Scania has an ambitious electrification roadmap – our goal is for half of our annual sales to be battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2030. But this alone will not be enough to achieve the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. A wide range of solutions are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, of which biomethane is one.
 

The long average lifespan of heavy-duty vehicles will require active replacement of fossil diesel and gas even in existing fleets – typically with sustainable HVO, biodiesel and biomethane. If we are to achieve a global halving of carbon dioxide emissions every decade, it is necessary to reduce real greenhouse gas emissions from source to wheel in line with the Paris Agreement.
 

A report from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), "Accelerating to zero", shows that even if we as an industry reach the target of 50% new sales for BEVs by 2030, 90% of the rolling stock will still have conventional combustion engines. These will need to be powered by non-fossil fuels, such as biomethane, to a much greater extent than today, if we are to achieve the targets.

Methane is the main component of both biogas and natural gas, but with one crucial difference:
 

Natural gas is a fossil fuel. It is extracted from the ground just like oil.

Biogas is renewable. It is made from organic waste – such as food scraps, manure or sewage sludge – through digestion. 

Almost any type. Scania’s state-of-the-art gas engine – in both 9- and 13-litre versions – is suitable for most heavy-duty applications. Biomethane is simply one of the best ways to phase out fossil fuels for both trucks and buses commercially, with the highest possible CO2 reductions for a modest investment.
 

Our new Euro 6 gas engine range offers up to 5% higher fuel efficiency compared to the previous generation. Fuel tank options are also available for both compressed gas and liquefied gas, with a range similar to that of a diesel vehicle.

Biogas provides between 50-90% CO2 reduction compared to diesel, typically in the 80% range from a well-to-wheel perspective.

LNG stands for Liquefied Natural Gas. LBG stands for Liquefied Biogas. LNG/LBG is stored at very low temperatures in liquid form, offering a higher energy density and longer range — suitable for long-haul operations.
 

CNG stands for Compressed Natural Gas. CBG stands for Compressed Biogas. CNG/CBG is stored at high pressure, ideal for shorter and regional routes.
 

Liquefied gas may sound like a contradiction, but it is gas that has been cooled to a liquid state. The temperature is minus 130-160 °C, which means that liquefied vehicle gas causes frostbite if it comes into contact with the skin.

The decomposition of organic waste – manure, sewage, food waste – produces methane. Organic waste can therefore be diverted from landfills into a biomethane process.
 

In the first stage – the anaerobic digestion plant – the waste is collected and pre-treated, and the decomposition is accelerated by beneficial bacteria. The result is a mixture of 50-60% methane, and the rest is mostly CO2. This is what we call biomethane.
 

The biomethane is purified and refined, CO2 is separated and the result is at least 97 percent methane: a vehicle fuel that we call biomethane.
 

Not only do we avoid methane leakage from landfills by removing the waste, we also get valuable by-products. For example, biofertilizer from recycled phosphorus and nitrogen, and CO2 is captured for food or industrial use. All by-products are collected to contribute to both business benefit and CO2 reduction.
 

But existing landfills will still be around for many years, leaking methane. This methane can also be captured and converted into either cooking gas – replacing wood or charcoal – or electricity via a generator. An important contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
 

Because CO2 reduction occurs in multiple parts of the entire system, this unique circular system can provide a CO2 reduction of over 100%. 

Almost everything organic, such as:
 

Sewage

• Sludge from sewage treatment plants
 

Organic solid waste from:

• Slaughterhouses/slaughterhouses

• Plantations/sugar cane

• Agriculture

• Fisheries

• Food production

• Breweries/wineries

• Animal husbandry/fertilizer

• Forestry

• Food markets
 

Landfills

• Landfill gas

Biomethane is truly a unique circular tool – a real Swiss Army knife that provides many advantages at the same time:
 

•  It is an important tool for phasing out fossil fuels for heavy trucks
•  It creates local energy security and new jobs
•  It returns nutrients to the soil, replacing fossil fertilizers
•  It improves air and water quality
•  It solves the waste problem and eliminates landfills
•  It enables very large CO2 reductions – at low cost. Most CO2 reduction in relation to money spent. In fact, it may even have negative emissions from a system perspective

This means that biomethane systems contribute to almost all of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.