• This report outlines business case for development of domestic bioLPG production in the UK
• Technologies utilising household waste, woody biomass and cooking oils have potential to deliver one million tonnes of bioLPG annually
• LGUK calls on Government backing to unlock private investment in developing domestic production facilities

Download the report here.

Developed independently by leading bioenergy experts NNFCC, the report outlines the possible supply chain routes to create a thriving bioLPG production industry here in the UK, helping to provide green fuel solution for the 2.5 million off-grid homes and millions of businesses across the UK.

One of the leading technologies with the potential to produce around 368,000 tonnes of a mixture of bioLPG and low carbon LPG, annually is the conversion of up to 3 million tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), derived from residual household and similar waste that is currently exported internationally. The RDF would be turned into bioLPG/low carbon LPG through a process of gasification. An additional source of bioLPG could come from the 14.6 million tonnes of municipal solid waste that the UK sends to landfill each year.

The NNFCC report also analysed other forms of bioLPG production from renewable sources, with woody biomass, particularly strong in Scotland, having the potential to produce 180,000 tonnes of bioLPG. Additional technologies that could be used to produce the fuel include the hydrogenation of cooking oils, one that is already operating at commercial scale, and isobutene production from existing sugar beet supply chains.

In order to develop this domestic supply chain, the report maps out existing and new facilities that will be needed. The utilisation of the six existing oil refineries located in the UK would provide an immediate and effective solution as they move towards renewable fuels, with bioLPG as a co-product from the processing. Complimenting these, the report proposes the development of wood-based bio refining in Scotland to utilise woody biomass and sawmill residues, as well as for household waste in England, to increase biofuel production for road and aviation, capturing bioLPG as a co-product.