Explorative economic analysis of a novel biogas upgrading technology using carbon mineralization. A case study for Spain

Abstract

This paper studies the potential application of a novel biogas upgrading technology called alkaline with regeneration (AwR). This technology uses an alkaline solution, along with carbon mineralization, to remove and store CO₂ from biogas in order to create biomethane, a substitute of natural gas. Three different applications of biogas were explored for their potential economic benefits along three different biogas generation capabilities of landfills in Spain (250Nm³/h, 1000Nm³/h and 5000Nm³/h). The scenarios include upgrading biogas using AwR and injecting the biomethane into the natural gas grid, or selling the gas as a vehicle fuel. The third reference scenario assessed directly burning the biogas for the production of electricity. The latter showed an annual profit of 0.2-5 million €₂₀₁₂ while upgrading the biogas to obtain biomethane showed an annual loss of 3-50 million €₂₀₁₂. This was due to the operational costs involved in AwR, namely the cost of NaOH (principal reagent) and the treatment of wastewater. Increasing revenue can help obtain an annual profit. In order to break-even it would be necessary to raise CO₂ credits to 99€₂₀₁₂/t or, through feed in tariffs, increase the price of the sale of biomethane to 0.25€₂₀₁₂/kWh.