RE-SOURCE LAB, Laboratory for BioResource Recovery, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links-653, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
RE-SOURCE LAB, Laboratory for BioResource Recovery, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links-653, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
J Environ Manage. 2023 Oct 15;344:118538. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118538. Epub 2023 Jul 4.
The Russo-Ukrainian war has highlighted concerns regarding the European Union's (EU) energy security, given its heavy dependence on Russian natural gas for electricity and heating. The RePowerEU initiative addresses this challenge by targeting a significant increase in biomethane production (up to 35 billion m by 2030) to replace natural gas, aligning with the EU methane strategy's emission reduction and air quality improvement goals. However, the use of energy crops as biogas feedstock has raised land-use concerns, necessitating a policy shift towards alternative sources such as agro-residues, livestock manure, and sewage sludge. This study investigates the environmental impacts of using roadside grass clippings (RG) as an alternative feedstock for biogas production, focusing on selected regions in Northwest Europe (Belgium, Netherlands). The aim is to evaluate the environmental performance of RG as a mono- or co-substrate for biogas production, comparing it to the current practice of composting. Additionally, the study assesses the environmental impacts associated with biogas end-use in these regions. The results indicate that co-digestion of RG with pig manure offers a more environmentally friendly alternative compared to mono-digestion of RG or the existing composting practice. This finding is primarily attributed to the avoided emissions resulting from conventional pig manure management. Furthermore, in terms of climate change impacts concerning biogas end-use, the study identifies that combined heat and power (CHP) systems are preferable to biomethane recovery in regions with a natural gas-based electricity mix. However, for reducing fossil resource use, biomethane recovery emerges as the preferred option. By providing insights into the environmental performance of RG as a biogas feedstock and evaluating the impacts of different biogas end-use options, this study offers insights to policymakers for the development of sustainable energy strategies in Northwest Europe.
俄乌战争凸显了人们对欧盟能源安全的担忧，因为欧盟在电力和供暖方面严重依赖俄罗斯的天然气。“RepowerEU”倡议旨在应对这一挑战，目标是大幅增加生物甲烷产量（到 2030 年达到 350 亿立方米），以替代天然气，这与欧盟甲烷战略的减排和改善空气质量目标一致。然而，将能源作物用作沼气原料引起了人们对土地利用的关注，因此需要政策转向替代原料，如农业残留物、牲畜粪便和污水污泥。本研究调查了将路边草屑（RG）用作沼气生产替代原料的环境影响，重点关注西北欧（比利时、荷兰）的选定地区。目的是评估 RG 作为沼气生产的单一或共底物的环境性能，将其与当前的堆肥实践进行比较。此外，该研究还评估了这些地区沼气最终用途的环境影响。结果表明，与 RG 单消化或现行堆肥实践相比，RG 与猪粪共消化提供了一种更环保的替代方案。这一发现主要归因于常规猪粪管理避免的排放。此外，就沼气最终用途的气候变化影响而言，研究确定在以天然气为基础的电力组合的地区，热电联产（CHP）系统优于沼气回收。然而，为了减少化石资源的使用，沼气回收成为首选方案。本研究通过提供 RG 作为沼气原料的环境性能的见解，并评估不同沼气最终用途选择的影响，为西北欧的可持续能源战略制定者提供了见解。
