Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis of renewable natural gas production from brewery wastewater via ex-situ methanation processes

Liu, Xuanbo; Poddar, Tuhin K.; Zhang, Jingyi; Su, Xueqian; Hawkins, Troy R.; Huang, Haibo

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132234

Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis of renewable natural gas production from brewery wastewater via ex-situ methanation processes

Journal Article · Sat Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Bioresource Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132234· OSTI ID:2519684

Liu, Xuanbo ^[1]; Poddar, Tuhin K. ^[2]; Zhang, Jingyi ^[2]; ^[1]; Hawkins, Troy R. ^[2]; ^[1]

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

As sustainability becomes increasingly critical, the brewing industry encounters challenges in managing high-organic-content wastewater, a promising renewable energy source. This study evaluates the economic feasibility and environmental impacts of converting brewery wastewater into renewable natural gas (RNG) through anaerobic digestion and biogas upgrading, with an emphasis on different hydrogen sources for biomethanation. Four scenarios were analyzed: Scenario 1 uses purchased hydrogen, while Scenarios 2–4 use renewable hydrogen from microbial electrolysis cells and water electrolyzers. Results show that capital investments for processing 139 MT/h of wastewater, yielding 208 m³/h of RNG, range from 10.6 M to 31.9M USD, with estimated minimum selling prices of RNG between 2.25 and 4.37 USD/m³. Life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions span from -21 to 32g CO₂-equivalent per MJ of RNG. Further, this study presents key economic and environmental metrics for RNG production from brewery wastewater, offering insights to enhance sustainability in brewery wastewater management.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357; EE0009771

OSTI ID:: 2519684

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2520177

Journal Information:: Bioresource Technology, Journal Name: Bioresource Technology Journal Issue: 132234 Vol. 422; ISSN 0960-8524

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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03 NATURAL GAS
biogas upgrading
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Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis of renewable natural gas production from brewery wastewater via ex-situ methanation processes

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