An integrated technoeconomic and environmental assessment of biomethane production via anaerobic digestion of food waste in Ireland: Updated insights under market volatility

IF 7 2区工程技术 Q1 ENERGY & FUELS

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Pub Date : 2025-09-05 DOI:10.1016/j.seta.2025.104563

Andrés Martínez-Arce , Wriju Kargupta , Carmen Girón Domínguez , Emmanuel Alepu Odey , Helena McMahon , Jorge Diaz Huerta , Jesko Zimmermann , George Bishop , James Gaffey , David Styles

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Abstract

This study presents an integrated techno-economic and environmental assessment of a biomethane plant in Ireland, processing 50,000 tonnes of food waste annually via anaerobic digestion (AD), according to the National Biomethane Strategy. SuperPro Designer simulation was employed to quantify material and energy flows, supporting a techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA).

The levelized cost of biomethane is estimated at 249 Euro/MWh, 2.9 times the 2019 benchmark, due to high capital (30.3 million Euro) and operational (4.2 million Euro/year) costs driven by inflationary effects caused by external events, such as the war in Ukraine. A biomethane selling price of 111.7 Euro/MWh (household gas price) and gate fees above 69 Euro/tonne are required for breakeven. Unfavourable market conditions would inevitably drive the need for policy supports such as renewable energy incentives or carbon credits to achieve profitability.

The LCA shows a net climate benefit of 46 kgCO₂eq/tonne. Still, under-estimated methane leaks could offset these gains and cause revenue losses over 100,000 Euro/year. Digestate circularity following the Nitrates Directive presents trade-offs depending on the impact category.

This integrated analysis reinforces the economic challenges and environmental potential of biomethane production, offering key insights for advancing Ireland’s circular bioeconomy and renewable energy goals.

Abstract Image

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通过爱尔兰食物垃圾厌氧消化生产生物甲烷的综合技术经济和环境评估：市场波动下的最新见解

根据国家生物甲烷战略，这项研究对爱尔兰的一家生物甲烷工厂进行了综合技术经济和环境评估，该工厂每年通过厌氧消化（AD）处理5万吨食物垃圾。SuperPro Designer模拟用于量化材料和能量流，支持技术经济分析（TEA）和生命周期评估（LCA）。生物甲烷的平化成本估计为249欧元/兆瓦时，是2019年基准成本的2.9倍，原因是乌克兰战争等外部事件造成的通胀影响导致资本（3030万欧元）和运营（420万欧元/年）成本高企。生物甲烷的销售价格必须达到111.7欧元/兆瓦时（家用天然气价格），闸门费必须超过69欧元/吨才能实现收支平衡。不利的市场条件将不可避免地推动对可再生能源激励或碳信用额度等政策支持的需求，以实现盈利。LCA显示净气候效益为每吨46千克二氧化碳当量。然而，低估的甲烷泄漏可能会抵消这些收益，并造成每年超过10万欧元的收入损失。遵循硝酸盐指令的消化循环根据影响类别提出了权衡。这一综合分析强化了生物甲烷生产的经济挑战和环境潜力，为推进爱尔兰的循环生物经济和可再生能源目标提供了关键见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

CiteScore

12.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

1091

期刊介绍： Encouraging a transition to a sustainable energy future is imperative for our world. Technologies that enable this shift in various sectors like transportation, heating, and power systems are of utmost importance. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments welcomes papers focusing on a range of aspects and levels of technological advancements in energy generation and utilization. The aim is to reduce the negative environmental impact associated with energy production and consumption, spanning from laboratory experiments to real-world applications in the commercial sector.