Biogas-based fuels as renewable energy in the transport sector: an overview of the potential of using CBG, LBG and other vehicle fuels produced from biogas

Figures & data

Table 1. The search terms used for the bibliometric search.

Fuel	Search terms
Compressed biomethane (CBG)	compressed AND "natural gas" OR biogas OR biomethane
Liquefied biomethane (LBG)	liquefied AND "natural gas" OR biogas OR biomethane
Hydrogen	hydrogen AND fuel
Methanol	methanol AND fuel
Dimetyl ether (DME)	‘dimethyl ether’ AND fuel
Fischer-Tropsch fuels (FT-fuels)	‘Fischer Tropsch’ AND fuel

Figure 1. Biogas can be used to produce several possible fuels, either by upgrading it to a higher methane content, by combusting it to produce electric power, by gasifying it to syngas or by methanotrophy or partial oxidation.

Figure 2. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates an increased interest since the 1970s.

Figure 3. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates that there has been an interest in LNG since the 1960s – especially during the 1970s and 1980s – but that the real growth of interest started in the 2000s.

Figure 4. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates that there has been an increased interest in hydrogen since the 1960s, which gained speed after 1973.

Figure 5. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates that there has been an increased interest in methanol since the first oil crisis in 1973.

Figure 6. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates that there has been an increased interest in DME since the end of the 1990s.

Figure 7. A bibliometric search of journal articles and books indicates that there has been an increased interest in Fischer-Tropsch fuels in the 1980s and from the end of the 1990s.

Figure 8. The size of a typical, expected plant, based on Zinoviev et al. [25]. In the study, FT fuels, DME, methanol and hydrogen are all based on the gasification of other kinds of biomass than biogas.

Figure 9. The primary energy input from the production phase of some of the biogas-based alternatives, based on Ahmadi Moghaddam et al. [9].

Figure 10. The fuel yield from producing some of the alternatives from biogas, based on Ahmadi Moghaddam et al. [9].

Figure 11. The volumetric energy density of the biogas-based fuels.

Figure 12. The energy yield for fueling a bus with some of the different alternatives at two different distances, based on Ahmadi Moghaddam et al. [9].

Zinoviev S, Müller-Langer F, Das P, et al. Next-generation biofuels: survey of emerging technologies and sustainability issues. ChemSusChem. 2010;3(10):1106–1133.

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Ahmadi ME, Ahlgren S, Hulteberg C, et al. Energy balance and global warming potential of biogas-based fuels from a life cycle perspective. Fuel Process. Technol. 2015;132:74–82.

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