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An Approach to Compare the Air Quality, Climate and Economic Impacts of Biogas Management Technologies
Citation:
Kosusko, Mike, R. Williams, L. Moreno, AND C. Ely. An Approach to Compare the Air Quality, Climate and Economic Impacts of Biogas Management Technologies. Air & Waste Management Association Annual Conference and Exhibition - 2015, Raleigh, NC, June 21 - 25, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
Organic waste managers and regulators alike lack sufficient information about the overall environmental and economic performance of available biogas management technologies. Research is needed to fill these knowledge gaps by comparing different biogas management technologies for air quality, greenhouse gas, and economic impacts. A more complete understanding of the environmental and economic performance of biogas-to-energy technologies will allow state and local governments, regulators, and potential project developers to identify geographically appropriate and cost-effective biogas management options. This research will provide all parties with a more comprehensive understanding of each technology’s environmental and economic costs, enabling more sites to be permitted. It will further EPA’s regional priorities, including waste reduction, renewable energy development, climate change mitigation, and improved air and water quality. Potential project developers will use these data to make more informed choices about which technologies to pursue. These combined benefits will assist biogas technologies in reaching their market potential, and will help states meet their renewable and low-carbon energy commitments. Although this project was initiated in California and has particular relevance to the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Quality Management Districts, the results will be directly transferable to other regions of the country as well as internationally.
Description:
Anaerobically digested organic waste (e.g. manure, sewage, and municipal solid waste) produces biogas, a source of renewable energy. A recent analysisindicates that the technical resource in California could produce nearly 93 billion cubic feet per year of biomethane from available digestible material (Table1) (1). The availability and use of this gas could reduce almost 16 MMT CO2e/yr in California by displacing fossil fuels (2) (3). Currently, many biogasproducers (e.g. dairies, wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF), and landfills) generate electricity on-site with internal combustion engines andmicroturbines, which emit ozone-forming criteria pollutants [i.e. nitrogen oxides (NOx)]. The majority of California’s dairies, WWTFs, and landfills arelocated in ozone non-attainment air basins where strict regulation of criteria pollutants complicates permitting. Unable to invest in costly capitalimprovements needed to meet permit requirements, many facilities flare their biogas, and some have shut down biogas-to-energy projects altogether.Innovative alternatives such as natural gas pipeline injection, fuel cells, and the use of biogas as a vehicular fuel can achieve cross-media environmentalbenefits. However, organic waste managers and regulators alike lack sufficient information about the overall environmental and economic performance ofavailable biogas management technologies. Research is needed to fill these knowledge gaps. A more complete understanding of the environmental andeconomic performance of biogas-to-energy technologies will allow state and local governments, regulators, and potential project developers to identifygeographically-appropriate and cost-effective biogas management options. To evaluate economic and environmental performance, this research analyzesvarious criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, and costs associated with several biogas management technologies. The analysis draws uponwell-established data and literature as well as information from on-going biogas-to-energy projects. The hypothesis is that each biogas managementapproach has different economic and environmental effects; these varying effects make each approach more or less applicable for different policyenvironments and fuel inputs. This paper will discuss the data gathering and analysis process used for this effort. It will also provide a preliminary results(i.e. a side-by-side comparison of biogas management technologies from different biogas sources based on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, andoperational readiness.