How climate-neutral agriculture works

With green energy on the field: The innovative farm of the Müller family in Thayngen SH shows how it works. Here, one of the first New Holland tractors with CNG drive is used and is even fuelled at the farm’s own biogas plant directly on the farm.

The New Holland T6.180 Methane Power with CNG drive right next to biogenic residues that are processed into biogas, thus providing its fuel. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

Pascal Pletscher easily takes the bend up past the car park for the famous Kesslerloch near Thayngen SH, where hunters once lived in the Stone Age and archaeologists discovered carvings and small-scale art. At first glance, only connoisseurs notice that Pletscher, a federally certified master farmer, is not simply sitting at the wheel of a blue New Holland tractor, but in one of only three T6.180 Methane Power in Switzerland so far. The first series tractor with CNG drive enables farmers to close material cycles and even work on their fields in a CO₂-neutral way thanks to biogas in the tank.

Farmer Pascal Pletscher at the wheel of the biogas tractor, which has cut a very good figure in the field so far. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

Under the bonnet of the CNG tractor is a six-cylinder unit with 175 hp, combined with a 17-/16-speed electro-command transmission with four powershift stages. “It does howl quite loudly at 40 km/h, but you get used to that, and otherwise the New Holland drives excellently,” says Pletscher. “You just have to adjust to the different torque characteristics of the CNG engine, because it’s more similar to a petrol engine than a diesel. That’s why you tend to drive at higher revs.” The blue giant with its standard seven tanks for 185 litres or 32 kilos of biogas on board has already reeled off over 850 hours of use. “It works perfectly, and apart from a little oil refilling, we haven’t had to do anything,” the Schaffhausen farmer sums up. So the CNG drive technology is also proving itself off the road and in the field. However, there is a small catch: the New Holland is still in use without the so-called range extender. “It’s a good thing that Christian and Andrea Müller also have their own biogas filling station on their farm, because under heavy load the biogas is currently sufficient for about 1.5 hours of field use,” reveals Pletscher.

Because of the somewhat limited range due to the (still) missing range extender, Pletscher can be found at his own biogas filling station more often than he would like. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch 

This also makes Müller’s employee one of the best “customers” of the first biogas filling station on a Swiss farm. “While working, you should keep an eye on the fuel gauge, but since we – like most Swiss farms – have the fields around the farm, we can use the CNG tractor without any problems.” And as soon as the range extender is delivered, much longer field operations will also be possible. They are already eagerly waiting for that. “Originally, the range extender was supposed to arrive with us at the beginning of 2023,” adds Pascal Pletscher, while he refuels the CNG tractor for the next assignment.

Although the CNG drive is quieter, it generates a little more heat than conventional units, which is why the engine bonnet is better insulated. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

What is the range extender? It is fitted to the front of the tractor, thereby also optimising the weight distribution, and contains three additional 90-litre tanks for a further 47 kg of biogas, which more than doubles the maximum operating time of the tractor before refuelling. Thanks to the longer range, the CNG tractor can be used more flexibly in everyday operations. But even as it is, it cuts a fine figure in Thayngen when spreading the manure – a high-quality by-product of biogas production – on the harvested potato field.

Christian and Andrea Müller, farmers and owners of Müller Energie GmbH in Thayngen, have not let the long approval process get them down and have built a biogas plant with its own biogas filling station. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch

Thus, the tractor with CNG drive and biogas in the tank not only performs its work in a climate-neutral way, but also ensures a further reduction in emissions. Compared to conventional slurry, manure is easier for plants to absorb and also produces fewer emissions. This is the way forward for agriculture that consistently closes material cycles – and not just tomorrow, but already today. (jas, 12 September 2023)

Thanks to biogas in the tank, the New Holland tractor with CNG drive now performs its field work almost CO₂-neutral and helps to close material cycles. Source: CNG-Mobility.ch