Applications of sustainable biogas

Abstract

In the article, a short review of possible biogas applications is presented. It is shown that biogas/biomethane can be used in many different ways. In particular, the following applications of biomethane are discussed: (1) as a transport fuel, (2) as a perspective heating fuel for the biofuel industry, (3) as feedstock to produce conventional motor fuels, and (4) as a valuable raw material for other branches of industry. For each use, the requirements and advantages of biogas/biomethane sustainability are discussed. In cases where biomethane is used as a transport fuel or as feedstock for the production of conventional motor fuels, meeting sustainability criteria and certification is legally required. In the other cases, a recipient’s standards may be stricter than legal requirements in terms of sustainability, for example when biomethane is used as a heating fuel at a biofuel production plant in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the processing stage. Increasing the possibility of feeding biomethane into the natural gas grid would allow for the provision of bio-feedstock to other industries that use methane as a raw material, and would make the production of other goods more eco-friendly. In the article, different models of integrating biogas plants with the biofuel and fuel industries are presented. Due to the fact that sustainability aspects are vital from the certification point of view, these aspects are also discussed. In Poland, biogas plants currently operate mainly to produce electricity, but some entities deliver both heat and electricity (in the cogeneration case). In order to make biomethane a more common raw material or heating fuel, there is a need to feed it into the natural gas grid. This article briefly discusses the challenges that the biogas industry has to overcome in order to allow this material to become more widely used.