The Current Status, Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of the Australian Biogas Sector

Anaerobic\r\ndigestion technology provides a new approach to treat organic waste while\r\ngenerating greenhouse gas (GHG) savings. Moreover, the\r\nmethane gas produced during the process can be used to generate electricity. In order to ensure that Australia stays on its\r\ntrajectory towards a carbon neutral future, the use of anaerobic digestion technology to treat its abundant organic\r\nwaste streams should be considered. Thirty million tonnes (Mt) of organic waste was produced in 2017. The use of\r\nanaerobic digestion to treat 1 tonne of waste could result in 0.143 tonne of\r\nCO2-e in GHG savings. In contrast, other more widely employed waste\r\ndisposal methods such as landfilling, composting and incineration may generate GHG emissions. Additionally, the use\r\nof methane for electricity production also generates the least GHG emissions\r\nper MWh. This is approximately 3 times\r\nlower than crude oil, 4 times lower than black coal and 5 times lower than brown coal. However, the adoption and\r\nimplementation of anaerobic digestion technology in Australia face several\r\nimmediate constraints. Firstly, anaerobic digestion technology is deemed\r\nunprofitable, incurring high initial\r\ncapital cost, operating costs and extremely long payback periods. Secondly, there is a lack of government support\r\nin terms of a national target for biogas production via anaerobic digestion.\r\nThis review will provide an in-depth analysis into the current state of the Australian biogas sector. In addition, the review discusses the opportunities to make\r\nanaerobic digestion technology more financially viable and to accelerate the\r\ngrowth of the Australian biogas sector.