Supported by the South West Regional Development Agency, GENeco, a Wessex Water-owned company, imported specialist equipment to treat gas generated at sewage treatment facility in Avonmouth to power the VW Beetle in a way that does not affect its performance.
The Bio-Bug, as it is known, needs waste from just 70 homes to be powered for the entire year, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. The vehicle is also capable of reaching a top speed of 114mph, running 5.3 miles on a cubic meter of biogas, which means that just one sewage works could save 19,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Mohammed Saddiq, GENeco’s general manager, said he was confident that methane from sewage sludge could be used as an alternative energy source and was an innovative way of powering company vehicles.
“With the surplus gas we had available we wanted to put it to good use in a sustainable and efficient way. We decided to power a vehicle on the gas offering a sustainable alternative to using fossil fuels which we so heavily rely on in the UK,” he added.
According to the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), the launch of the Bio-Bug proved that biomethane from sewage sludge could be used as an alternative fuel for vehicles.
This eco-friendly vehicle would run on trial and if successful the company plans to convert its entire fleet.
