Biomethane-powered tractors breaking new ground in agriculture

By Hafsa Alami

PARIS, France (AA) - Like other sectors around the world, alternative fuels are a key focus in the global agricultural industry.

A major area of development on this front has been agricultural equipment, particularly heavy machinery such as tractors.

One such innovative technology garnered a lot of attention at a recent international event in Paris – a tractor powered primarily with biomethane, known as an incredibly clean fuel that has up to 80% less emissions than diesel.

That was the T6.180 Methane Power, a tractor produced by New Holland Agriculture, a division of Italian-American firm CNH Industrial, in partnership with UK-based firm Bennamann.

Since the first prototype was unveiled in 2013, the company has tested its biomethane-powered tractors around the world, and they are now increasingly appearing in farms across the globe.

The tractor came into being as a response to the “explosion in production costs and problems in access to energy” seen over the past few years, according to Nicolas Morel, alternative fuels product manager at CNH Industrial France.

“This tractor is a lifesaver and a guarantee of security in the long term,” he told Anadolu.

As the tractor runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), it has the same levels of power and torque as its diesel equivalent, with fuel costs cut by up to 30%, he said.

Emissions of fine particulates and nitrogen are 98% and 65% lower, respectively, making it immensely environmentally friendly.

“There are all sorts of advantages regarding energy independence, reduced pollution and an improved carbon footprint for farms,” said Morel.

Farmers can sell these carbon credits to companies, providing another way of improving their returns, he added.

Morel said the company is working on another more powerful version that will have 75% of power equal to diesel variants and the ability to “work 9 to 10 hours” on the go.