BioLNG: Turning Biomethane Into Transportable Renewable Fuel.
BioLNG, or liquefied biomethane, is a potential renewable fuel pathway for suitable biomethane projects supplying heavy transport, remote industry and other LNG-compatible uses. Feasibility depends on dependable gas, liquefaction energy, product quality, cryogenic storage, transport cost and contracted demand.
Assess a BioLNG opportunityWhat is BioLNG?
BioLNG is liquefied biomethane. Biogas from digestion or landfill gas is cleaned and upgraded to methane-rich biomethane, then deeply conditioned and cooled to around −162 °C so it becomes a liquid. As a liquid it can be stored in insulated tanks and trucked to customers away from a gas pipeline. At the point of use it behaves like conventional LNG, but its renewable origin and emissions need separate evidence.
- Biogas: raw gas needing characterisation and treatment.
- Biomethane: upgraded gas meeting its intended-use specification.
- BioLNG: biomethane further conditioned and liquefied.
Physical BioLNG delivery differs from renewable-gas certificates or mass-balance claims.
How BioLNG is produced and delivered
1. Resource & biogas supply
Input: Organic resources or gas from an existing digester or landfill. Process: Digestion or gas collection. Output: Raw biogas. Requirements: Reliable feedstock, gas quantity, methane content and seasonal availability. Evidence: Feedstock agreements, measured gas flow and composition over time. Supply variability limits how much liquefaction capacity can be justified.
2. Gas cleaning & upgrading
Input: Raw biogas. Process: Removal of contaminants and CO₂ with equipment suited to the gas. Output: Biomethane and a separated CO₂-rich stream. Requirements: Technology matched to gas composition and the final specification. Evidence: Gas analysis, upgrading performance data and methane-loss figures. Upgrading cost and methane recovery shape every downstream product.
3. Final conditioning
Input: Biomethane. Process: Deep removal of water, CO₂ and other components that freeze or corrode at cryogenic temperature. Output: Liquefaction-ready methane. Requirements: Tighter limits than typical pipeline specifications. Evidence: Specification sign-off from the liquefaction supplier. An extra treatment step that pipeline biomethane may not need.
4. Liquefaction
Input: Conditioned biomethane. Process: Refrigeration to roughly −162 °C, depending on process design and pressure. Output: BioLNG. Requirements: Reliable power, cooling and suitable plant scale. Evidence: Vendor energy-use data and utilisation assumptions. Liquefaction energy and capital cost are usually the main added costs.
5. Cryogenic storage & handling
Input: BioLNG. Process: Insulated tanks, loading systems and boil-off gas management. Output: Stored, loadable fuel. Requirements: Safety engineering, inventory control and boil-off handling. Evidence: Hazard assessments, approvals and boil-off management plan. Boil-off is lost or must be used; storage time has a cost.
6. Distribution
Input: Stored BioLNG. Process: Specialised cryogenic road tankers or other suitable systems. Output: Delivered fuel. Requirements: Truck access, licensed carriers and local transport rules. Evidence: Haulage quotes, routes and delivery schedule. Distance and drop size drive delivered cost per unit.
7. Customer delivery
Input: Delivered BioLNG. Process: Fuelling stations, regasification or LNG-compatible equipment. Output: Energy used by the customer. Requirements: Compatible fleet or site infrastructure. Evidence: Customer fuel specification and signed offtake terms. Without a committed buyer there is no project.
Where could Australian BioLNG be used?
Heavy-duty road transport
Potential fuel for compatible LNG-powered heavy vehicles on defined, high-use freight routes with suitable refuelling. Buyer questions: Annual fuel requirement; Route geography and refuelling access; Fleet compatibility; Price and emissions requirements.
Remote industrial energy
Potential delivered fuel for industrial users without a practical gas pipeline connection. Buyer questions: Required energy volume; Reliability and storage; Regasification needs; Cost of current fuel.
Mining & regional operations
Potential LNG-compatible uses at remote sites where a credible delivered-fuel case exists. Buyer questions: Consumption profile; Haulage distance; Site safety and storage; Equipment compatibility.
Maritime & specialised transport
Potential fuel for suitable LNG-capable vessels, subject to infrastructure, specification and certification. Buyer questions: Bunkering access; Lifecycle-emissions rules; Methane slip; Contracted demand.
Is BioLNG the right configuration for your project?
| Pathway | Main question | Equipment | Logistics | Evidence required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct biogas use | Can the gas deliver more value on site without upgrading? | Gas treatment and boiler or burner | None | On-site heat or fuel demand |
| Combined heat & power | Is local electricity and useful heat commercially better? | Gas engine and heat recovery | None | Heat demand, export terms and connection |
| Pipeline biomethane | Is a viable injection connection and customer available? | Upgrading and injection station | Pipeline | Network connection approval and offtake |
| Compressed biomethane | Can compressed transport meet distance and volume economically? | Upgrading, compression and tube trailers | Shorter-distance trucking | Route, volume and customer contract |
| BioLNG | Do scale, distance and demand justify liquefaction? | Upgrading, deep conditioning, liquefier, cryogenic storage | Longer-distance cryogenic trucking | Contracted demand, power supply and haulage plan |
| Biohydrogen | Is conversion justified by a specific customer and technical case? | Reformer, shift and purification | Specialised hydrogen transport | Purity, certification and customer contract |
What determines the commercial cost of BioLNG?
Shelby does not publish a BioLNG price. Producer cost, delivered cost and buyer price are estimated separately from project evidence.
Cost inputs
- Feedstock or biomethane input cost
- Gas cleaning and purification
- Liquefaction equipment capital cost
- Electricity and refrigeration energy
- Operating and maintenance costs
- Cryogenic storage and handling
- Methane losses and boil-off management
- Transport and loading
- Customer-side infrastructure
- Financing, insurance and compliance
Potential value
- Contracted BioLNG sales
- Avoided fuel purchases, where legitimately applicable
- Eligible renewable-gas or environmental attributes
- Qualified co-product revenue (such as BioCO₂)
- Evidenced contractual or policy support
Is BioLNG a lower-emissions fuel?
Biogenic origin alone does not establish low lifecycle emissions, and BioLNG is not described as carbon neutral.
- Feedstock sourcing and collection
- Biogas processing
- Methane leakage and slip
- Electricity and heat for upgrading and liquefaction
- Storage and transport
- Boil-off gas handling
- End-use combustion and methane slip
- The lifecycle method applied
- Renewable origin and certification eligibility
What evidence does a BioLNG project need?
- Feedstock or gas-supply security: Contracts or rights to feedstock and a measured, dependable gas supply.
- Measured composition and contaminants: Gas analysis covering methane, CO₂, sulphur, siloxanes, water and other trace components.
- Biomethane upgrading performance: Methane recovery, product purity and methane losses from the chosen upgrading technology.
- Liquefaction and cryogenic equipment: Scale, vendor, energy use and suitability for the expected gas flow.
- Power and other utilities: Electricity capacity and cost, water and other site services.
- Storage, truck loading and logistics: Tank sizing, boil-off handling, truck access and loading.
- Permits and safety engineering: Planning, environmental, dangerous goods and hazardous-area approvals.
- Customer fuel specification: The quality the customer's vehicles or equipment require.
- Delivery distance and costs: Routes, haulage quotes and drop sizes.
- Buyer or offtake commitment: Signed or negotiated demand rather than general interest.
- Lifecycle emissions and certification: A recognised lifecycle method and the right to any renewable-gas claims.
- Whole-project economics and sensitivities: Costs, revenues and how results change with key assumptions.
BioLNG questions answered
What is BioLNG?
BioLNG is liquefied biomethane. Biogas from digestion or landfill gas is cleaned and upgraded to methane-rich biomethane, then deeply conditioned and cooled to around −162 °C so it becomes a liquid. As a liquid it can be stored in insulated tanks and trucked to customers away from a gas pipeline. At the point of use it behaves like conventional LNG, but its renewable origin and emissions need separate evidence.
How is BioLNG different from biomethane?
Biomethane is upgraded gas that meets a specification for its intended use, such as pipeline injection. BioLNG is biomethane that has gone through further conditioning to remove components that freeze at cryogenic temperatures, followed by liquefaction. That adds equipment, power use and storage needs, but allows the fuel to be moved by road tanker to customers beyond the pipeline network.
How is BioLNG produced?
Production follows a chain: secure feedstock and biogas, clean and upgrade the gas to biomethane, condition it to tight cryogenic limits, liquefy it through refrigeration, store it in insulated tanks with boil-off management, and deliver it by cryogenic tanker to a compatible customer. Each step needs its own equipment, evidence and approvals, and not every project will include every step on one site.
Can an existing biogas plant produce BioLNG?
Possibly, but having a digester or upgrading unit does not by itself make liquefaction viable. An operator needs to measure surplus gas, understand the value of current electricity or heat uses that would be given up, assess extra conditioning and liquefaction equipment, confirm power, storage and truck access, and secure a buyer. Shelby's opportunity check helps frame these questions.
What is BioLNG used for in Australia?
Potential uses include compatible LNG heavy vehicles, remote industrial sites without pipeline gas, some mining and regional operations, and LNG-capable marine applications. These are potential markets rather than established, contracted demand across Australia. Each depends on equipment compatibility, refuelling or receiving infrastructure, delivered cost and the customer's emissions requirements.
Is BioLNG suitable for heavy trucks?
BioLNG can fuel trucks designed to run on LNG, because it is chemically similar to fossil LNG. Suitability depends on the fleet having compatible vehicles, access to LNG refuelling, predictable routes and enough annual fuel use to support supply. Operators should also consider engine methane slip, which affects lifecycle emissions.
How much does BioLNG cost to produce?
There is no single verified Australian price. Cost depends on gas supply cost, upgrading, liquefaction capital and power use, losses, storage, haulage distance and customer-side infrastructure. Shelby does not publish a BioLNG price; producer cost, delivered cost and buyer price should be estimated separately from project-specific evidence rather than taken from a generic figure.
Does BioLNG require a gas pipeline?
No. The main reason to liquefy biomethane is to reach customers without a pipeline connection. The trade-off is added liquefaction energy, cryogenic storage and trucking cost. Where a viable pipeline connection and buyer already exist, injecting biomethane is often simpler, so the pathway choice should follow a comparison of options.
Is BioLNG renewable or carbon neutral?
BioLNG comes from biological sources, but that alone does not make it carbon neutral or automatically lower-emissions. Lifecycle results depend on feedstock, methane leakage, power used for upgrading and liquefaction, transport, boil-off and end-use methane slip. Renewable claims also depend on certification rules and who owns the environmental attributes.
What should be assessed before developing a BioLNG facility?
Key evidence includes secure feedstock and gas supply, measured gas composition, upgrading performance, liquefaction equipment and power, storage and logistics, permits and safety engineering, customer specification, delivery costs, buyer commitment, lifecycle emissions and whole-project economics. Shelby's checklist and opportunity tools help identify which items are still missing.