Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Electricity from Biogas Produced by Anaerobic Digestion
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2016
Citazione:
Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Electricity from Biogas Produced by Anaerobic Digestion / A. Fusi, J. Bacenetti, M. Fiala, A. Azapagic. - In: FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. - ISSN 2296-4185. - 4(2016 Mar), pp. 26.1-26.17. [10.3389/fbioe.2016.00026]
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to evaluate life cycle environmental impacts associated with
the generation of electricity from biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion (AD) of
agricultural products and waste. Five real plants in Italy were considered, using maize
silage, slurry, and tomato waste as feedstocks and cogenerating electricity and heat; the
latter is not utilized. The results suggest that maize silage and the operation of anaerobic
digesters, including open storage of digestate, are the main contributors to the impacts
of biogas electricity. The system that uses animal slurry is the best option, except for
the marine and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results also suggest that it is environmentally
better to have smaller plants using slurry and waste rather than bigger installations,
which require maize silage to operate efficiently. Electricity from biogas is environmentally
more sustainable than grid electricity for seven out of 11 impacts considered. However,
in comparison with natural gas, biogas electricity is worse for seven out of 11 impacts.
It also has mostly higher impacts than other renewables, with a few exceptions, notably
solar photovoltaics. Thus, for the AD systems and mesophilic operating conditions considered
in this study, biogas electricity can help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
relative to a fossil-intensive electricity mix; however, some other impacts increase. If
mitigation of climate change is the main aim, other renewables have a greater potential
to reduce GHG emissions. If, in addition to this, other impacts are considered, then
hydro, wind, and geothermal power are better alternatives to biogas electricity. However,
utilization of heat would improve significantly its environmental sustainability, particularly
global warming potential, summer smog, and the depletion of abiotic resources and the
ozone layer. Further improvements can be achieved by banning open digestate storage
to prevent methane emissions and regulating digestate spreading onto land to minimize
emissions of ammonia and related environmental impacts.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
agricultural waste; anaerobic digestion; biogas; electricity; life cycle assessment; renewable energy
Elenco autori:
A. Fusi, J. Bacenetti, M. Fiala, A. Azapagic
Link alla scheda completa: