TITLE:
The Current Status, Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of the Australian Biogas Sector
AUTHORS:
Tien Ngo, Andrew S. Ball, Esmaeil Shahsavari
KEYWORDS:
Anaerobic Digestion, Biogas Sector, Biogas, Methane, Renewable Energy, GHG Emission, GHG Saving
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems,
Vol.11 No.1,
March
8,
2021
ABSTRACT: Anaerobic
digestion technology provides a new approach to treat organic waste while
generating greenhouse gas (GHG) savings. Moreover, the
methane gas produced during the process can be used to generate electricity. In order to ensure that Australia stays on its
trajectory towards a carbon neutral future, the use of anaerobic digestion technology to treat its abundant organic
waste streams should be considered. Thirty million tonnes (Mt) of organic waste was produced in 2017. The use of
anaerobic digestion to treat 1 tonne of waste could result in 0.143 tonne of
CO2-e in GHG savings. In contrast, other more widely employed waste
disposal methods such as landfilling, composting and incineration may generate GHG emissions. Additionally, the use
of methane for electricity production also generates the least GHG emissions
per MWh. This is approximately 3 times
lower than crude oil, 4 times lower than black coal and 5 times lower than brown coal. However, the adoption and
implementation of anaerobic digestion technology in Australia face several
immediate constraints. Firstly, anaerobic digestion technology is deemed
unprofitable, incurring high initial
capital cost, operating costs and extremely long payback periods. Secondly, there is a lack of government support
in terms of a national target for biogas production via anaerobic digestion.
This review will provide an in-depth analysis into the current state of the Australian biogas sector. In addition, the review discusses the opportunities to make
anaerobic digestion technology more financially viable and to accelerate the
growth of the Australian biogas sector.