Biogas in Europe: Food and Beverage (FAB) Waste Potential for Biogas Production

The aim of this paper was to give an overview of the biogas market in five countries (Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Poland) and to compare the potential of renewable energy sources from the food and beverage (FAB) industry waste. The objective included the identification of the production of biogas from organic waste and the untapped potential of organic waste in various industries of FAB and to specify non-technological barriers that hinder development and use of renewable energy potential in each mentioned country. Therefore, an evaluation of the most important FAB waste streams was carried out, to calculate the biogas production potential. The map depicting the existing FAB waste streams was prepared. As the data shows, the biogas market is growing, despite the often unfavorable conditions. Difficulties in obtaining all of the necessary permits and too complex administrative and legal procedures are the main barriers that hamper the development of the biogas market. In fact, the biggest bottlenecks were too many formal requirements and financial barriers. The biggest methane potential of 680 million m(3) of CH4/year was calculated for FAB waste generated by 13 127 FAB companies in France. The main four branches of FAB industry generating waste being a suitable substrates for biogas production are dairy, meat, brewing, and fruit and vegetable processing industries. As clear from the research, more and more industrial organic waste is used in biogas plants, replacing the most popular but expensive maize silage.