This June 22, Lipigas announced that it will begin to develop Liquefied Natural Biogas (BioLNG), a 100% renewable and carbon-neutral fuel to be used in long-distance trucks. The objective is to continue contributing to the decarbonization of the freight transport industry based on a circular economy system, since the gas will be obtained from the processing of organic waste. It is a proven solution that already works successfully for the same purposes in countries such as Germany, Norway, France, Holland and Italy, among others.

The raw material for BioLNG will be obtained from organic material generated by the Chilean company that produces pork, Maxagro, which since 2007 has had biodigesters in which it stores and processes the waste generated by pigs, converting it into gas. This, after a filtering, compression and cooling process, will be transformed by Lipigas into a liquid state or BioLNG, which will be used as fuel in the trucks that load at the company’s service stations. Initially, it will be used by 150 Grupo San Gabriel trucks, the first in Latin America to operate with this type of energy. The system will be fully operational in 2023.

“At Lipigas we have been studying and exploring this fuel for some years. Being the first company in Chile and Latin America to develop renewable and carbon-neutral BioLNG poses a great challenge for us. What we seek is to provide efficient energy solutions that are greener options with low greenhouse emissions, so that our freight vehicle customers can reduce their carbon footprint in the short term,” said Esteban Rodríguez, manager. of Green Hydrogen and Biofuels of Lipigas Companies.

For his part, the general manager of Maxagro, Pablo Espinosa, highlighted that “for more than 15 years at Maxagro we have been developing the process of biodigestion of organic waste, convinced that value can be generated with a sustainable perspective. We are very excited about this project, which complements our commitment to the circular economy and allows us to add a new link to this chain, turning what previously seemed like waste into a carbon-neutral product that contributes to a more sustainable country.”

BioLNG is also used for trucks that currently run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its use can mean a reduction of more than 19,000 tons of CO2 per year, 96% of particulate matter emissions and 85% of greenhouse gas emissions. nitrogen oxide and sulfur, compared to oil trucks. The reduction in CO2 is equivalent to taking more than 6,000 cars off the road or planting more than 38,000 trees, to which is added the emission of up to 50% less noise and vibrations compared to diesel vehicles, so, in addition, help reduce noise pollution.

Regarding this project, Sebastián Calderón, Corporate Manager of Grupo San Gabriel explained that “at Grupo San Gabriel we set out a few years ago to work hard to develop sustainable projects in terms of sustainability. We started by incorporating into our operation the first fleet in Latin America of 35 trucks powered 100% with LNG. Now, we specify the use of BioLNG as fuel for these 150 trucks. We hope to continue adding new projects in the short term, to materialize the first green corridor that allows us to circulate from the north to Puerto Montt with a carbon neutral fleet”.

It should be noted that in recent years Lipigas has strongly innovated in its offer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to lower quality fuels for the transport industry with the construction of the first LNG service station to supply a fleet of 35 heavy-duty trucks, inaugurated in September 2021, in Linares, Maule region. Continuing with this challenge towards decarbonization, the company will soon install a second station of the same type in Tabolango, Valparaíso region, which will serve its own and third-party high-tonnage trucks. With this, Lipigas seeks to advance in the formation of a green corridor at the national level with service stations located from north to south at strategic points for long-distance freight transport. BioLNG can be used in the same trucks that currently use LNG and this type of fuel can be loaded at the same service stations that Lipigas has.

Photography: Maxagro Biodigester