Biogas Sector Research Articles

Challenges, Opportunities, and possible Interventions in the Biogas sector in Rural areas of Limpopo, South Africa

Biogas technology offers a sustainable and eco-friendly solution for addressing energy needs, particularly in rural areas. Despite its potential benefits, the adoption of biogas technology in rural Limpopo, South Africa, remains limited. This paper critically examines the factors hindering its uptake. Using an exploratory approach (Qualitative study), data were gathered through interview guide, field surveys, literature reviews, and expert opinions. The analysis indicates that while biogas is a superior thermal option for household energy crises, several challenges need resolution. Key obstacles include ineffective strategies for promoting biogas in Limpopo. Understanding stakeholder perspectives—such as government bodies, local communities, and private enterprises—is crucial for developing strategies to increase biogas use. Necessary interventions include training, capacity-building, and educational awareness initiatives in rural areas to boost adoption. The financial sector's role in renewable energy is critical, especially as cleaner fuels gain attention. Despite its significant benefits in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing household energy security, biogas technology's acceptance and use remain low.

Policy risks in the biogas sector – the case of Sweden

Policy is decisive to stimulate biogas expansion; but policy-related factors may also inhibit the development. This study explores policy risks in the Swedish biogas sector and identifies strategies to mitigate these risks. The study is based on three workshops and a survey with participation of biogas stakeholders. The findings reveal that two major policy risks significantly impact the Swedish biogas sector: the ‘lack of long-term strategies’ and the ‘long and complicated permitting processes.’ ‘Limitations of permitted feedstocks’ and ‘limited system perspective—benefits of circular economy and sustainable food system’ are also among the most probable risks. More clearly defined roles for authorities at different administrative levels and the promotion of life cycle perspectives are critical to mitigate these risks. The research emphasizes that both EU and national governments play vital roles in reducing policy risks through predictable and long-term biogas strategies. Without these interventions, the potential of the Swedish biogas sector may remain underutilized.

Joint venture offer: should Agastya accept or decline?

Learning outcomes This case study is designed to enable students to understand the demand for flexible containment products in India, understand the need for a joint venture (JV) with an international company, assess Agastya Inventions Private Limited’s (AIPL) cost and benefits of acceptance of the JV offer, evaluate the growth possibilities in the Indian biogas sector, and conduct the valuation of AIPL for its better positioning during the JV deal. Case overview/synopsis The case study is about the dilemma faced by Prantik Sinha, co-founder and director of Indian company AIPL, to accept or decline a JV offer from a French industrial conglomerate Serge Ferrari Group SA (SFG). AIPL is a leading manufacturer and trader of biogas storage tanks, water storage tanks, airlifting bags, floating boom barriers, trash floating boom barriers and inflatable swimming pools. The company adopts business-to-business and direct-to-customer business models. It develops products as per clients’ specifications and their exact requirements. In 2022, SFG proposed collaborating with AIPL to market its biogas digesters in India and abroad. As per the partnership deal, AIPL needed to split its biogas digester portfolio and sell it to the proposed JV for a specific one-time value. Sinha believed that the JV was an opportunity to scale the business globally and would likely shape the company’s future. However, he was in a quandary about making a final decision on accepting the JV offer because biogas digesters remained the company’s highest revenue-generating product portfolio. It was against this backdrop, what would Sinha do to accomplish his business objective and protect the interest of the company? The case study highlights Sinha’s commitment to nurture and expand AIPL’s business in India and beyond. It provides ample scope for students to analyze the pros and cons of AIPL’s JV initiative with SFG and suggest whether the company can leverage this offer for business growth. Complexity academic level This case study is meant for MBA-level students as part of their strategic management and financial management curriculum. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and finance

Strategy for Circularity Enhancement in Bioeconomy Sector: A Case Study from Biogas Sector of Nepal

Strategy for Circularity Enhancement in Bioeconomy Sector: A Case Study from Biogas Sector of Nepal

Biogas Production Optimization in the Anaerobic Codigestion Process: A Critical Review on Process Parameters Modeling and Simulation Tools

Many operational parameters, either discretely or collectively, can influence the biodegradation performance towards enhancing biogas yield and quality. Among the operating parameters, organic loading rate (OLR), inoculum-substrate ratio, and carbon-nitrogen ratio (C/N) are the most critical parameters in the optimization and enhancement of biogas yield. Optimization of the biogas production processes depends on the ability of anaerobic microorganisms to respond to variations in operational parameters such as pH, redox potential, and intermediate products to enhance the biogas yield. This review article focuses on the role of process parameters, kinetic models, artificial intelligence, Aspen Plus (AP), and anaerobic digestion model no. 1 (ADM1) in optimizing biogas yield via an anaerobic codigestion (AcoD) process. The review showed that biomaterials codigestion upgraded biogas yield to the extent of 400%, and organic removal efficiency reached up to 90% compared to a single substrate. In addition, the current work has verified that the kinetic model is the most effective tool for signifying that the hydrolysis phase is the rate-limiting step, whereas AP is the most effective tool in the design and optimization of the AcoD process parameters. The reviewed kinetic and AI models show strong correlation values ranging from 0.931 to 0.9991 and 0.8700 to 0.9998, respectively. The AcoD system involves complex chemical reactions, but AP might have limitations in representing such complex chemical processes with nonideal behavior and complicated reaction mechanisms. The design and optimization of AcoD with reliable input parameters are highly limited or nonexistent. The AcoD process design with AP opens fresh research opportunities, including improved efficiency, finding appropriate retention time, and saving time, as well as finding the optimum biogas yield. This review article gives an insightful understanding of AcoD process parameter optimization and valuable strategies for policy development enhancing sustainability in the biogas sector.

Retraction Note: Economic development, social media awareness, and technological innovation in biogas sector under climate change in the post-COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

Retraction Note: Economic development, social media awareness, and technological innovation in biogas sector under climate change in the post-COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

Debt Sustainability Assessment in the Biogas Sector: Application of Interest Coverage Ratios in a Sample of Agricultural Firms in Italy

The biogas sector in Europe and Italy is attracting growing investment, combining agricultural activity, the circular economy, and renewable energy production. Firms in the sector widely use debt capital and, for this reason, there is a need to evaluate the structure of investments, financing, and debt service capacity calculated by applying interest coverage ratios (ICRs). ICRs are widely used by banks in granting loans, and calculation of ICRs allows managers and policy makers to correctly evaluate firms’ performance in the sector. In this research, based on a sample of 160 observations, the structure of investments and sources of financing of firms in the biogas sector, operating in northern Italy, are analyzed. ICRs are calculated with different approaches to establish which ICRs provide the most reliable results in the application. The research analyzes the correlations and highlights significant differences between ICRs. The research highlights some important findings: (a) the NWC is negative in 109 out of 160 observations and, therefore, constitutes a source of financing in the majority of observations; (b) ICRs based on EBITDA and CF are above the threshold value of “1” in 143 and 145 observations, respectively, while ICRs based on EBIT, OCF, and UFCF are above the threshold value of “1” in 132, 133, and 122 observations, respectively. The research allows the conclusion that the ICRs based on EBITDA and CF tend to overestimate results; ICRs based on EBIT, OCF and UFCF are preferable, and can therefore be applied by managers, banks, and policy makers and be used as debt covenants. For the calculation of the repayment of the NFP, the research has highlighted that ICRs in which the cost of the debt is deducted from the numerator are preferable. The research can thus be usefully applied and expanded to other territories, or by considering a larger sample with the aim of inferring conclusions of general validity.

Harnessing Biogas in India: A Sustainable Pathway for Sustainable Energy Development

The review underscores the pivotal role of the Indian biogas sector in addressing the challenges posed by inadequate sanitation practices, exploring how the biogas sector is a potentially transformative force for waste management and energy production. Decentralized biogas facilities utilizing various organic materials, including agricultural waste, kitchen waste, organic industrial waste, sewage sludge, and floral waste, have reshaped rural landscapes. These facilities electrify remote villages, benefiting over 5 million residents and reducing energy expenses by 40%. Critically, these efforts preserve vital ecosystems, exemplified by the rejuvenation of 10,000 hectares of mangroves in the Sundarbans, sequestering an impressive 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. Innovative technologies, such as the anaerobic digestion process and advanced biogas production systems featuring improved gas purification techniques, two-stage digesters, and optimized feedstock mixtures, play a crucial role in this sustainability journey. These advancements boost biogas yields by 20%. Importantly, byproducts like digestate are efficiently upcycled into 500 Mt of high-quality biofertilizers annually, significantly enhancing crop yield, particularly wheat and maize, by 15%. Moreover, the transformative impact extends to environmental sustainability by converting digestate into 1,000 Mt of biodegradable plastics, leading to a 30% reduction in traditional plastics usage. Government support and well-crafted policies have been instrumental, with subsidies driving the adoption of biogas digesters in 50,000 households, creating 5,000 jobs, and reducing methane emissions by 2 MMt annually. Biogas catalyzes integrated sustainability, accompanying cleaner environments, improved livelihoods, and resilient ecosystems by harmonizing sanitation, energy, and ecosystem preservation.

Entrepreneurial Success Model: Evidence from Bagmati Province in Nepal

Entrepreneurial Success Model: Evidence from Bagmati Province in Nepal

Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Swedish Biogas Sector

With a growing population, the world requires solutions that provide energy, waste management, transportation, and nutrient recovery in a sustainable manner. Biogas is a local system solution that can fill these needs and make society more self-sufficient. In an increasingly uncertain world, forthcoming crises and external economic pressure will affect industries, including biogas, and lead to higher risk. To manage these uncertainties and to create resilience, knowledge needs to be gathered on how industries providing system solution, such as the biogas industry, are affected by crises. The Covid-19 pandemic offers the possibility to analyse the effects of a global crisis in real-time. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects the covid-19 pandemic had on the production, distribution, and demand of biogas in Sweden. Ten semi-structured interviews were carried out with different actors in the biogas value chain. Some key findings in the result include continued availability of substrate for biogas production but with a changed composition, increased demand for biofertilizer and small-scale production of biogas, and disturbances in biogas related policies. The underlying factors contributing to these effects can be attributed to pandemic related restrictions, disturbances in logistical chains, increased energy prices and political factors. The lessons learned are that the biogas industry should try to be decoupled from policies and review the resilience of the supply chains. If this is managed, biogas is a way forward for providing waste management, transportation fuel and nutrient recovery while facilitating the transition towards self-sufficient and sustainable societies with resilience against global crises.

A review on recent technological breakthroughs in anaerobic digestion of organic biowaste for biogas generation: Challenges towards sustainable development goals

Biogas production by anaerobic digestion is a potential technique for waste management and reduce carbon footprint. Heat capacity and fuel efficiency of biogas make it as an interesting alternative to the depleting nonrenewable fuels. The full potential of anaerobic digestion is not realized yet due to operational difficulties, government policies and people acceptance. This review focuses on the bottle necks in the biogas production technology and highlights some of the recent technology that can be adopted to achieve circular economy in biogas sector. In a waste to energy perspective, the presence of recalcitrant lignocelluloses in the available biowaste is discussed. Various pretreatment techniques used to convert these recalcitrant materials to suit anaerobic digestion are compared. Microalgal culture techniques for waste treatment and biogas upgradation are seen as a promising strategy towards clean energy. In many cases the impurities present in the biogas limit its usage. Hence, more emphasis for biogas upgradation by adopting advanced methods like facilitated transport in a nanocellulose membrane is needed. Implementation of biogas as an alternative to fossil fuels has both technological and policy related barriers. Biogas helps to attain sustainability development goals proposed by the United Nations. This review discusses the technological aspects of biogas production alongside the application of biogas to attain sustainability in the fuel sector. In various sections, we highlight the technical difficulties in biogas production, solutions for those problems, and potential of biogas technology in achieving sustainable goals.

Addressing Challenges and Outcomes in the Biogas Sector: An Analysis of Efficiency, Economic Savings, and Environmental Impacts Using an Advanced SWOT Model

This study, through the use of company data, offers an in-depth analysis of the current situation and future prospects of biogas plants and how they can promote economic advantages and environmental benefits. The geographical context of the Piana del Sele (Salerno, Italy) was chosen on the basis of objective criteria, including its relevance in the agro-industrial sector and the availability of accurate and reliable company data that was collected through IT systems, including software business performance monitoring and digital data analysis. This choice was fundamental to guaranteeing the validity and representativeness of our analyses and results. From a methodological point of view, mathematical formulas and algorithms were used, which allowed the calculation of the biogas producibility indices by type of biomass as well as the quantification of the effluents produced to then estimate the quantification of the biogas and the interconnected economic savings. Furthermore, this study uses the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) approach in an innovative way by integrating renewable energy communities into it. The aim is to demonstrate the potential of biogas plants and how energy communities can transform weaknesses and threats into opportunities. The results show that the integration of biogas plants into the farm environment offers considerable potential, and although it is a challenge for small and medium-sized farms, it could bring energy self-sufficiency and economic surplus. Furthermore, the integration of renewable energy communities would be able to promote the diversification of energy supply and transform weaknesses and threats into opportunities.

Biogas as sustainable approach for social uplift in South East Asian Region

The Asian region has rich agricultural resources that can be utilized for clean biogas technology. Few countries in Asia, namely China and Nepal, have developed policies and technologies for the biogas sector. Whereas Pakistan, a major agricultural country, cannot tap the bio-energy from the agriculture sector. This study aims to present a comprehensive policy analysis across different countries to identify the obstacles that impede the growth of the biogas sector in Pakistan. The research thoroughly reviews the most recent literature and policy documents and engages with stakeholders to gather their feedback on policy formulation. While most renewable energy policies predominantly focus on photovoltaic and wind energy resources, they tend to overlook the utilization of the available bioresources. Further, the absence of banking and microfinance institutions (MFIs) hampers the smooth flow of funds between donor agencies and farmers/end-users, which has proven to be a key factor for success in Nepal and China.

Post-synthetic ligand exchange as a route to improve the affinity of ZIF-67 towards CO2

The Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework 67 (ZIF-67) is a highly promising material owing to its exceptional thermal stability, large specific surface area, cost-effectiveness, and versatile applications. One of the potential applications of ZIF-67 is gas separation processes, among which the separation of CO2/CH4 mixtures has attracted great interest nowadays in the biogas sector. However, when it comes to CO2/CH4 separation, ZIF-67 falls short as it lacks the desired selectivity despite its high adsorption capacity. This limitation arises from its relatively low affinity towards CO2. In this study, we have addressed this issue by partially exchanging the ligand of ZIF-67, specifically replacing 2-methylimidazole with 1,2,4 (1H) triazole, which introduces an additional nitrogen atom. This modification resulted in ZIF-67 showing significantly enhanced affinity towards CO2 and, as a result, greater selectivity towards CO2 over CH4. The modified materials underwent thorough characterization using various techniques, and their adsorption capacity was evaluated through high-pressure adsorption isotherms. Furthermore, their separation performance was assessed using the Ideal Solution Adsorption Theory, which provided valuable insights into their potential for efficient gas separation.

Microalgae and biogas: a boon to energy sector.

The global energy generation market immensely depends on fossil fuels which balances our survival on this planet. Energy can be called as the "master element" for our daily needs, starting from household power supply, agricultural purpose, automobile and transportation, industrial workload to economic and research domains. Fuel switching initiatives are being adapted by environmentalist and scientists to bring a novel sustainable source of energy. An environment and renewable alternative to fossil fuels are a must. Over the years, the world has shifted toward generating green fuels immensely. One such potential alternative to fossil fuels are biogases. Being versatile and renewable in nature, it has drawn immense attention globally. Despite having such potentials there exist some major drawbacks which mainly deal with the starting material. One such source for biogases can be microalgae. Microalgae based biogas production can produce huge amount of energy and that has been implemented by many foreign countries and their companies. Despite being in use in many countries, there are issues which needs to be addressed which will overall improve the biogas potential from microalgae even more. This review mainly focuses on generation of biogas from microalgae as a feedstock which are very economical and sustainable in its nature, presenting improvement strategies which can be impended to boost the over biogas sector globally.

Biogas-based systems: An opportunity towards a post-fossil and circular economy perspective in Italy

This study adopts a life cycle approach to analyse the principal critical elements, opportunities and limits of biogas production's socio-economic aspects and environmental implications. From this perspective, the biogas supply chain sustainability and the opportunity for a closed-loop approach have been assessed starting from existing studies. The analysis revealed that the biogas sector could play a strategic role in making energy systems more resilient in a context characterised by sudden changes, such as the current scenario. In particular, the research is focused on this sector's potential to support the energy transition in Italy, which presents a structural vulnerability related to fossil resource scarcity. The paper contributes to the literature on the sustainable assessment of the biogas supply chain and paves the way for future researchers to understand the complex issues involved in the biogas sector sustainable development process. Furthermore, it provides policy, managerial and social implications, showing that the complete diffusion of biogas – a renewable, scalable and flexible resource – can foster security and decarbonisation of the energy system. It can also create new business opportunities at the local level, promoting a circular and bio-based economy.

Biogas Valorisation to Biomethane for Commercialisation in South Africa: A Review

Biogas consists of mainly methane, as a source of energy, and impurities such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, water, and siloxanes. These impurities, such as hydrogen sulphide, reduce the biogas energy content and corrode equipment that store, transport, or utilise biogas. Several reviews on upgrading biogas to biomethane have been published, but minimal focus has been put on upgrading biogas for commercialisation in South Africa. Thus, this study reviewed biogas upgrading techniques in South Africa to put together information on activities and experiences on biogas valorisation to enhance the chances for different stakeholders to learn and build on from local experiences. To capture all relevant information, literature from the past 10 years was retrieved from online databases and government, municipality, and companies’ websites and institutional repositories. The review covered the sorption, separation, and in situ techniques that are globally used for upgrading biogas. The status of the biogas sector and the upgrading activities that occur in the country with their cost, energy, and environmental impacts were given in detail. It is estimated that a total of 3 million Nm3d−1 of biogas can be produced in the country from biogas substrates. Thus, researchers and entrepreneurs are encouraged to collaborate to utilise the abundant resources used for biogas production to enhance the commercialisation of biomethane.

Economic development, social media awareness, and technological innovation in biogas sector under climate change in the post-COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

After COVID-19, financing for emerging nation reserves in renewable energy bases was deemed a crucial aspect of sustainable development. Investing in biogas energy plants can be highly beneficial for lowering the use of fossil fuels. Using a survey of shareholders, investors, biogas energy professionals, and active social media participants in Pakistan, this study evaluates the intentions of individual investors to invest in biogas energy plants. The primary purpose of this study is to increase investment intent for biogas energy projects following COVID-19. This study focuses on financing biogas energy plants in the post-COVID-19 era and evaluates the research's assumptions using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study employed the technique of purposive sampling to acquire data for this investigation. The results indicate that attitudes, perceived biogas energy benefits, perceived investment attitudes, and supervisory structure evaluations inspire one's propensity to finance biogas vitality plant efforts. The study found a link between eco-friendly responsiveness, monetary benefits, and investors' actions. The aspiration of investors to mark such reserves was set up to be unpretentious by their risk aversion. Conferring to the facts, evaluating the monitoring structure is the critical factor. The previous studies on investment behavior and other forms of pro-environmental intent and action yielded contradictory results. In addition, the regulatory environment was evaluated to see how the theory of planned behavior (TPB) affects financiers' objectives to participate in biogas power plants. The consequences of the study indicate that feelings of pride and discernment of energy expansively affect people's desire to invest in biogas plants. Biogas energy efficacy has little effect on investors' decisions to invest in biogas energy plants. This study offers policymakers practical ideas on enhancing investments in biogas energy plants.

The Raw Material Base of Bio-Waste from Processing as an Opportunity for the Development of the Biogas Sector in Poland

Given the current geopolitical situation, as well as ongoing climate change, immediate action is imperative to develop sustainable energy production capacities and circular bioeconomy chains. The biogas sector, including 3rd generation biogas plants, can respond to intensive development pace ensuring sustainable energy production with lower carbon footprint. This is true for Poland, which has a highly developed agricultural and food production sector but a limited number of biogas plants and no biomethane production facilities. In this study, our objective is to support evidence-based policy advice by providing spatial analysis of bio-waste production potential in Poland. For this purpose, data was extracted from the so-called Waste Database (Polish: Baza Danych o Odpadach - BDO) and presented on district (powiat) level. Spatial and Geographical Information System (GIS) was applied to allocate waste resource potential for Poland related to national and regional development of biogas sector in the country. Thus the functioning of a system for the registration of waste data, including bio-waste from processing, is an outcome to demonstrate available resource availability per each manufacturing sector. Results indicate that Poland does have a quantitative and qualitative bio-waste potential for biogas production. Most of the bio-waste is not treated in the districts where it is generated. Having knowledge of the geographical distribution of the feedstock supply and demand, together with the use of other substrates, we can provide valuable information for the development of the biogas sector at regional and national level.

An integrated energy recovery system for productive biogas applications: Continuous mode operation and assessment

The application of biogas as a renewable energy source continues to face competition from conventional energy sources, which are readily available and seemingly cheap. In addition, productive biogas system deployments in Uganda are currently facing challenges related to sustainability of biogas production, which has led to massive dis-adoption in recent years. These systems have failed to utilize alternatives during scarcity of primary feedstock due to lack technical data for energy recovery, which could be linked to insufficient R&D in the biogas sector. Relatedly, global scientific research has placed focus mostly on methane yield improvements through optimization of anaerobic digestion kinetics on lab-scale, with little focus on the enabling environment for these kinetics to thrive in continuously operated systems.This study therefore aimed to develop an integrated energy recovery system that enables alteration of feedstock and control of digester operating parameters for sustainable biogas production in continuously fed digesters. An array of system components was developed and integrated into a state-of-art energy recovery system, which was prototyped and deployed in real working environment for pilot studies. The system was configured to measure the moisture content of the feedstock and then determine and display to the operator the amount of water to be added to optimize the quality of the substrate. The system also monitors the digester operating parameters and prompts corrective action to prevent possible inhibition of biogas production process. Results show that the system is about 33% more efficient than the conventional one, allows alteration of feedstocks, and can be deployed to replace conventional energy usage for productive applications. For instance, a poultry farm with 10,000 commercial layers may have its energy needs be met 100% by the proposed system with a pay-back period of 4.5 years for deep liter system and 3.7 years for battery cage system.