Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Biological Methanation in a Trickle-Bed Pilot Plant and a Potential Scale-Up

Michael Heberl (), Christian Withelm, Anja Kaul, Daniel Rank and Michael Sterner
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Michael Heberl: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Research Center on Energy Transmission and Energy Storage (FENES), Seybothstraße 2, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
Christian Withelm: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Research Center on Energy Transmission and Energy Storage (FENES), Seybothstraße 2, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
Anja Kaul: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Research Center on Energy Transmission and Energy Storage (FENES), Seybothstraße 2, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
Daniel Rank: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Research Center on Energy Transmission and Energy Storage (FENES), Seybothstraße 2, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
Michael Sterner: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Research Center on Energy Transmission and Energy Storage (FENES), Seybothstraße 2, 93053 Regensburg, Germany

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: The fluctuating nature of renewable energies results in the need for sustainable storage technologies to defossilize the energy system without other negative consequences for humans and the environment. In this study, a pilot-scale trickle-bed reactor for biological methanation and various scale-up scenarios for 2024 and 2050 were investigated using life cycle assessment. A best- and worst-case scenario for technology development until 2050 was evolved using cross-consistency analysis and a morphological field, based on which the data for the ecological models were determined. The results show that the plant scale-up has a very positive effect on the ecological consequences of methanation. In the best-case scenario, the values are a factor of 23–780 lower than those of the actual plant today. A hot-spot analysis showed that electrolysis operation has an especially large impact on total emissions. The final Monte Carlo simulation shows that the technology is likely to achieve a low global warming potential with a median of 104.0 kg CO 2 -eq/MWh CH 4 and thus can contribute to decarbonization.

Keywords: life cycle analysis; biological methanation; trickle-bed reactor; power-to-gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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