Biogas industry help cut emissions

Global biogas industry leaders have called on governments around the world to unlock the full potential of biogas use in addressing the climate emergency. They argue that if barriers to large scale investment in biogas technologies are tackled, the biogas industry could curb up to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. This would represent at least 12 per cent of today's global emissions by 2030. "Today, only two per cent of the feedstock available globally to produce biogas is captured and recycled. With measures on the ground not yet aligned with countries' Paris Agreement targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals commitments, the biogas industry calls on the world's governments to urgently pass legislation to unleash the enormous potential of the biogas industry," said David Newman, the World Biogas Association (WBA) President.

ORGANIC WASTES

"The biogas industry captures emissions from organic wastes and turns them into energy for diverse end-uses such as electricity and biomethane for heat and transport. Biogas production also generates environmentally friendly solutions for soil fertilisation. The industry can, therefore, help to speed up the shift away from fossil fuels towards a zero-carbon economy and sustainable agriculture," said the official. Exposure to indoor air pollution is still a significant public health concern in Kenya, where unclean fuels are the most commonly used. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that 55 per cent of Kenyans use firewood, 15 per cent use charcoal, while 14 per cent use paraffin. These contribute to the burden of upper respiratory tract ailments and 14,300 deaths from air pollution (including indoor air pollution) every year. WBA estimated that the number of industrial plants operating globally currently at 132,000. By 2030 there needs to be at least 1 million large scale installations (each handling over 100,000 t/pa of feedstock) plus millions of smaller-scale digesters, to achieve the emissions reductions targets. The biogas players also said that the sector would need to invest some $5 trillion to design, build and operate those plants. If deployed to its full potential, WBA estimates that the industry would employ around 10 million people worldwide, from 350,000 currently. The association commit to delivering the full potential of biogas by 2030.