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Economic optimization of feedstock mix for energy production with biogas technology in Germany with a special focus on sugar beets – Effects on greenhouse gas emissions and energy balances

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  • Auburger, Sebastian
  • Jacobs, Anna
  • Märländer, Bernward
  • Bahrs, Enno

Abstract

Power production from biogas is quite common in Germany and other parts of the world. German biogas production, in particular, primarily uses silage corn as feedstock which is unpopular with the society because of the negative side effects. Sugar beets could be an alternative. This paper maps the aggregated results concerning the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy balances of power production from different energy crops at national level based on field experiments and all biogas plants registered in Germany. The regional feedstock production costs integrated into the objective function of a plant specific linear optimization model were calculated based on regional production circumstances and district specific yields. Different scenarios with e.g. a fixed share of sugar beets in biogas plant feedstock mix as well as yield increases due to biological and technical progress of silage corn and sugar beets were compared to a business as usual scenario in terms of their effects on GHG emissions and energy balances of power production. The results demonstrated that the GHG emissions and energy balances depend on regional production circumstances. Furthermore, forcing sugar beets into feedstock mix resulted in generally higher GHG emissions and deteriorated energy balances.

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  • Auburger, Sebastian & Jacobs, Anna & Märländer, Bernward & Bahrs, Enno, 2016. "Economic optimization of feedstock mix for energy production with biogas technology in Germany with a special focus on sugar beets – Effects on greenhouse gas emissions and energy balances," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 1-11.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:89:y:2016:i:c:p:1-11
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2015.11.042
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    2. Murillo-Alvarado, Pascual Eduardo & Ponce-Ortega, José María, 2022. "An optimization approach to increase the human development index through a biogas supply chain in a developing region," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 347-357.
    3. Shane, Agabu & Gheewala, Shabbir H. & Kafwembe, Young, 2017. "Urban commercial biogas power plant model for Zambian towns," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-14.
    4. Ewelina Olba-Zięty & Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski & Michał Krzyżaniak, 2021. "Economic Evaluation of the Production of Perennial Crops for Energy Purposes—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-16, November.
    5. Budzianowski, Wojciech M. & Postawa, Karol, 2017. "Renewable energy from biogas with reduced carbon dioxide footprint: Implications of applying different plant configurations and operating pressures," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P2), pages 852-868.
    6. Dandikas, Vasilis & Heuwinkel, Hauke & Lichti, Fabian & Eckl, Thomas & Drewes, Jörg E. & Koch, Konrad, 2018. "Correlation between hydrolysis rate constant and chemical composition of energy crops," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 34-42.
    7. Fuentes-Cortés, Luis Fabián & Ma, Yan & Ponce-Ortega, Jose María & Ruiz-Mercado, Gerardo & Zavala, Victor M., 2018. "Valuation of water and emissions in energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 518-528.
    8. Yasar, Abdullah & Rasheed, Rizwan & Tabinda, Amtul Bari & Tahir, Aleena & Sarwar, Friha, 2017. "Life cycle assessment of a medium commercial scale biogas plant and nutritional assessment of effluent slurry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 364-371.
    9. Teymoori Hamzehkolaei, Fatemeh & Amjady, Nima, 2018. "A techno-economic assessment for replacement of conventional fossil fuel based technologies in animal farms with biogas fueled CHP units," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 602-614.
    10. De Laporte, Aaron V. & Ripplinger, David G., 2019. "The effects of site selection, opportunity costs and transportation costs on bioethanol production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 73-82.
    11. Jacobs, Anna & Auburger, Sebastian & Bahrs, Enno & Brauer-Siebrecht, Wiebke & Christen, Olaf & Götze, Philipp & Koch, Heinz-Josef & Mußhoff, Oliver & Rücknagel, Jan & Märländer, Bernward, 2017. "Replacing silage maize for biogas production by sugar beet – A system analysis with ecological and economical approaches," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 270-278.
    12. Jacobs, Anna & Auburger, Sebastian & Bahrs, Enno & Brauer-Siebrecht, Wiebke & Christen, Olaf & Götze, Philipp & Koch, Heinz-Josef & Rücknagel, Jan & Märländer, Bernward, 2017. "Greenhouse gas emission of biogas production out of silage maize and sugar beet – An assessment along the entire production chain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 114-121.

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