Biomethane produced from maize grown on peat emits more CO2 than natural gas

Chris D. Evans (), Rebecca L. Rowe, Benjamin W. J. Freeman, Jennifer M. Rhymes, Alex Cumming, Isobel L. Lloyd, Daniel Morton, Jennifer L. Williamson and Ross Morrison
Additional contact information
Chris D. Evans: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Rebecca L. Rowe: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Benjamin W. J. Freeman: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Jennifer M. Rhymes: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Alex Cumming: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Isobel L. Lloyd: University of Leeds
Daniel Morton: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Jennifer L. Williamson: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Ross Morrison: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Nature Climate Change, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1030-1032

Abstract: Abstract Cultivation of maize for biomethane production has expanded rapidly, including on drained peat soils. The resulting soil CO2 emissions at the point of feedstock production are largely overlooked when assessing biogas climate mitigation potential. On the basis of field-scale flux measurements, we calculate that soil CO2 emissions from biomethane feedstock production on drained peat exceed embodied emissions for an equivalent amount of natural gas by up to a factor of three.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-024-02111-1

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