Position Paper – The Role of Biogas and Biomethane in Pathways to Net Zero

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December 22, 2022

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(IEA Bioenergy) Biogas is produced as the main product of anaerobic digestion (AD) of wet biomass. Biogas can be used locally for heat purposes or for power and heat production (CHP); as an alternative, biogas can be upgraded to bio-methane to replace natural gas. As such, it is one of the means to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and contribute to the transition towards a net zero energy system.

This position paper – developed by members of IEA Bioenergy Task 37 (“Energy from Biogas”) – provides central knowledge and features of biogas and biomethane. The main conclusion is that biogas and biomethane have plenty of options to be used in a pathway to net zero. They provide sustainable flexible systems that play essential roles in circular economy, energy, and environmental systems.

Highlights:

Energy transition

The pathway to net zero requires far more than provision of renewable electricity; renewable gases and liquids are as important.
Biomethane can be fed into the existing gas infrastructure and provides the path of least resistance to decarbonise natural gas applications. With biomethane the total cost of ownership of the energy system is minimised as the infrastructure for distribution and use is in place.
Biogas systems are one of a range of solutions in a net zero future. To achieve a net zero future there is a demand for a diversity of solutions. Biogas and biomethane can contribute significantly with bespoke sustainable and technically highly customizable solutions. For example, biogas systems can provide dispatchable electricity and even better, production of biogas may be ramped up to provide increased volumes of electricity when demand on the electricity grid is high.

Multifunctionality

Biogas production based on anaerobic digestion can utilize a wide variety of organic feedstocks such as: municipal or industrial organic waste and wastewater; industry residues (such as stillage); agricultural residues (such as manures and straw); or plant materials.
Biogas systems contribute to energy security since the whole production chain can be set up and operated decentrally and locally. Moreover, biogas is not the only product of anaerobic digestion; digestate, can be used locally as a renewable biofertiliser (directly, or after upgrading). CO₂, which needs to be separated from biogas to obtain biomethane, may also be valorised as a co-product.
Biogas solutions reduce fugitive methane emissions, protect water quality, reduce pathogen content of slurries, produce biofertilisers, reduce smells, and improve air quality. Often the driver for a biogas solution is the reduction in fugitive emissions from wet organic wastes.

Circular economy

Anaerobic digestion can be an essential element of any cascaded utilization of organic material and as such biogas solutions are strategic components in biorefineries.
Biogas systems as part of circular economy in agriculture. For example, digestate from biogas systems may be applied back to the land where the crops were grown and crops produced can provide feed to animals whose slurry is digested in a circular economy agriculture system, reducing fugitive emissions, reducing use of fossil fertiliser and improving soil organic content.

Region-specific solutions

All biogas solutions are geographically and politically bespoke. The best solution in one region is not always optimal in another region depending on climate and policy of the particular region.
A detailed, region-specific analysis of availability, costs and impact of specific feedstock utilization is recommended in order to ensure an effective and sustainable biogas sector.

Use of CO₂

Modern facilities that produce biomethane include for carbon capture and reuse. CO₂ in biogas is one of the cheapest sources of biogenic CO₂ for further utilization.
Power to methane applications whereby hydrogen is used to react with CO₂ in biogas to upgrade to biomethane (and synthetic methane) results in typically, a 60% increase in energy output in the form of renewable methane.

Economics

Compare like with like: biomethane should be compared with other renewable gases, such as hydrogen or synthetic methane.
Biomethane is cheaper than green hydrogen and is expected to remain so for some time in the future. In addition, unlike the case for biomethane, the infrastructure for wide distribution and use of hydrogen is not yet in place.
Both hydrogen and biomethane are part of larger markets and externalities may decide their optimum use and value to society.
Other than replacing fossil fuels and in so doing, reducing GHG emissions, it has to be considered that biogas systems are multi-functional and integrated in larger systems. Externalities could be assigned an economic value or should anyway be considered in multi criteria assessment of decarbonisation pathways.

How to incentivise deployment of biogas systems

Incentives should reflect the actual costs of investment and long-term operation of the renewable gas industry to ensure bankability for the developer and to ensure a price effective market environment for the user of renewable gas.
Unnecessary barriers and inhibitory regulations on both technical and regulatory level should be removed.
A stable and predictable framework is recommended to provide favourable conditions for the renewable gas sector to grow.
A carbon tax on fossil fuels should stimulate development and drive the transformation towards renewables whilst simultaneously providing a common base for competition between renewable technologies.

Role in the pathway to net zero

Renewable hydrocarbons such as biogas and biomethane are required in our future net zero world and they have plenty of options to be used.
Biogas and biomethane are sustainable flexible systems that play essential roles in circular economy, energy, and environmental systems. READ MORE

Position Paper – The role of biogas and biomethane in pathways to net zero

The position paper has been presented during IEA Bioenergy Webinar titled “Integrated Biogas Systems – Sustainable Solutions Beyond Energy”, that took place on 15 December. The speakers presented some examples of integrated biogas solutions, assessed their sustainability with a multicriteria analysis and discussed about effective policy measures for biogas systems implementation.

IEA Bioenergy Task 37 (Energy from Biogas) organized a webinar on biogas systems, their integration in complex energy systems and related trans-sectoral benefits.

Biogas systems are more than plants for mere energy provision. They can for instance enhance recycling of nutrients, reduce air pollution, improve water quality and soil fertility – depending on the infrastructure they are integrated in. Biogas systems offer a variety of production and gas utilization options combining for a highly customizable technology.

The first presentation of the webinar starts with exemplars of integrated biogas solutions, focusing on the diversity and multifunctionality of biogas and biomethane pathways in a circular economy. For a comprehensive assessment of the technology the various effects need to be considered in their entirety.

The second presentation will hence discuss the sustainability assessment of biogas systems by means of multicriteria analysis and discuss most favourable solutions. Last but not least the successful implementation of biogas systems requires adequate policy measures.

The third presentation compares different approaches and concludes with recommendations for sector development.

During the webinar, Task 37 has presented its latest position paper “The role of biogas and biomethane in pathways to net zero”.
This position paper – developed by members of IEA Bioenergy Task 37 (“Energy from Biogas”) – provides central knowledge and features of biogas and biomethane. The main conclusion is that biogas and biomethane have plenty of options to be used in a pathway to net zero. They provide sustainable flexible systems that play essential roles in circular economy, energy, and environmental systems.

Click here to view webinar including discussion and questions:
RECORDING OF THE WEBINAR

PRESENTATIONS

- Introduction & Moderation
  Jan Liebetrau, Rytec (Germany)

- Role of biogas systems in circular economy, energy and environmental systems
  Jerry Murphy, MaREI SFI Centre for energy, climate and marine / Professor of Civil Engineering, University College Cork (Ireland)

- Multicriteria analysis for comprehensive evaluation of multifunctional biogas systems
  Jonas Ammenberg, Environmental Technology and Management, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University (Sweden)

- Effective policy measures to accelerate implementation of biogas systems
  Marcus Gustafsson, Environmental Technology and Management, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University (Sweden)

- Q&A, Panel discussion with the participation of
  Mats Eklund, BSRC – Swedish Biogas Solutions Research Center / Linköping University (Sweden)
  Stefan Anderberg, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University (Sweden)
  Kari-Anne Lyng, Norwegian Institute for Sustainability Research (Norway)

Stepping Up to CHP Platforms: While combined heat and power has been an enticing option for energy progressive ethanol plants for years, it’s now a front-and-center play for producers on carbon reduction quests. (Ethanol Producer Magazine)