Food waste destined for bus fuel in Norway

A biogas liquefaction plant has opened in Oslo, which will convert household food waste into biomethane for use as renewable fuel for the city's buses.

The facility, which was built by gas handling and liquefaction technology developer Wärtsilä and opened on 12 February, is operated by biowaste treatment company Cambi on behalf of Waste-to-Energy Agency (EGE) and the city of Oslo. EGE produces environmentally friendly energy from waste and is under the supervision of the City of Oslo's Department of Environmental Affairs and Transport.

When fully operable the plant will be able to treat 50,000 tonnes a year of food waste to produce around 14,000 Nm3 per day of biomethane. This is enough to fuel 135 buses. The new facility's liquefaction plant design uses conventional components in a mixed refrigeration process. The technology is scalable upwards to a capacity of at least 60 tonnes daily.

'This plant will mean that 135 Oslo region buses will be able to run on biogas. As a result, CO2 emissions will be reduced by some 10,000 tonnes a year and particle emissions will also be lowered. The air will be cleaner and noise levels will be reduced,' says Jannicke Gerner Bjerkås, director of communications for EGE.

'There is huge potential for the use of liquefied biogas from renewable energy sources as fuel for trucks and buses, and this project is an important step forward in developing this market,' explains Tore Lunde, MD of Wärtsilä Oil and Gas Systems. 'This same technology can also be used in small liquefaction projects with other sources of gas as well.'