Gasum biogas plants in Nordics

The annual total of around 30,000 tonnes of sewage sludge and biowaste will help to achieve an annual carbon dioxide emission reduction of up to 7,000 tonnes, which means the same as the annual emissions of more than 3,000 passenger cars. Fueled by Gasum’s renewable liquefied biogas, the trucks will help the cities to move towards their climate targets and reduce their carbon footprint significantly. The switch to biogas in transport will cut vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by up to 226 tonnes at the annual level – an amount corresponding to the annual emissions of almost 100 passenger cars. Creating more environmentally friendly permanent operating models is at the core of the cities’ strategy. The role of frontrunners in climate action includes supporting residents’ sustainable lifestyles and promoting the circular economy and carbon-neutral deliveries.

“Our cooperation with Gasum is part of our strategy to advance our climate program and act as frontrunners in climate action. At the same time, we’re promoting the circular economy as we’re able to fuel our deliveries with renewable biogas produced from biowaste and sewage sludge collected from the Uusimaa region,” says Jukka-Pekka Ujula, Mayor, City of Porvoo.

“100% renewable biogas is an alternative for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Biogas use cuts the fuel’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% and generates only a fraction of local emissions compared with conventional fuels, which improves urban and regional air quality,” says Anniina Hiltunen, Sales Manager, Biowaste, Gasum.

“It’s great that more and more actors want to switch to using environmentally friendly gas-fueled vehicles. Using gas as a fuel reduces transport emissions while at the same time providing enterprises with a competitive advantage. Demand for sustainable supply chains is growing, and responding to related customer needs promotes both business and sustainability targets,” says Juha-Matti Koskinen, Sales Manager, Heavy-Duty Transport, Gasum.

Gasum’s expanding gas filling station network opens up opportunities for actors to switch to gas in their logistics. Gasum currently has around 100 gas filling stations in the Nordic Countries, with around 30 of these serving heavy-duty vehicles. Gasum recycles an annual total of around 500,000 tonnes of biomass into biogas, a low-emission fuel for land and maritime transport as well as industry. In addition to biogas, Gasum plants produce a variety of recycled nutrients for agricultural and industrial uses.

Arla in Sweden has now together with Gasum decided to expand the current partnership that will benefit the biogas production and use in Sweden the following years. In essence, the partnership includes collecting manure in order to produce biogas and bio-fertilizer. In the end, this means more biogas to the traffic segment.

In 2019, Arla began a biogas revolution. Today they have 10 biogas trucks, with additional three new ones underway in 2021. In total, they will drive about 250 000 km per year. A mileage that would have required 1,000,000 liters of diesel. Using liquefied biogas instead of diesel will lower Arla’s emissions extensively.

One of Gasum's planned major investments in the production of liquid biogas is in Götene, where manure is intended as the primary raw material. The plant, with a production capacity of 120 GWh/a has received support via Klimatklivet, a government investment support that the government also announced on Friday to expand.

-Gasum sees the collaboration with Arla as a crucial part in realizing the potential that biogas has in Sweden. Biogas is one of the very best forms of renewable energy because it is the textbook example of circularity. The clear signals that the government is now giving are very positive for the industry, the climate and Gasum. Further planned investments in the coming years to gain access to biogas, says Johan Grön, Vice President, Biogas.

The Gasum Gas Fund supports full-time research relating to education, research and development aiming to promote the gas ecosystem. Gasum Gas Fund is one of the special funds run and administered by the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion (TES). Grants have been given out from the fund for researchers developing future solutions concerning, for example, the bioeconomy and circular economy, transport and logistics or energy solutions promoting the use of gas. For the application period and call for applications will be open at the beginning of  2022.

Grants for 2021 were given out from the Gasum Gas Fund to six researchers in Helsinki this year.

The objective of the Gas Fund is to support full-time research with full daily allowances. In addition, the Gas Fund seeks to provide long-term funding for research carried out by students. The Gasum Gas Fund is one of the special funds run and administered by the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion (TES).

Received by six persons this year, the grants from the Gasum Gas Fund in 2021 totaled €63,000 (2020: 75 000)

• Miriam Kellock: Analysis of the rate limiting steps in enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose: the effect of lignin and enzyme structure, 12 000 €
• Miika Marttila: Kasvihuonelämmitysmenetelmien ilmastonlämpenemispotentiaali boreaalisella ilmastovyöhykkeellä Väitöskirjassa: Agroekologisten ja teollisten symbioosien ympäristövaikutukset maaseutuliiketoiminnassa, Lappeenrannan-Lahden teknillinen yliopisto LUT, 5 000 €
• Sami Lieskoski: The use of energy storage to integrate renewable energy in the transition to carbon-neutrality, Åbo Akademi, 12 000 €
• Marjaana Hassani: Pientareet ja joutomaat energianlähteinä, Jyväskylän yliopisto, 24 000 €
• Hassaan Ahmad Warraich: Master's thesis: "Studies on carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol using in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and mass spectrometry", Aalto yliopisto, 5 000 €
• Danielle Bansfield: Exploiting the unexploited: improved recycling of nutrients in the reject water from biogas production into value-added products, Aalto yliopisto, 5 000 €