New Holland fields first liquid methane tractor
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A prototype tractor is pioneering a viable future for energy-independent farms. Temperature-controlled fuel tanks combined with new technology allow it to capture methane from cow slurry and convert it into liquid biofuel
A small, 120-cow UK dairy farm in Cornwall is right at the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture, producing not only milk but also energy so green the whole farm is reaching a negative carbon footprint.
Trenance Farm, near Saltash, took part in a pilot project to capture methane from a slurry pit and turn it into liquid bio-methane that is used as a fuel. Replicated at other farms, the technology could open up the prospect of livestock farmers helping their communities — and the wider economy — become carbon neutral.
Collaborating to support the farming community
The pilot is part of a joint initiative between New Holland Agriculture, Cornwall-based clean-energy specialist Bennamann and the local council. Bennaman had spent nearly a decade developing bio-methane production and storage technologies, working closely with farmers. In 2020, the council invested £1.58 million to allow the company to apply and test its proprietary technology. It built a sealed slurry lagoon at Trenance Farm to capture escaping methane and installed technology to convert it into liquid methane. This can be stored and used to fuel the powerful machinery needed on the farm.
But that’s not all. The technology is so efficient that it produces enough fuel to generate electricity for the farm, power electric vehicles and even sell on to third parties, making the farm energy-independent.
Katie Hoare, who runs the farm with her husband Kevin, is thrilled with the results and is optimistic the pilot can be replicated elsewhere. “Environmentally, there are loads of short-term benefits. It has improved our soil health and grass growth, and long-term there will be more gains. There are quite a few other dairy farms in the area that are very similar to us. If we can make it work, anyone can,” she says.
WITH 120 COWS, THE TRENANCE HERD IS JUST ABOVE THE MINIMUM SIZE TO MAKE THE TECHNOLOGY VIABLE. CRITICALLY, THE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ALLOW FARMS TO SHARE IT, SO EVEN THOSE WITH FEWER THAN A HUNDRED COWS CAN STILL BENEFIT
Designed for small and large farms
With 120 cows, the Trenance herd is just above the minimum size to make the technology viable. According to Gilles Mayer, Head of Tractor Alternative Fuel Product Management and Telehandlers for New Holland, it takes about a hundred cows to feed the Bennamann slurry pit efficiently. A farm with about eight hundred cows ensures the technology is working at full capacity. Critically, the technology has been designed to allow farms to share it, so even those with fewer than a hundred cows can still benefit.
According to Mayer, the Bennamann solution has five key strengths. Firstly, the upgrader produces energy-dense liquid methane rather than gas, so the fuel needs up to five times less space.
This makes it easier to store, transport and use than methane gas. Secondly, the upgrader can be towed around behind a truck, making it easy to share between farms and locations.
Third, the storage facility includes space for a buffer stock to tide the farmer over when the upgrader is elsewhere. Fourthly, the tile technology used to cover the slurry pit and capture the gas is scalable, so farmers can choose the appropriate size to fit their pits.
Finally, the liquid methane works with combustion engines, giving existing technology a new, sustainable lease of life.
Left: Refuelling the T7 Methane Power LNG tractor. Right: Slurry from the 120 strong heard is captured and stored in the covered slurry pit to produce the methane.
The world’s first liquid methane tractor
As part of the pilot, New Holland developed a prototype of its T7 270-horsepower tractor, building the world’s first tractor fueled by liquid methane derived from slurry pits. Among many changes, this involved designing new tanks to store the fuel.
“Liquid methane is stored at -162°C, so we had to redesign the existing molded plastic diesel tank. Now it’s made of metal, which makes it heavier, so we also had to change how it was mounted. Liquid natural gas requires more space than diesel. Therefore more tank space is needed resulting in an additional tank,” explains Mayer.
The new tanks were designed with the help of Bennamann. Specifically, the tanks’ walls are made of two sheets of metal with a vacuum between them.
This maintains the temperature and reduces the risk of venting — gas escaping into the air as it boils off.
Another change was to equip the tractor with stepless transmission. This demanded modifications to the technology and engine-related software. “We upgraded the transmission to improve the balance towards better optimization and improved comfort in the field and on the road,” says Mayer.
Talking of comfort, the T7 methane tractor also has a new cabin — the quietest on the market — which features easy-to-read controls to allow the farmer to manage the fuel onboard efficiently.
THE 100 PERCENT NATURAL FERTILIZER BYPRODUCT REDUCES THE NEED FOR CHEMICALS, MAKING THE FARM EVEN MORE SUSTAINABLE
The T7 Methane Power LNG tractor also has a new cabin — the quietest on the market — which features easy-to-read controls to allow the farmer to manage the fuel onboard efficiently.
Financial and environmental benefits
For farmers wanting to apply the technology, the financial benefits are clear. The cost of using liquid methane to power machinery such as milking robots, for instance, and heating buildings or even the farmer’s home is far lower than traditional energy sources.
The technology also produces enough fuel to sell a surplus to other local users, creating a new, lucrative revenue stream. Cornwall Council, for example, aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has introduced low-emissions vehicles into its fleet that are partially powered by the biofuel from Trenance Farm.
Entirely natural fertilizer is a bonus byproduct. Used on the farm to improve soil quality and productivity, it helps cut costs further. The fertilizer can also be sold, adding another revenue stream.
Taken together, the technology makes the farm almost self-sufficient in energy and eliminates the logistics of ordering and taking delivery of fuel and fertilizer and disposing of slurry.
But perhaps of more significance is the benefit to the environment. The pilot showed that a 120-cow farm using the Bennamann methane-capture and conversion technology and the T7 liquid methane tractor captures around 602 metric tons of CO₂ each year. Considering additional savings of electricity production and the natural fertilizer byproduct that reduces the need for chemicals, the tractor saves the equivalent carbon emissions of about a hundred local homes.
The next stage of the project is to install the technology at more farms in Cornwall. Further down the line, commercial production of the T7 Methane Power LNG tractor is expected to begin in late 2025. “In terms of livestock agriculture, it’s by far the best-balanced solution available today,” says Mayer. “And for the environment, it’s a game-changer, breaking new ground in energy independence to keep our farmers competitive while promoting climate-friendly practices.”
Bennamann and CNH
Bennamann has been successfully researching how to capture the methane that escapes from agricultural slurry pits, and how to process and store it, for more than a decade. Its goal is to facilitate energy-independent farming. It started working with CNH in 2019, when the two companies collaborated to develop a compressed natural gas fuel tank for the T6 prototype tractor. In 2021, impressed by Bennamann’s work, CNH took a minority stake via its Ventures arm. In March 2023, the Company went further, acquiring a majority stake, underlining its commitment to alternative fuels for agriculture and cementing its leading position in this critical sector.
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