Seat Cars Have Learned To Ride On Trash

Seat has launched a Life Methamorphosis pilot project to produce biomethane from household waste. Biomethane is one of the potential sources of automotive fuel that can replace fossil resources and reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

• During the recycling process, the waste is loaded into anaerobic digesters with a height of 26 meters and a volume of 4500 cubic meters each. The decomposition of household waste occurs without oxygen for 30 days. The result is biogas with 65% methane. Organic waste that does not convert to biomethane is used as fertilizer.
• According to the developers, such fuel can be used for any vehicle. It has the same chemical composition as conventional methane and is used either in pure form or mixed with methane.

• The benefits of the new fuel include 80 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than diesel vehicles. In addition, the production of biomethane will rid large cities of garbage. The inhabitants of Barcelona alone generate 2,500 tons of garbage per day, and if you recycle the annual volume of waste, then there is enough biomethane for 10,000 cars traveling 15,000 kilometers per year.

• As part of the experiment, Seat will test biomethane on four cars: three Leon hatchbacks and one Arona crossover. Every car will pass 30 thousand kilometers eachafter which the engineers will examine the condition of their engines.