Membrane-based biogas upgrading to biomethane

Abstract

With the rise of the concerning effects of climate change, and as we move towards the targets of the Paris agreement, several initiatives are being funded around the globe to put a hold on emissions. One of these initiatives is the Euro-pean Green Deal, aiming to make Europe the first continent to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Part of it includes developing new and improving existing technologies using renewable resources to cover partly the supply of high-demand fossil-based products, such as natural gas, supplied to Europe mainly through imports from Norway and the United States [1]. Biomethane is a promising candidate to cover some part of the supply for natural gas, as it can be produced from biogas upgrading using membrane technology, with the advantage of not using harsh chemicals, avoiding air pollution and wastewater [2]. An attributional life cycle assessment is per-formed in Simapro v9.5.0.1 (2023 PRé Sustaina-bility B. V.) to evaluate the environmental per-formance of 1 MWh of biomethane produced via polyimide membrane upgrading of biogas. A set of relevant impact categories from the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint (H) V1.08 method is selected, al-lowing a more comprehensive evaluation and reducing the risk of problem-shifting. Therefore, key insights into process bottlenecks and envi-ronmental hotspots can be anticipated. References: [1] Council of the EU; European Council, “Fit for 55 - The EU’s plan for a green transition - Consilium,” https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/green-deal/fit-for-55-the-eu-plan-for-a-green-transition/. [2] M. Hiloidhari and S. Kumari, “Biogas upgrading and life cycle assessment of different biogas upgrading technologies,” Emerging Technologies and Biological Systems for Biogas Upgrading, pp. 413–445, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822808-1.00015-5.