Framework to benchmark sustainability of biomethane supply chains: Facilitating sustainability decision making in adopting biomethane as a public transportation fuel in Western Europe

ABSTRACT

This article presents a framework from a systems’ perspective to benchmark biomethane supply chains consisting of biogas upgrading, biomethane distribution, and refilling in the context of Western Europe.

Compressed biomethane is already widely adopted as a vehicle fuel, whereas liquefied biomethane is also a vialble alternative. Distribution in gas grids is a feasible option only in short distances and large scale, whereas trucks with composite swap bodies is the preferable alternative otherwise. As a whole, liquefied biomethane supply chains manifests better attributes from both climate and cost perspectives, whereas compressed biomethane supply chains imply better energy intensity.

KEYWORDS:

• Benchmarking
• biomethane
• climate change impact
• cost effectiveness
• energy intensity

Acknowledgments

The authors’ sincere acknowledgment is bestowed upon all the resource persons for their generous cooperation towards sharing the knowledge, experience and facts. It was very necessary to produce a research article such as this one which deals more with the pragmatic and applied engineering issues in the real-time context.

Nomenclature

CI	=	Climate Impact
CH4	=	Methane
CO2	=	Carbon Dioxide
CBM	=	Compressed Biomethane

EI	=	Energy Intensiveness
EU	=	European Union
ICE	=	Investment Cost Effectiveness
LBM	=	Liquefied Biomethane
OMCE	=	Operation and Maintenance Cost Effectiveness
TCE	=	Total Cost Effectiveness