Production potential estimation of bio-natural gas from high-concentration organic wastewater in China

Chenxuan Wang, Siqi Wang, Zhiwei Li, Raymond R. Tan, Bohong Wang, Fang Wang, Peidong Zhang and Xiaoping Jia

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2025, vol. 223, issue C

Abstract: Bio-natural gas (BNG) is expected to play a crucial role in the green energy transition and climate change mitigation. It has the advantage of allowing decarbonization while capitalizing on existing natural gas (NG) pipeline infrastructure. Despite China's ambitious goal of producing 20 billion m3 of BNG annually, current production remains insufficient. High-concentration organic wastewater (HCOW), can be converted into BNG through anaerobic digestion and biogas upgrading technologies to cover some of this deficit. This study develops a bottom-up approach to estimate the BNG potential of HCOW in China, incorporating temporal, geographic, and sector-specific analyses. The BNG production costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of different types of HCOW, and the changes in BNG potential under various policy and technological advancement scenarios were considered. The results indicated that in 2021, the total BNG potential of HCOW in China was approximately 5.59 billion m3, with the highest share coming from pulp and paper mill wastewater. Geographically, eastern coastal regions, particularly Shandong and Guangdong provinces exhibit the greatest potential. The brewing industry in Sichuan province also shows considerable promise, accounting for 24.98 % of the potential supply. The estimated BNG production cost from HCOW ranges from 2.24 to 4.77 CNY/m3. Furthermore, utilizing BNG from HCOW could reduce GHG emissions by 80.22 Mt CO2eq annually.

Keywords: Circular economy; Carbon neutrality; Net zero; Biogas; Biomass (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.116017

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