Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas in the Circular Economy

The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Bioenergy Task 37 work programme (Energy from Biogas)[i] has just published a brochure called “The Role of Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas in the Circular Economy“.

This is a great narrative about the energy and fuel system and the circular economy, how the pieces fit together and how the versatility of anaerobic digestion and biogas interconnects all these facets.

[i] The main objective of the Task 37 work programme is to address the challenges relating to the economic and environmental sustainability 

Executive summary: 

This technical report has been written to highlight the diversity of benefits from these systems. Biogas from anaerobic digestion is not merely a concept of production of renewable energy; it cannot be compared to a wind turbine or a photovoltaic array. Nor can anaerobic digestion be bracketed as just a means of waste treatment or as a tool to reduce greenhouse gases in agriculture and in energy. It cannot be pigeonholed as a means of producing biofertilizer through mineralisation of the nutrients in slurry to optimise availability, or as a means of protecting water quality in streams and aquifers. It is all these and more. The multifunctionality of this concept is its clearest strength. Sustainable systems include processes for treatment of waste, for protection of environment, for conversion of low-value material to higher-value material, for the production of electricity, heat and of advanced gaseous biofuel. These systems are dispatchable and as such can facilitate intermittent renewable electricity.

BIOENERGY SYSTEMS – CONTACT US : ENERGY 360