The World Biogas Expo, Birmingham (UK)

A second wave of rapid AD development is on the cards. The calls for a carbon tax are growing louder by the day, with the UK government mooting the possibility in its Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy. With the UK Presidency of COP26, will the groundwork be set there? Meanwhile the UN has mooted a $800 per tonne methane tax. The EU’s methane strategy is hinged on rapid biogas development. Carbon capture and utilisation is identified as the clear gateway to achieving negative emissions technology. CCU technology on biomethane plants puts AD in the vanguard. Biomethane’s alignment with a hydrogen is solidifying; two gases, one future. Mandatory separate food waste collections go live across Europe in 2023, with AD the UK’s and EU’s preferred treatment. The US is investing $2 trillion in renewable energies, including renewable natural gas (biomethane). The IEA has forecast global investment in biomethane rising steadily to $30bn annually by 2040. The demand for more green gas in the UK grid has prepared the environment for the creation of nigh on 100 biomethane plants. The NFU and Food and Drink Federation are both targeting net zero by 2040 – which is not possible to achieve without biogas. The food and drink sector is rapidly deploying AD. Advances in technology are turning digestate into a consistent pelletised product to rival the energy intensive mineral version.