Mapping of the Use of Waste as Raw Materials for Biogas Production

Anthropic methane emissions can largely be prevented or minimized using technologies that are already available. One such technology is anaerobic digestion (AD), which is used commercially around the world, especially in Europe and the United States, where some challenging targets have been set to diversify the energy mix with more renewable energy. This foresight study was designed to identify which technological solutions out of the many options available for biogas production are attracting most interest, for which purpose patent documents and scientific publications were analyzed. The aim is to identify which raw materials are most attractive for AD and biogas production. It was found that the raw materials that have attracted most research and patenting activity are sludge, sewage, and wastewater, livestock waste, and agriculture waste, which together account for 62% of all the patents filed and 74% of all the scientific publications. The countries most engaged in producing biogas from AD plants are China, Germany, and the United States. We also identified a rising trend in the use of biogas around the world, and a steady increase in the number of patents filed on the subject, especially in Japan and South Korea. This growth is driven, amongst other things, by strategic governmental actions, global environmental pacts, and the realization on the part of industry that anaerobic digestion can be used as an efficient method for treating waste and effluents.