<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> The current needs of sustainable urban development are rising. As the transport sector expands, emissions continue to rise. Due to their negative impact on human health and the environment, air quality requirements are becoming more and more stringent. At the same time, the amount of waste is increasing. Europe Union policies attempt to relieve the pressure that these two stressors place on urban systems as they themselves expand. Today different solutions are available to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase air quality and improve waste management systems. Among them, waste-to-biomethane for use in urban systems deserves more attention. The paper focuses on application of the concept of waste-to-biomethane and the case study of Valmiera is evaluated. The results show that the application of the waste-to-biomethane strategy can contribute to a complete substitution of diesel fuel in urban buses and gives savings of around 1,000 tCO2/year. The price of the biomethane was found to be the most sensitive input factor. It is suggested that it should not exceed 0.40 EUR/Nm3 for a fuel conversion project of a fleet of 10 vehicles. Such a price can be ensured, if dry fermentation technology is chosen for biogas production. However, from the sustainability perspective, wet fermentation is more preferable due to the introduction of a source-separated organic waste management system in the region and higher gas yields. Introduction of this alternative requires additional funds which is a question of policy-level decisions.</abstract>

The current needs of sustainable urban development are rising. As the transport sector expands, emissions continue to rise. Due to their negative impact on human health and the environment, air quality requirements are becoming more and more stringent. At the same time, the amount of waste is increasing. Europe Union policies attempt to relieve the pressure that these two stressors place on urban systems as they themselves expand. Today different solutions are available to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase air quality and improve waste management systems. Among them, waste-to-biomethane for use in urban systems deserves more attention. The paper focuses on application of the concept of waste-to-biomethane and the case study of Valmiera is evaluated. The results show that the application of the waste-to-biomethane strategy can contribute to a complete substitution of diesel fuel in urban buses and gives savings of around 1,000 tCO2/year. The price of the biomethane was found to be the most sensitive input factor. It is suggested that it should not exceed 0.40 EUR/Nm3 for a fuel conversion project of a fleet of 10 vehicles. Such a price can be ensured, if dry fermentation technology is chosen for biogas production. However, from the sustainability perspective, wet fermentation is more preferable due to the introduction of a source-separated organic waste management system in the region and higher gas yields. Introduction of this alternative requires additional funds which is a question of policy-level decisions.

Waste-to-biomethane Concept Application: A Case Study of Valmiera City in Latvia

Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, Azenes iela 12/1, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia

Environmental and Climate Technologies

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

{"article-title":"Waste-to-biomethane Concept Application: A Case Study of Valmiera City in Latvia"}

The current needs of sustainable urban development are rising. As the transport sector expands, emissions continue to rise. Due to their negative impact on...

Waste-to-biomethane Concept Application: A Case Study of Valmiera City in Latvia

Published Online: Feb 12, 2016

Page range: 48 - 58

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/rtuect-2015-0005

Keywords
Biomethane, transport, urban, waste

© Riga Technical University

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

Waste-to-biomethane Concept Application: A Case Study of Valmiera City in Latvia

Published Online: Feb 12, 2016

Page range: 48 - 58

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/rtuect-2015-0005

KeywordsBiomethane, transport, urban, waste

© Riga Technical University

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

Keywords
Biomethane, transport, urban, waste