The World's First LNG Tractor Is Making the Energy Independent Farm a Reality

At its Tech Day in Phoenix, Arizona, CNH Industrial debuted the world’s first LNG tractor – the New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG. This pre-production prototype brings our customers more than just performance benefits. It is the final step to completing a circular energy independent farm.

To bring this latest development to life, we partnered with Bennamann, a UK-based expert in solutions to capture and repurpose fugitive methane emissions for energy use. Their multi-patented approach prevents methane from entering the atmosphere by ultimately converting it into Liquefied Fugitive Methane (LFM) for use as a ‘better than zero carbon’ biofuel.

Methane is more than 80 times more harmful to global warming than CO₂ when measured over 20 years. So, by preventing the direct emission of methane from slurry lagoons and tanks, this solution can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of an average dairy farm. In fact, the CO₂ reduction for a 120-cow farm is potentially equivalent to around 100 western households.

It also provides new opportunities and revenue streams for farmers to monetize or repurpose their waste. These include: fuel production at a stable cost; sale of excess biomethane on the open market; generation of 100% natural fertilizer; and conversion of excess methane into electricity for export to a grid or to power the farm.

How it works: A tried-and-tested energy independent sustainable farm system sees collected livestock manure transferred to a covered slurry lagoon or tank, where the emitted fugitive methane (alongside other polluting gases) is captured, subsequently being purified and converted into liquefied methane using a processing unit. A liquification unit can simply be bolted on to an existing CNG processing unit for further flexibility – an option for farms which already produce their own biomethane.

Bennamann’s patented non-venting cryogenic storage tanks keep the methane as a liquid at -162°C. This technology enables LNG to be transported, similar to diesel, to wherever it is required, meaning farms which do not have the ability to produce LNG on-site can still benefit from its advantages, as well as enabling flexible in-field refueling during intense operational windows.

When the T7 Methane Power LNG is integrated within Bennamann’s on-farm liquid fugitive biomethane production process, it is possible for an operation’s overall carbon footprint to be ‘better than zero.’

See the infographic for a visualization of the complete process.

For further information on the T7 Methane Power LNG pre-production prototype including images, video and technical information, please visit: bit.ly/CNHI_T7_LNG_

More updates from CNH Industrial Tech Day are to follow on 3BL.

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