RETURN TO BIOGAS EXPO

New Holland Agriculture has announced they are to return to the World Biogas Expo 2023 in Birmingham, the trade show dedicated to anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas.

The manufacturer participated in the event in 2019, focusing on the alternative fuels concept, then again in 2022 with the production of the T6 Methane Power Tractor. This year, New Holland will return to the Expo together with Bennamann, the UK-based expert in solutions to capture, repurpose and store fugitive methane emissions from manure slurry lagoons for energy use.

New Holland’s relationship with Bennamann started five years ago and recently CNH Industrial announced a further investment in the company, taking a majority stake.

New Holland will once again display the T6.180 Methane Power tractor with Electro Command transmission, which is still the only methane fuelled tractor on the market -

In conjunction with New Holland’s methane tractors - specifically the T6.180 but also the recently announced T7 Methane Power LNG prototype - Bennamann say their infrastructure can deliver a carbon negative system that fully supports a circular economy in farming.

Mark Howell, New Holland Agriculture alternative energies global product manager said, “We have been investing for a long time in biomethane and we still believe this is currently the best possible solution to provide our customers with more sustainable and efficient products for their farms. This is the reason why being at the Expo is so important to us, as a way to contribute to the better development of research on this theme and as a way to create a bigger network and awareness around the biogas technology industry.”

Commenting on their collaboration, Dr Chris Mann, Bennamann’s chairman and chief technology officer, said, “Synergies between our two companies in our commitment to clean energy and helping farmers drive down emissions are clear. CNH Industrial’s recent investment in us will help our joint aspirations to become a reality through the accelerated scale-up in the deployment of our integrated technologies worldwide, dramatically changing the environmental credentials of livestock agriculture”.

New Holland say their next step, due to the collaboration with Bennamann, will be the creation of an “Energy Independent Farm”. The company believe that utilising waste and biomass to produce fuel not only for heating and electricity generation, but also fuelling on-farm and off-farm vehicles, was once a dream but is now the future.

A spokesperson said, "With the help of this technology, farmers can use agricultural waste to produce Biomethane, then used it to fuel the tractor. It can also be a possible additional revenue stream if sold into local and national biomethane markets, or through the export of electricity to a power grid. In addition, by using biomethane, farmers can achieve a negative carbon footprint and use the by-products of biodigestion as natural fertilisers on their fields."