Methane is a strong greenhouse gas, so limiting its emissions from agriculture, waste and energy matters a great deal for the climate. Biogas plants can reduce these emissions, as long as they are leak-tight themselves.
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On 27 May 2024 the EU Council adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/1787. Parliament's position dated from 10 April 2024, and the act will enter into force after publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Both point and remote methods are used to measure methane emissions from biogas plants: OGI cameras, tracer gas, plume analysers, drones and satellites. We compare their scope, accuracy and detection thresholds.
In April 2024 the New Zealand government announced the Methane Science and Target Review: an independent panel is to assess the science on biogenic methane and indicate a target consistent with no additional warming.
On 12 March 2024 the European Parliament approved the agreement on the Industrial Emissions Directive. It covers larger pig and poultry farms, but not cattle.
On 6 February 2024 the European Commission recommended a 90% net emissions reduction by 2040. The biogas industry welcomed the target, with the reservation that biogases play too small a role in it.
LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) is a cyclical programme for detecting and repairing leaks. We show how to implement it at a biogas plant: inventory, tools, repair thresholds, documentation and costs.
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai ended on 13 December 2023. The final decision calls for a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, tripling renewable capacity by 2030 and reducing emissions of gases other than CO₂, including methane.
On 15 November 2023 the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached an agreement on the first EU law on methane in the energy sector: measurement, detection and repair of leaks, limits on venting and flaring, and requirements for imports.
On 7 November 2023 China published a methane action plan prepared by 11 departments: utilisation of animal manure, landfill gas recovery and rural biogas.
From 1 October 2023 importers of goods covered by CBAM, including fertilisers, cement and steel, must collect data on embedded emissions. The first quarterly reports are due by the end of January 2024.
Digestate in open tanks can emit methane because the material has not been fully digested. We explain residual methane potential (RMP), closed tanks and operating recommendations.
In the night of 25 April 2023 the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed ReFuelEU Aviation: aviation fuel suppliers are to blend sustainable fuels (SAF) — 2% in 2025, 6% in 2030, 20% in 2035 and 70% in 2050.
On 18 April 2023 Parliament, and on 25 April the Council of the EU, adopted key acts of the Fit for 55 package: the ETS reform, CBAM and the Social Climate Fund. This affects energy and fertiliser prices.
Slurry and solid manure emit methane during storage and N₂O and ammonia during storage and application. We explain the mechanisms, the influencing factors and mitigation measures, including digestion.
On 28 March 2023 the Council of the EU formally adopted the regulation introducing a 100% reduction in CO₂ emissions from new cars from 2035. A dispute over the role of synthetic fuels came first.
On 21 February 2023 the IEA published the Global Methane Tracker 2023: methane emissions from the energy sector in 2022 were about 135 million tonnes, i.e. about 40% of human-caused emissions. Most reductions are technically possible.
We explain the architecture of Canada's Clean Fuel Regulations: who is obligated, how credits are created, how the CATS registry and the price mechanism work, and what follows for biogas projects.
Uncontrolled decomposition of organic waste emits methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia. A biogas plant can reduce these emissions, but only if it is itself tight and well run.
Methane escapes from biogas plants through safety valves, membranes, open digestate tanks, CHP engines and off-gas. We discuss the sources, ranges of losses from measurement campaigns and ways of reducing them.
On 19 December 2022 EU energy ministers agreed a general approach on the regulation on reducing methane emissions in the energy sector: measurement, leak detection and limits on gas flaring.
On 13 December 2022 Parliament and the EU Council reached a provisional agreement on the CBAM mechanism. The transitional period is to start on 1 October 2023, and the full system from 2026. Fertilisers are in scope.
At the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh methane was one of the main topics. On 11 November the American EPA proposed tightening methane rules, and UNEP launched a leak detection system.
On 27 October 2022 Parliament and the Council agreed CO₂ standards for cars: a 100% emission reduction for new cars and vans from 2035. This is the end of new combustion-engine cars, including those running on biomethane.
In October 2022 the Australian government announced that it was joining the Global Methane Pledge, a target of cutting methane emissions by 30% by 2030, with no taxes or charges on livestock farming.
