Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. July 2025 issue
      2. June 2025 issue
      3. Cereals event guide 2025
      4. May 2025 issue
      5. April 2025 issue
      6. March 2025 issue
      7. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      8. February 2025 issue
      9. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      10. January 2025 issue
      11. December 2024 issue
      12. November 2024 issue
      13. October 2024 issue
      14. September 2024 issue
      15. August 2024 Issue
      16. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      17. July 2024 Issue
      18. Cereals Supplement
      19. June 2024 Issue
      20. May 2024 Issue
      21. April 2024 Issue
      22. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      23. March 2024 Issue
      24. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      25. February 2024 Issue
      26. January 2024 Issue
      27. December 2023
      28. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      29. November 2023
      30. October 2023
      Featured

      July 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltJuly 9, 2025
      Recent

      July 2025 issue available now

      July 9, 2025

      Cereals event guide 2025 available now

      June 20, 2025

      June 2025 issue available now

      June 2, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Machinery

    Breakthrough in sustainable diesel production

    John SwireBy John SwireFebruary 15, 20193 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    ~ New technology could displace billions of litres of fossil fuel annually ~

    A new technology that converts biogas into a high-grade liquid fuel that can be used as a direct replacement for fossil fuels is being showcased for the first time at Alliance Dairies in Florida on February 18, 2019.  The process developed by UK-based technology company Renovare Fuels, allows biogas from waste material to be used as a direct replacement for traditional fossil fuels, with the potential to displace billions of litres of fossil fuel each year.

    During this period, Renovare Fuels will demonstrate its self-sustaining, carbon neutral process of fuel production and explain how its technology could provide a practical solution to the growing problem of greenhouse gases.The production process is carbon neutral and the entire logistics supply chain may create a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels.

    “There has been a significant push to recycle plastic and paper products over the past two decades, but we aren’t seeing the same push to reuse biodegradable waste like food-waste and agricultural materials,” explained Devin Walker, CTO at Renovare Fuels.“That leaves a lot of potential fuel sources lying in landfills. Processes like anaerobic digestion (AD) can be used to produce fuels, but the overall process hasn’t previously been particularly efficient.

    “By using a specially developed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst and advanced process engineering techniques, Renovare Fuels’ technology can efficiently turn biogas into middle distillate fuel. The feedstock is sourced locally to the site and classified as a waste product, so the production cycle is objectively carbon neutral.

    “We estimated using the greenhouse gas methodology in the EU’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) that the entire logistical supply chain, from feedstock collection to storage and refuelling, would produce only three grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of biomass. This is only three per cent of the 94 g it would be using fossil fuels.”

    The abundance of waste products means that the production of the biodiesel promises a low-cost sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Renovare Fuels believes that the fuel could be priced at under 50 pence per litre in a quantity that could reshape the energy sector.

    “In 2016, DEFRA reported that 31.8 MM tons of biodegradable waste is produced each year in the UK,” continued Walker. “Based on this figure, we estimate that our technology and the resultant fuel could displace over two billion litres of fossil fuels annually. This would lower greenhouse gas emissions by around five million tonnes per year.”

    The fuel produced using Renovare Fuels’ technology is distinct from typical biodiesel products in that it is physically and chemically similar to conventional fossil fuels. This allows it to be used in engines without requiring design modifications and also means it does not require blending with unsustainable fuels.

    Renovare Fuels’ technology was developed at the University of South Florida in conjunction with NASA and the US Department of Energy. The technology previously proved successful in converting biogas into usable diesel during a trial at a US landfill in 2017.

    In October 2018, Renovare Fuels was awarded Innovate UK support for aviation fuel testing through the Sustainable Aviation Fuel for Clean Growth programme in Sheffield.

    To witness Renovare Fuels’ breakthrough process in action, contact Renovare Fuels at info@renovare-fuels.co.uk for details of on-site demonstration invitations. For further information on the technology and the sustainable liquid fuel it produces, visit the Renovare Fuels website at www.renovare-fuels.co.uk.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleNew sheep marker sprays promise brighter, bolder, better animal identification
    Next Article Prestigious dairy farmer adopts Omnia for easier and compliant manure management
    John Swire

    Read Similar Stories

    Versatile dribble bar provides precise application

    July 9, 2025

    July 2025 issue available now

    July 9, 2025

    June tractor registrations see smaller decline

    July 7, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Polaris’ latest line-up of off-road vehicles put to the test

    July 12, 2025

    Polish factory key part of Joskin business

    July 11, 2025

    Trelleborg announces updates to ProgressiveTraction tyre range

    July 10, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.