Metalplan was one of the key players in setting up the world's first biogas micro-biorefinery (for upgrading to biomethane), which opened in April 2023. Our specialists designed and built this milestone in an era of sustainability and energy efficiency in the vast Brazilian territory, to the specifications of Air Liquide, a global leader in industrial and medical gases.

The innovation has made a pig farm in Mato Grosso do Sul energy self-sufficient. The fuel used in tractors, trucks, machinery and electricity generation comes from biogas, a renewable energy source generated by the decomposition of organic matter, such as agricultural waste, food waste and sewage.

But how does the Integrated Biogas Compression & Purification/Upgradind Station work?

The biogas supplied by the biodigester is pre-treated, free of moisture and H₂S, and compressed to a pressure of up to 20 bar. It can then be used to generate electricity or purified/upgraded into biomethane by separating carbon dioxide and methane, the main components of biogas.

The biomethane resulting from this process, compressed to a pressure of up to 300 bar, is transported by tanker truck to supply industry, or stored in cylinders to supply vehicles and agricultural implements. Also known as renewable natural gas (RNG), biomethane is a clean fuel that can be incorporated into the existing natural gas infrastructure.

The project was completed in 42 months. The launch was attended by major media outlets such as Globo Rural and Forbes. The audience was amazed by the real-time transformation of farm waste into the biomethane fuel used in New Holland's brand new T6 Methane Power tractor.

In Brazil, with its rich agro-industrial base and profusion of landfills, the energy potential of biogas is the greatest in the world: 43.2 billion m³/year, including waste from the sugar-energy sector (48.9%), animal protein (29.8%), agricultural production (15.3%) and sanitation (6%).