The Role of Biogas Production in Circular Economy Approach from the Perspective of Locality

Abstract

The circular economy is an economic concept opposite to the current linear system. One of its main principles is to seek to minimise waste by reusing seemingly useless raw materials. Biogas plants are places where energy can be recovered from waste. In order to boost the environmental benefits of this concept, it is important to rely on local systems (including supply chains). Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether biogas plants in Poland operate in a circular manner from the perspective of locality. The analysis was based on questionnaire surveys concerning the nature of the facilities’ operations, divided into biogas plants located at sewage treatment plants, biogas plants based on municipal waste and agricultural biogas plants. On the basis of the data obtained, statistical and spatial analyses were carried out to verify the installed capacity of the facilities, the distance from which they obtain their substrate and the use of the biogas produced. The results of the study confirm that the functioning of biogas plants located in Poland is, in most cases, of a local character, fitting into the objectives of a circular economy. Biogas plants that are characterised by the lowest transportation needs are biogas plants located next to sewage treatment plants.

Addressing Challenges and Outcomes in the Biogas Sector: An Analysis of Efficiency, Economic Savings, and Environmental Impacts Using an Advanced SWOT Model

“…Next, it is feasible to calculate the quantity of biogas potentially producible in the consortium biogas plant due to the quantity of wastewater produced by the company with the following formula: multiplying the biogas production indicator previously calculated BMP bu f f alowastewater in Section 2.2 by the weight of livestock farm P VSlivestock f arm (18).…”

“…Q biogas,livestock f arm = BMP biogas,bu f f alowastewater * P VSlivestock f arm (18) The last section of this study aims to analyse the energy consumption of the livestock farm taken as a case study for the entire year 2022 in order to assess whether a small or medium-sized enterprise adopting a biogas plant can achieve energy self-sufficiency. Given the high initial cost of the investment, the objective of this project is to evaluate self-sufficiency and economic savings in terms of energy and subsequently consider the possibility of creating an agricultural energy community [57], which could be profitable due to the division of the initial investment costs among the participants.…”

“…An interesting bibliometric analysis [15] has confirmed that bioenergy has garnered the highest level of success and consensus within the realm of renewable energy. Biogas, in particular, is positioned as a promising solution for producing clean energy and alleviating environmental impacts [17], as well as fostering circular economy processes [18]. In the literature [19,20], several studies have analysed the effectiveness of biogas in different geographical areas [21,22] and confirmed the environmental, socio-economic benefits and interconnected externalities [23][24][25].…”

Analysis of Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste and Its Environmental and Economic Impact in Tulkarm, Palestine

“…Renewable energy sources have enormous potential as they may possibly supply the entire global energy demand. Renewable energy sources, such as biomass, sun, wind, hydropower, and geothermal, can provide sustainable energy utilities, relying on the usage of locally accessible resources [4,5]. Given that the cost of solar and wind energy systems has significantly decreased over the past 30 years and that gas and oil prices have been fluctuating, a switch to renewable energy sources appears to be inevitable [6].…”