Life Cycle Assessment of CO 2, Rumen, and Biological Biomass Pretreatment Methods for Biomethane Production

Bronius Žalys (), Kęstutis Navickas and Kęstutis Venslauskas
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Bronius Žalys: Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos Str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kęstutis Navickas: Faculty of Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaičio Str. 58, LT-44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kęstutis Venslauskas: Faculty of Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaičio Str. 58, LT-44248 Kaunas, Lithuania

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: This study evaluates the environmental impacts of different biomass pretreatment methods used for biomethane production using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The three examined pretreatment technologies—CO 2 injection, rumen fluid, and biological products—were applied to manure, alfalfa biomass, and winter wheat straw. The results indicate that cow manure pretreatment with CO 2 increases fossil fuel depletion from 0.37 MJ/m 3 to 17.31 MJ/m 3 and increasing global warming potential by 1.08 kg CO 2 eq/m 3 . Rumen fluid pretreatment moderately improves fossil fuel conservation but raises acidification (from 1.57 × 10 −4 kg SO 2 eq/m 3 to 2.49 × 10 −4 kg SO 2 eq/m 3 ) and eutrophication (from 2.67 × 10 −5 kg PO 4 eq/m 3 to 5.3 × 10 −5 kg PO 4 eq/m 3 ). Winter wheat straw CO 2 pretreatment demonstrates the most favorable environmental profile, reducing human toxicity (from 0.1 kg 1,4-DB eq/m 3 to 0.0058 kg 1,4-DB eq/m 3 ) and minimizing fossil fuel depletion. The environmental trade-offs of biomethane production suggest that optimizing pretreatment strategies is essential to ensuring sustainable production.

Keywords: pretreatment; life cycle assessment; global warming potential; anaerobic digestion; environmental assessment; greenhouse gas emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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