquid biomethane (bio-LNG), a renewable fuel produced locally from waste. Bio-LNG reduces emissions of greenhouse gases by 90% compared to diesel, emits no fine particles and reduces by 80% the emissions of nitrogen oxides. This fuel is one of the solutions to be developed rapidly in order to implement the energy transition in the transport sector.

"The BioGNVal project in Valenton, designed by a small company, Cryo Pur, in partnership with a large corporation, SUEZ, illustrates the French inventiveness and innovation," said the Prime Minister during his visit.

Bio-LNG carries two major benefits for the development of the biomethane sector. It is an already available alternative to diesel: for road transport operated by heavy trucks, bio-LNG provides a range of 1500 km, compared with 700 km for compressed gas. Moreover, the bio-LNG solution allows many agricultural biogas projects far from the natural gas grids to produce and transport biomethane easily.

Besides its recognition as a first of its kind in France, and thanks to its innovative technology, the BioGNVal project attracted visits of potential customers from all over Europe, illustrating the growing interest for bio-LNG internationally.

The experience of countries such as Sweden, Italy and Germany have already pointed to the production of biomethane for the transport sector as being the preferred option for extracting value out of organic waste and biogas. On top of this, bio-LNG is emerging as the solution of choice to overcome the lack of gas grids, similar to Scandinavia, and to serve the market of refuelling LNG-powered trucks, which is developing fast across Western Europe, with the adoption of new trucks and the installation of new LNG and LCNG stations.

From the UK and the Netherlands to Italy, a number of countries have put or are putting in place important regulations to support and accelerate the development of this waste-based, locally-produced clean fuel.

The BioGNVal project, co-financed by the French Environment Agency (ADEME) and coordinated by SUEZ, enabled Cryo Pur to design and build an industrial demonstrator producing liquid biomethane (bio-LNG) from biogas from a waste water treatment plant. The project included the demonstration of all technological bricks in the industrial value chain from waste to road fuel, with the participation of GNVert (ENGIE group), specialist in CNG and LNG fuel stations, and IVECO, the leading LNG truck maker.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/25052017/french-pm-and-ecology-minister-visit-siaaps-wwtp/