%0 Journal Article
%T The Current Status, Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of the Australian Biogas Sector
%A Tien Ngo
%A Andrew S. Ball
%A Esmaeil Shahsavari
%J Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems
%P 14-32
%@ 2165-4018
%D 2021
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/jsbs.2021.111002
%X Anaerobic
digestion technology provides a new approach to treat organic waste while
generating </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">greenhouse gas</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">(</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">GHG</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">)</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> savings. Moreover, the
methane gas produced during the process can be used to generate electricity. </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">In order to</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> ensure that Australia stays on its
trajectory towards a </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">carbon neutral</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> future, the use of anaerobic digestion technology to treat its abundant organic
waste streams should be considered</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">. </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Thirty million tonnes</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">(</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Mt</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">)</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> of organic waste was produced in 2017. The use of
anaerobic digestion to treat 1 tonne of waste could result in </span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">0.143 </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">tonne</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> of
CO</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">2</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">-e in GHG saving</span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">s</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">. In contrast, other more widely employed waste
disposal methods such as landfilling, composting </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">and</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> incineration may generate GHG emissions. Additionally, the use
of methane for electricity production also generates the least GHG emissions
per MWh. This is </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">approximately</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 3 times
lower than crude oil, 4 times lower than black coal </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">and</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 5 times lower than brown coal. However, the adoption and
implementation of anaerobic digestion technology in Australia face several
immediate constraints. Firstly, anaerobic digestion technology is deemed
unprofitable, incurring
%K Anaerobic Digestion
%K Biogas Sector
%K Biogas
%K Methane
%K Renewable Energy
%K GHG Emission
%K GHG Saving
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=107605