Air Liquide to launch biomethane plant in China

(Photo: Air Liquide.)

Air Liquide announced it will operate its first biomethane production plant in China by the end of the year. Located in Huai’an City, in Jiangsu Province, the unit will have a production capacity of 75 GWh annually.

This new unit will produce biogas from agricultural and livestock waste coming from local farms and purify it into biomethane. With a total production capacity of 75 GWh/y, the unit will inject the biomethane into the city gas grid to be used for household consumption and also generate electricity for its own consumption and injection into the electrical grid, Air Liquide said.

The digestate, a byproduct material resulting from the biogas production, will be processed to produce bio-fertilizers. These bio-fertilizers will be used in the local agriculture, which, besides food products, will also generate some waste that will be processed in this unit to produce biomethane.

Biomethane has a high potential in China because the Chinese government supports projects that reuse waste products as part of its financial plans for the development of rural regions. Air Liquide now has 21 biomethane operational production units in the world for a yearly production capacity of about 1.4 TWh, the company said.

“We are pleased to start this first biomethane project in China, a dynamic market, and to continue expanding this activity with our partners in key countries,” said Emilie Mouren-Renouard, a member of the Air Liquide executive committee. “Biomethane follows a circular economy approach and contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions, thus to the development of a low-carbon society.”