Autor(es): Tiago, Gonçalo A. O. ; Rodrigo, Naresh P. B. ; Lourinho, Gonçalo ; Lopes, Tiago ; Gírio, Francisco
Data: 2025
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.9/4451
Origem: Repositório do LNEG
Assunto(s): Biomethane; Production; Biomass gasification; Syngas methanation; Life cycle assessment
ABSTRACT: Fossil fuels drive global warming, necessitating renewable alternatives such as biomethane (or renewable natural gas). Biomethane, primarily produced through anaerobic digestion (AD), offers a cleaner energy solution but is limited by the slow AD process. Biomass gasification followed by syngas methanation has emerged as a faster alternative. This review examines advancements in these processes over the last decade (2015–2024), focusing on techno-economic and life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. Techno-economic analyses reveal that biomethane production costs are influenced by several factors, including process complexity, feedstock type and the scale of production. Smaller gasification units tend to exhibit higher capital costs (CAPEX) per MW capacity, while feedstock choice and process efficiency play significant roles in determining overall production costs. LCA studies highlight higher impacts for gasification and methanation due to energy demands and associated emissions. However, integrating renewable hydrogen production through electrolysis, along with innovations such as sorption-enhanced gasification (SEG), can enhance overall system efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. This review critically evaluates the technical and economic challenges, along with the opportunities for optimizing biomethane production, and discusses the potential for these technologies to contribute to sustainable bioenergy solutions in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
