Creating biomethane from manure and other farming and food waste to fuel trucks is an effective way of reducing transport’s carbon footprint. However, as with many sustainable fuels, scaling up production and increasing availability can be a problem.
One of Europe’s leading biomethane suppliers believes it can significantly increase its output following its acquisition of a company it says has a unique way of capturing naturally occurring carbon dioxide in biogas and converting it to green methane.
CycleO is a UK company that supplies shipping container-sized plants that turn manure and other bio waste into natural gas that can be used in the grid or in the transport and maritime sectors. It aims to operate 50 sites across Europe by 2028.
It has bought Biogasclean, a Danish business that, according to CycleO, is one of a few across the world specialising in biological e-fuel production. CycleO adds that the ability to capture carbon dioxide and turn it to e-methane increases the efficiency of biomethane sites.
CycleO describes the acquisition as a “giant leap” for the biomethane sector. “We look forward to deploying [Biogasclean’s] patented biocatalyst technologies to produce more carbon-negative fuels for the hard-to-electrify energy, heat, transport, and industrial sectors,” says Laurence Molke, CEO of CycleO.
Niels Holst Jensen, CEO of Biogasclean, adds: “The combination of CycleØ and Biogasclean is uniquely positioned to reduce methane emissions and capture CO2 from the atmosphere, at scale.”
Terms of the deal, which was partly funded by private equity investment firm Ara Partners, are not being disclosed.
Because they recycle carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, so-called green gases such as biomethane can play a key role in replacing fossil fuels and reducing global carbon emissions.
