The potential of bio-methane as bio-fuel/bio-energy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: a qualitative assessment for Europe in a life cycle perspective

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 1683-1692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Tilche ◽  
Michele Galatola
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Crops ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Ghg Reduction

Anaerobic digestion is a well known process that (while still capable of showing new features) has experienced several waves of technological development. It was “born” as a wastewater treatment system, in the 1970s showed promise as an alternative energy source (in particular from animal waste), in the 1980s and later it became a standard for treating organic-matter-rich industrial wastewater, and more recently returned to the market for its energy recovery potential, making use of different biomasses, including energy crops. With the growing concern around global warming, this paper looks at the potential of anaerobic digestion in terms of reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The potential contribution of anaerobic digestion to GHG reduction has been computed for the 27 EU countries on the basis of their 2005 Kyoto declarations and using life cycle data. The theoretical potential contribution of anaerobic digestion to Kyoto and EU post-Kyoto targets has been calculated. Two different possible biogas applications have been considered: electricity production from manure waste, and upgraded methane production for light goods vehicles (from landfill biogas and municipal and industrial wastewater treatment sludges). The useful heat that can be produced as by-product from biogas conversion into electricity has not been taken into consideration, as its real exploitation depends on local conditions. Moreover the amount of biogas already produced via dedicated anaerobic digestion processes has also not been included in the calculations. Therefore the overall gains achievable would be even higher than those reported here. This exercise shows that biogas may considerably contribute to GHG emission reductions in particular if used as a biofuel. Results also show that its use as a biofuel may allow for true negative GHG emissions, showing a net advantage with respect to other biofuels. Considering also energy crops that will become available in the next few years as a result of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, this study shows that biogas has the potential of covering almost 50% of the 2020 biofuel target of 10% of all automotive transport fuels, without implying a change in land use. Moreover, considering the achievable GHG reductions, a very large carbon emission trading “value” could support the investment needs. However, those results were obtained through a “qualitative” assessment. In order to produce robust data for decision makers, a quantitative sustainability assessment should be carried out, integrating different methodologies within a life cycle framework. The identification of the most appropriate policy for promoting the best set of options is then discussed.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study on the Reduction Effect in Greenhouse Gas Emissions between the Combined Heat and Power Plant and Boiler

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahye Kim ◽  
Kyung-Tae Kim ◽  
Young-Kwon Park
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Production Stages ◽  
Reduction Effect

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between the combined heat and power (CHP) plant and boiler, which became the main energy-generating facilities of “anaerobic digestion” (AD) biogas produced in Korea, and analyze the GHG emissions in a life cycle. Full-scale data from two Korean “wastewater treatment plants” (WWTPs), which operated boilers and CHP plants fueled by biogas, were used in order to estimate the reduction potential of GHG emissions based on a “life cycle assessment” (LCA) approach. The GHG emissions of biogas energy facilities were divided into pre-manufacturing stages, production stages, pretreatment stages, and combustion stages, and the GHG emissions by stages were calculated by dividing them into Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3. Based on the calculated reduction intensity, a comparison of GHG reduction effects was made by assuming a scenario in which the amount of biogas produced at domestic sewage treatment plants used for boiler heating is replaced by a CHP plant. Four different scenarios for utilizing biogas are considered based on the GHG emission potential of each utilization plant. The biggest reduction was in the scenario of using all of the biogas in CHP plants and heating the anaerobic digester through district heating. GHG emissions in a life cycle were slightly higher in boilers than in CHP plants because GHG emissions generated by pre-treatment facilities were smaller than other emissions, and lower Scope2 emissions in CHP plants were due to their own use of electricity produced. It was confirmed that the CHP plant using biogas is superior to the boiler in terms of GHG reduction in a life cycle.

scholarly journals Greenhouse Gas Impact of Algal Bio-Crude Production for a Range of CO2 Supply Scenarios

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 11931
Author(s):  
Pratham Arora ◽  
Ronald R. Chance ◽  
Howard Hendrix ◽  
Matthew J. Realff ◽  
Valerie M. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Hydrothermal Liquefaction ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Ghg Reduction

Refined bio-crude production from hydrothermal liquefaction of algae holds the potential to replace fossil-based conventional liquid fuels. The microalgae act as natural carbon sequestrators by consuming CO2. However, this absorbed CO2 is released to the atmosphere during the combustion of the bio-crude. Thus, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of refined bio-crude are linked to the production and supply of the materials involved and the process energy demands. One prominent raw material is CO2, which is the main source of carbon for algae and the subsequent products. The emissions associated with the supply of CO2 can have a considerable impact on the sustainability of the algae-based refined bio-crude production process. Furthermore, the diurnal algae growth cycle complicates the CO2 supply scenarios. Traditionally, studies have relied on CO2 supplied from existing power plants. However, there is potential for building natural gas or biomass-based power plants with the primary aim of supplying CO2 to the biorefinery. Alternately, a direct air capture (DAC) process can extract CO2 directly from the air. The life-cycle GHG emissions associated with the production of refined bio-crude through hydrothermal liquefaction of algae are presented in this study. Different CO2 supply scenarios, including existing fossil fuel power plants and purpose-built CO2 sources, are compared. The integration of the CO2 sources with the algal biorefinery is also presented. The CO2 supply from biomass-based power plants has the highest potential for GHG reduction, with a GHG footprint of −57 g CO2 eq./MJ refined bio-crude. The CO2 supply from the DAC process has a GHG footprint of 49 CO2 eq./MJ refined bio-crude, which is very similar to the scenario that considers the supply of CO2 from an existing conventional natural gas-based plant and takes credit for the carbon utilization.

scholarly journals The Role of Anaerobic Digestion in Reducing Dairy Farm Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2612
Author(s):  
Alun Scott ◽  
Richard Blanchard
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
The Impact

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy farms are significant contributors to global warming. However, much of the published work on GHG reduction is focused on either methane (CH4) or nitrous oxide (N2O), with few, if any, considering the interactions that changes to farming systems can have on both gases. This paper takes the raw data from a year of activity on a 300-cow commercial dairy farm in Northern Ireland to more accurately quantify GHG sources by use of a simple predictive model based on IPCC methodology. Differing herd management policies are examined together with the impact of integrating anaerobic digestion (AD) into each farming system. Whilst significant success can be predicted in capturing CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2) as biogas and preventing N2O emissions, gains made can be lost in a subsequent process, negating some or all of the advantage. The process of extracting value from the captured resource is discussed in light of current farm parameters together with indications of other potential revenue streams. However, this study has concluded that despite the significant potential for GHG reduction, there is little incentive for widespread adoption of manure-based farm-scale AD in the UK at this time.

scholarly journals Numerical model for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from pulp and paper industrial wastewater treatment systems in Vietnam

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-168
Author(s):  
Xuan Hien Dang ◽  
Thi Van Anh Nguyen ◽  
Duc Toan Nguyen ◽  
Thanh Son Dang
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Treatment System ◽  
Balance Equations ◽  
Industrial Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment System ◽  
Runge Kutta ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Systems

At present, it is difficult and costly to measure directly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the wastewater treatment system. Application of model will reduce measurement cost and quickly obtain the forecast data set of GHG emissions. This study developed a mathematical model for both steady and dynamic states to calculate GHG (CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions from wastewater treatment systems for industrial paper processing. These models are constructed based on mass balance equations of species, including substrate balance equations, biomass balance equations for reactors of treatment systems, stoichiometric coefficiences of species in biochemical reactions and biological processes. The obtained equations were solved based on algorithm of Runge-Kutta and the model was programmed by MATLAB. Results of applying the model to calculate GHG emissions from the paper industrial wastewater treatment system at Bai Bang and Tan Mai plants are as follows: total GHG emissions and emission factor are 3,070.3 kgCO2-eq/day, 0.38 kgCO2-eq/m3, respectively for Bai Bang plant (8,000 m3/day) and 7,413.6 kgCO2-eq/day, 0.74 kgCO2-eq/m3, respectively for Tan Mai plant (10,000 m3/day). The research evaluated a number of influencing factors, such as temperature, flow rate of influent, and substrate concentrations, to GHG emissions at the Tan Mai paper plant. Hiện nay, việc đo đạc trực tiếp phát thải khí nhà kính (KNK) từ hệ thống xử lý nước thải còn khó khăn và tốn kém. Việc áp dụng mô hình sẽ giảm được chi phí đo đạc và nhanh chóng có được bộ số liệu dự báo một cách tương đối về phát thải KNK. Nghiên cứu đã thiết lập được mô hình toán ở trạng thái ổn định và trạng thái không ổn định để tính toán phát thải khí nhà kính (CO2, CH4, N2O) từ hệ thống xử lý nước thải sản xuất giấy. Các mô hình này dựa trên các phương trình cân bằng chất của các cấu tử bao gồm các phương trình cân bằng cơ chất, các phương trình cân bằng sinh khối trong các bể phản ứng và các hệ số tỷ lượng của các chất tham gia các phản ứng sinh hóa. Các phương trình được giải bằng thuật toán Runge-Kutta và mô hình được lập trình trên ngôn ngữ MATLAB. Mô hình được áp dụng tính toán phát thải khí nhà kính từ hệ thống xử lý nước thải tại nhà máy giấy Bãi Bằng và nhà máy giấy Tân Mai, được kết quả như sau: tổng phát thải khí nhà kính (KNK) và hệ số phát thải là 3.070,3 kg CO2-tđ/ngày, 0,38 kg CO2-tđ/m3 tại Nhà máy giấy Bãi Bằng (8.000 m3/ngày) và 7.413,6 kg CO2-tđ/ngày, 0,74 kg CO2-tđ/m3 nhà máy giấy Tân Mai (10.000 m3/ngày). Nghiên cứu đã đánh giá được một số các yếu tố ảnh hưởng như nhiệt độ, lưu lượng nước thải và nồng độ cơ chất dòng vào đến sự phát thải KNK tại nhà máy giấy Tân Mai.

Determination of greenhouse gas emission reductions from sewage sludge anaerobic digestion in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.-T. Liu ◽  
X.-J. Kong ◽  
G.-D. Zheng ◽  
C.-C. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Ghg Reduction

Sewage sludge is a considerable source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in the field of organic solid waste treatment and disposal. In this case study, total GHG emissions from sludge anaerobic digestion, including direct and indirect emissions as well as replaceable emission reduction due to biogas being reused instead of natural gas, were quantified respectively. The results indicated that no GHG generation needed to be considered during the anaerobic digestion process. Indirect emissions were mainly from electricity and fossil fuel consumption on-site and sludge transportation. Overall, the total GHG emission owing to relative subtraction from anaerobic digestion rather than landfill, and replaceable GHG reduction caused by reuse of its product of biogas, were quantified to be 0.7214 (northern China) or 0.7384 (southern China) MgCO2 MgWS−1 (wet sludge).

Optimal Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Design and Allocation for Minimum Life Cycle Cost, Petroleum Consumption, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Shin Norman Shiau ◽  
Nikhil Kaushal ◽  
Chris T. Hendrickson ◽  
Scott B. Peterson ◽  
Jay F. Whitacre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicle ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Hybrid Electric

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology has the potential to reduce operating cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. However, the net effects of PHEVs depend critically on vehicle design, battery technology, and charging frequency. To examine these implications, we develop an optimization model integrating vehicle physics simulation, battery degradation data, and U.S. driving data. The model identifies optimal vehicle designs and allocation of vehicles to drivers for minimum net life cycle cost, GHG emissions, and petroleum consumption under a range of scenarios. We compare conventional and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to PHEVs with equivalent size and performance (similar to a Toyota Prius) under urban driving conditions. We find that while PHEVs with large battery packs minimize petroleum consumption, a mix of PHEVs with packs sized for ∼25–50 miles of electric travel under the average U.S. grid mix (or ∼35–60 miles under decarbonized grid scenarios) produces the greatest reduction in life cycle GHG emissions. Life cycle cost and GHG emissions are minimized using high battery swing and replacing batteries as needed, rather than designing underutilized capacity into the vehicle with corresponding production, weight, and cost implications. At 2008 average U.S. energy prices, Li-ion battery pack costs must fall below $590/kW h at a 5% discount rate or below $410/kW h at a 10% rate for PHEVs to be cost competitive with HEVs. Carbon allowance prices offer little leverage for improving cost competitiveness of PHEVs. PHEV life cycle costs must fall to within a few percent of HEVs in order to offer a cost-effective approach to GHG reduction.

scholarly journals Minimization of greenhouse gas emissions from extended aeration activated sludge process

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Yapıcıoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Treatment Process ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Gas Emissions

Abstract One of the greenhouse gas emissions resources is industrial wastewater treatment plants. In this study, on-site and off-site greenhouse gas emissions of an extended aeration activated sludge process in a meat processing wastewater treatment plant were estimated using a new developed approach based on the IPCC method. On-site emissions were regarded as the emissions related to the biochemical treatment process and microbial activity in the wastewater. On-site emissions were estimated from organic materials removal from wastewater and microbial mass activity. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were considered as pollutant resources of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), respectively. Off-site emission was estimated from electricity consumption, chemical use and the sludge stabilization process. This paper aimed to determine and reduce on-site and off-site emissions for the extended aeration process in an industrial wastewater treatment plant. Modification of operating conditions was applied to reduce GHG emissions. The results revealed that electricity consumption was the major source of the greenhouse gas emissions for this process with a value of 6,002.77 kg CO2e/d. The minimization of total GHG emissions reached up to 17.1% by modifying the treatment process conditions.

scholarly journals Minimizing greenhouse gas emissions of an industrial wastewater treatment plant in terms of water–energy nexus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Yapıcıoğlu ◽  
Özlem Demir
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Water Energy Nexus

AbstractIn this paper, (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions of an industrial wastewater treatment plant were monitored. GHG emissions originated from treatment processes were considered as the direct emissions and determined using closed chamber method. GHG emission due to energy consumption was regarded as the indirect emissions. In the second stage of the study, it was aimed to reduce GHG emissions in terms of water–energy nexus. If the plant is operated under design conditions, energy consumption would be lower according to water–energy nexus. Also, the effect of design conditions on GHG emissions was investigated. Firstly, the correlation was defined between GHG emissions and operational parameters in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and wastewater flow rate using Monte Carlo simulation. Then, design COD and wastewater flow rate were simulated to determine the possible GHG emission for each month. The simulation results show that minimization of GHG emissions might be possible if wastewater plant is operated under design conditions. The minimum greenhouse gas emission in the result of the simulation study is 8.25 kg CO2-eq/d if the plant is operated under design COD and flow rate. Total reduction in GHG emissions is approximately 30% if the plant is operated under design conditions.

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