A Life Cycle Assessment of Methane Slip in Biogas Upgrading Based on Permeable Membrane Technology with Variable Methane Concentration in Raw Biogas

Egidijus Buivydas (), Kęstutis Navickas and Kęstutis Venslauskas
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Egidijus Buivydas: Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos Str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kęstutis Navickas: Agriculture Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaičio Str. 58, LT-44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kęstutis Venslauskas: Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos Str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: While energy-related sectors remain significant contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biogas production from waste through anaerobic digestion (AD) helps to increase renewable energy production. The biogas production players focus efforts on optimising the AD process to maximise the methane content in biogas, improving known technologies for biogas production and applying newly invented ones: H 2 addition technology, high-pressure anaerobic digestion technology, bioelectrochemical technology, the addition of additives, and others. Though increased methane concentration in biogas gives benefits, biogas upgrading still needs to reach a much higher methane concentration to replace natural gas. There are many biogas upgrading technologies, but almost any has methane slip. This research conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) on membrane-based biogas upgrading technology, evaluating biomethane production from biogas with variable methane concentrations. The results showed that the increase in methane concentration in the biogas slightly increases the specific electricity consumption for biogas treatment, but heightens methane slip with off-gas in the biogas upgrading unit. However, the LCA analysis showed a positive environmental impact for treating biogas with increasing methane concentrations. This way, the LCA analysis gave a broader comprehension of the environmental impact of biogas upgrading technology on GHG emissions and offered valuable insights into the environmental implications of biomethane production.

Keywords: biogas; methane concentration; biogas production; biogas upgrading; membrane upgrading technology; biomethane; biomethane production; methane slip; methane loss (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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