BioLPG and conventional LPG are chemically identical but produced from different feedstocks. This makes bioLPG a drop-in fuel that can be blended at any rate and still be used in existing infrastructure and appliances. It means that distributors and consumers do not need to change or upgrade their equipment or appliances to switch to a renewable energy solution.

The carbon footprint of bioLPG is up to 80% lower than that of conventional LPG, dependent on the feedstock used. As bioLPG is chemically identical to conventional LPG, it carries the same low NOx, SOx and PM as conventional LPG.

BioLPG can be produced in several processes2 where it is a naturally occurring by-product. Currently the only process to produce biopropane that is operating at the commercial scale is bio-refining – the hydrogenation or hydrotreating of vegetable oils (HVO), fats and biomass-derived oils. Renewable LPG can be also produced in the power-to-x technologies (using renewable energy), anaerobic digestion, and the gasification of lignocellulosic biomass.

In the current production processes a combination of around 60% waste and residue materials and 40% renewable vegetable oils is used4. In practice, this translates to the following feedstocks, which are currently transformed to produce bioLPG, fatty acid distillate and stearin, technical corn oil, tall-oil pitch, rapeseed oil, crude palm oil, waste materials from the food processing industry, waste fat from the fish processing industry, soy oil, jatropha oil and camelina oil.

All organic feedstocks used to produce bioLPG meet strict sustainability standards. They are fully traceable, sustainable and well managed. With time, first-generation crop-based feedstocks will gradually be phased out and replaced by waste and residue materials.