A detailed assessment of resource of biomethane from first, second and third generation substrates

Eoin Allen, David M. Wall, Christiane Herrmann and Jerry D. Murphy

Renewable Energy, 2016, vol. 87, issue P1, 656-665

Abstract: This paper details the analysis of biochemical methane potential (BMP) assessment of 83 substrates, which may be deemed as: first generation substrates (food crops); second generation (grasses and wastes); and third generation (seaweed). Significant variation in the BMP of a substrate may be found depending on for example, season and method of harvest. This could lead to significant discrepancy between energy production at the design stage and in operation of the facility. For example the BMP of dairy slurry varied from 175 L CH4 kg−1 VS in autumn (cattle fed on concentrate at end of farming year) to 239 L CH4 kg−1 VS in the summer when cattle are fed fresh grass. Grass ranged from 156 (for hay) to 433 L CH4 kg−1 VS for first cut baled silage. Saccharina latissima (brown seaweed) generated a higher BMP 36.4 m3 CH4 t−1 than summer dairy slurry 16 m3 CH4 t−1. In terms of a national resource, the cheapest and most sustainable source of biomethane will be from wastes, but the resource is finite. Biomethane from wastes could satisfy 18.4% of transport energy in Ireland. Larger resources will require third generation substrates such as seaweed.

Keywords: Biomethane potential assays; First, second and third generation feedstocks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148115304134
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:87:y:2016:i:p1:p:656-665

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2015.10.060

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().