BE24201 - Methane Emissions from Anaerobic Digestion

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is appointing a Contractor to collect evidence on mitigation measures and good practice around plant design and operation for both point and area methane emission sources informing criteria for sustainable AD growth in the UK.

Biomethane is a crucial fuel to address the energy trilemma of energy decarbonisation, security and affordability, playing a crucial role in the UK's transition to net zero. It aids in decarbonizing sectors such as heat, transport, and power, and the anaerobic digestion (AD) that yields biomethane is recognised as a recycling activity that contributes to a circular economy. Current projections published within DESNZ Biomass Strategy suggest that a significant increase in biomethane production to 30-40 TWh by 2050, would help the UK to cost-effectively meet Net Zero targets. However, fugitive methane emissions from AD sites pose significant sustainability challenges, highlighting the need for improved operational practices to foster sustainable AD growth in the UK.

The specific objectives to fulfil that aim are:

1. To define good practices in relation to asset selection, operation and maintenance that result in minimisation of point-source methane emissions in AD sites, and capture expected wider environmental and public health impacts of these practices.

2. To inform methane slip from biogas upgrading technologies common in the UK.

3. To capture previous evidence and field data on the efficacy of established and emerging abatement strategies for area emissions, and capture expected wider environmental and public health impacts of these strategies.

4. To identify critical gaps in knowledge to abate point source and area source methane emissions in UK AD sites, suggesting recommendations for addressing them.