Journal
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Volume 97, Issue -, Pages 38-46Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.07.029
Keywords
Anaerobic digestion; Fugitive emissions; Greenhouse gas emissions; Tracer gas dispersion; Carbon footprint assessment
Categories
Funding
- Danish Energy Agency
- COWI foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Methane losses from biogas plants are problematic, since they contribute to global warming and thus reduce the environmental benefits of biogas production. Total losses of methane from 23 biogas plants were measured by applying a tracer gas dispersion method to assess the magnitude of these emissions. The investigated biogas plants varied in terms of size, substrates used and biogas utilisation. Methane emission rates varied between 2.3 and 33.5 kg CH4 h(-1), and losses expressed in percentages of production varied between 0.4 and 14.9%. The average emission rate was 10.4 kg CH4 h(-1), and the average loss was 4.6%. Methane losses from the larger biogas plants were generally lower compared to those from the smaller facilities. In general, methane losses were higher from wastewater treatment biogas plants (7.5% in average) in comparison to agricultural biogas plants (2.4% in average). In essence, methane loss may constitute the largest negative environmental impact on the carbon footprint of biogas production. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available