Osaka Gas Tests Biogas as Thai Road Fuel

Japanese utility Osaka Gas is working on a project with Thai Agriculture of Basin Company (ABC) to see if it can use biogas from vegetable matter to produce a commercially viable vehicle fuel, it said November 27.

ABC will digest organic matter at its palm oil factory to generate biogas, which Osaka Gas will then refine into methane for ABC to use in its own natural gas powered vehicles. The pilot project is scheduled to run for roughly one year, and Osaka Gas will test operate a 250 m³/hour biogas refining facility that assumes commercial deployment.

Based on the outcome of pilot testing, ABC will actively continue developing initiatives to use the biogas generated at the factory as a fuel for natural gas-powered vehicles.

Osaka gas is no stranger to the engineering, having been refining biogas since 2012 and claiming the world's highest efficiency in recovery of over 99%. Its proprietary hybrid biogas refining system which combines a CO2 separation membrane with pressure swing adsorption, a technology that selectively adsorbs and removes CO2, it said.

Since agriculture is one of Thailand's most prominent industries, there is an abundance of biomass resources. These include palm residue, the remnants of sugarcane crushed to extract juice, and food factory wastewater. 

Under its long-term business vision, "Going Forward Beyond Borders 2030," Osaka Gas has set a goal to expand its overseas energy business, and commercialise biogas refining technology.