Biogas and Biomethane toward the industrial energy transition

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the 2023 was the hottest year ever : in fact, the global annual average temperature approached 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels, with worrying new monthly records.

With this alarming data in hand, countering the climate change in place and be able to limiting the rise in temperature long term becomes not only necessary, but mandatory for every country: with theParis Agreement, a strategy was indeed established to reduce emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

The ecological and energy transition is thus increasingly seen as an unavoidable goal that must be achieved quickly to avoid incurring incalculable damage to the Planet.

Hence, the need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and to replace fossil fuels with new environmentally friendly renewable energies as soon as possible.

These include biogas and biomethane play an increasingly significant role, especially in sectors where the use of fossil fuels is still very high (such as energy, industry and transport), as they are proving to be a valuable resource because of their reduced impact on territories, their support for the circular economy and the sustainability they promote and foster.

This is a very heartfelt issue at Baglioni, a company that has always considered the environment a need and a value to be safeguarded through concrete actions and strategies that look toward a greener and more sustainable future.

Why Biogas and Biomethane can drive the energy transition

Biogas and biomethane are both classified as renewable gases, that is, fuels produced from a renewable organic feedstock.

The biogas is a gas composed of methane, carbon dioxide, and minute amounts of other gases (hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, and water vapor) obtained through anaerobic digestion, that is, the fermentation, in the absence of oxygen and at a controlled temperature, of substances of organic animal or plant origin (agricultural waste, food waste, municipal solid waste, biomass, etc.) by numerous bacteria.

The Biomethane is a gas that is derived from biogas subjected to upgrading, i.e., the refining and purification process that goes to remove much of the carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and other impurities present, allowing for a gas composed almost entirely of methane (over 98 percent) of a quality very similar to natural gas.

Both are a valuable resource to employ for the energy transition because they are primarily programmable, abundant, and sustainably available renewable sources. Compared with traditional fossil fuels, they emit less carbon dioxide (CO2), their production does not release climate-changing gases into the environment.

In addition, because they are generated from organic waste, they promote thecircular economy and reuse of resources, with enormous environmental benefits and leading to a major decrease in the need for landfilling or incineration and lowering decarbonization costs.

Finally, the use of biogas and biomethane also reduces dependence on nonrenewable energy sources such as oil and natural gas, increasing energy security, control and sustainable management.

Biogas and biomethane, if exploited in the right way and on a large scale, thus provide long-term benefits for the climate, the environment, and the economy.

Applications of Biogas and Biomethane in industry

Biogas can be used directly as an on-site fuel (in the production of electricity and thermal energy) in cogeneration plants in both domestic, industrial and agricultural settings.

Biomethane, having similar chemical composition to natural gas, can be fed into the natural gas grid and used for domestic services or in commercial buildings and farms.

It can also be used to generate electricity in various industrial processes (in stand-alone and hybrid plants) or to generate electricity to be used locally or fed into the national power grid.

In addition, biomethane is also an optimal solution for fueling CNG vehicles, promoting sustainable mobility as it is a cleaner fuel than conventional fuels such as diesel or gasoline.

The importance of harnessing and exploiting alternative energy sources in the industrial world

As with every other sector in existence, industry in particular cannot shy away from making its own contribution in the necessary energy transition through strategies aimed at achieving:

• independence from fossil fuels
• energy saving
• the diversification of energy sources
• research and development of new technologies
• the reduction of emissions

In fact, many sectors are major emitters, first among them electricity and heat production, transportation, agriculture and livestock, and large-scale industry.

Against this backdrop, alternative energy sources represent a resource that must be exploited to the fullest to achieve the required and necessary goals and promote an environmentally friendly future.

Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass are among the major renewable energy sources that energy policies are promoting globally, along with new technologies to enhance these resources and make industry sustainable and eco-friendly.

And while it is true that the adoption of these renewables requires an initial investment, it is also true that in the long run it is more cost-effective than traditional energy sources and that there are now many incentives to push toward the adoption of renewable energy projects.