Abstract
One potential renewable energy resource is green gas production through
anaerobic digestion (AD). However, only part of the biogas produced (up to
50-60%) contains the combustible methane; the remainder are incombustible
gasses with the biggest being carbon dioxide. These gasses are often not used
and expelled in the atmosphere. Through the use of BIO-P2M where hydrogen
is mixed with the remaining CO2 additional methane can be produced,
increasing the yield and using the feedstocks more effectively. Within this
research the environmental sustainability and effectiveness of BIO-P2M is
evaluated using the MEFA and aLCA method, expressed in; net green gas
production, efficiency in (P)EROI, emissions in GWP100, and environmental
impact in Ecopoints. The functional unit is set as a normal cubic meter of
Groningen quality natural gas. Results indicate a net improvement of all
indicators when applying BIO-P2M in several configurations (in situ, ex situ).
When allocating the production of renewable energy to the BIO-P2M system
environmental impacts for wind the results are still positive; however, when
using solar PV as an energy source the environmental impact in Ecopoints
exceeds that of the reference case of Groningen natural gas. An additional
option for improving the indicators is optimization of the process. When using
BIO-P2M combined with heat and power unit for producing the internal
electricity and heat demands all indicators are improved substantially. On a
national scale when utilizing al available waste materials for the BIO-P2M
system around 1217 MNm3/a of green gas can be produced, which is 3% of
the total yearly consumption in the Netherlands and around 60% more than
when using normal AD systems. Within the context BIO-P2M is an interesting
option for increasing green gas output and improving the overall sustainability
of the AD process. However, the source of green electricity needs to be taken
into account and process optimization can ensure better environmental
performance.
anaerobic digestion (AD). However, only part of the biogas produced (up to
50-60%) contains the combustible methane; the remainder are incombustible
gasses with the biggest being carbon dioxide. These gasses are often not used
and expelled in the atmosphere. Through the use of BIO-P2M where hydrogen
is mixed with the remaining CO2 additional methane can be produced,
increasing the yield and using the feedstocks more effectively. Within this
research the environmental sustainability and effectiveness of BIO-P2M is
evaluated using the MEFA and aLCA method, expressed in; net green gas
production, efficiency in (P)EROI, emissions in GWP100, and environmental
impact in Ecopoints. The functional unit is set as a normal cubic meter of
Groningen quality natural gas. Results indicate a net improvement of all
indicators when applying BIO-P2M in several configurations (in situ, ex situ).
When allocating the production of renewable energy to the BIO-P2M system
environmental impacts for wind the results are still positive; however, when
using solar PV as an energy source the environmental impact in Ecopoints
exceeds that of the reference case of Groningen natural gas. An additional
option for improving the indicators is optimization of the process. When using
BIO-P2M combined with heat and power unit for producing the internal
electricity and heat demands all indicators are improved substantially. On a
national scale when utilizing al available waste materials for the BIO-P2M
system around 1217 MNm3/a of green gas can be produced, which is 3% of
the total yearly consumption in the Netherlands and around 60% more than
when using normal AD systems. Within the context BIO-P2M is an interesting
option for increasing green gas output and improving the overall sustainability
of the AD process. However, the source of green electricity needs to be taken
into account and process optimization can ensure better environmental
performance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 40 |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Jun 2019 |
Keywords
- energy transition
- biogas