Energy major Shell is helping German chemicals company Evonik to reduce its transport emissions by helping it to run part of its fleet on biologically sourced liquid natural gas (bio-LNG).
Shell, the maker of the Spirax transmission oil, has a network of branded refuelling stations in Europe that offer LNG, which can reduce well-to-wheel greenhouse emissions by 22% when used instead of diesel to fuel heavy transport. Bio-LNG is made by upgrading and liquefying biogas from agricultural waste, meaning that lifetime emissions are reduced by as much as 86% compared to using diesel fuel.
Speaking for Shell Commercial Road Transport, Vice President Thomas de Boer said that working with partners and customers throughout the sector is the only way that Shell can improve the sustainability of heavy transport, adding:
“The collaboration with Evonik has presented the opportunity for us to jointly help drive the defossilisation of transport within the chemical sector, delivering a positive step toward the sector’s climate targets in a commercially viable way with Bio-LNG. That is very promising and good news to the sector.”
Shell will deliver some 100 tons of Bio-LNG, enough to fuel three trucks for a year. To further support the decarbonisation of the haulage sector, Shell is in the process of constructing a new biogas liquefaction plant with the capacity to produce 100,000 metric tons of Bio-LNG each year at its Energy and Chemical Park Rhineland site. The output of this will then be offered through its entire network of LNG fuelling stations in Germany by the third quarter next year.
