Assessment of optimal location for a centralized biogas upgrading facility. Issue 3 (May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Havrysh, Valerii; Nitsenko, Vitalii; Bilan, Yuriy; Streimikiene, Dalia
• Is Part Of: Energy & environment. Volume 30:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 462
• Page End: 480
• Publication Date: 2019-05
• Subjects: Biogas transportation -- star layout -- biomethane -- efficiency -- location; Power resources -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Power resources -- Periodicals; Renewable energy sources -- Periodicals; Energy policy -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Ressources énergétiques; Politique énergétique; Energy policy -- Environmental aspects; Power resources; Power resources -- Environmental aspects; Renewable energy sources; Periodicals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1177/0958305X18793110
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-305X

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the volume of biogas produced in the world has been increasing. Biomethane (upgraded biogas) is a more versatile renewable fuel. Biogas transportation from production sites to upgrading facilities induces a scale advantage and an efficiency increase. Therefore, exploration of costs and energy use of biogas transportation using dedicated infrastructure is needed. A mathematical model to determine the optimum location for a certain biogas upgrading plant has been presented. It was developed to describe a local biogas grid that is used to collect biogas from several digesters and to deliver it to a central upgrading point. The model minimizes operational and maintenance costs per volumetric unit of biogas. The results indicate that cooperation between biogas producers in collecting biogas by means of a star layout reduces the cost of biomethane production (investment costs by 22.4–24.8% and operating and maintenance costs by 1.7–10.9% ) relative to using a decentralized method. Merging smaller digesters into a smaller number of larger biogas upgrading plants reduces the biomethane production costs for the same biogas volume source.