[Series] ② Status of Biogas Production and Utilization: Domestic and International Perspectives — Global Biogas Production Has Grown by Over 10% Annually Since 1990 > Notice

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[Series] ② Current Status and Utilization of Biogas Production Domestically and Internationally
Global biogas production has been increasing by over 10% annually since 1990.

Europe sets target to produce 30 BCM of biomethane by 2030

Over 50 million small-scale production units installed in homes worldwide

Number of domestic biogas plants triples over 12 years

Pilot projects launched this year in four cities nationwide, including Seoul

 

Figure 1, based on data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), illustrates the global growth in biogas-based power generation between 2010 and 2020.

In China, biogas production using digesters first emerged in the late 19th century along the southwestern coast, and the first hydraulic biogas digester was constructed in Taiwan in 1920.

Beginning in the 1970s, the Chinese government established a long-term national development plan to address energy shortages in rural areas. From 2003, the government began providing direct support for biogas and agricultural energy plants through a national funding program. This support more than doubled—from 1 billion yuan for the 2003–2005 period to 2.5 billion yuan for 2006–2007—and interest in biogas engineering projects grew further following the passage of China’s Renewable Energy Law in 2006.

By 2010, government support for biogas in China reached 5 billion yuan. The number of biogas users surged during the first decade of the 21st century, rising from 11 million in 2003 to 43 million by 2013. This growth was driven by an increase in the number of biogas engineering projects, which rose from 2,300 in 2003 to approximately 10,000 by 2013.

Since 2009, China has provided subsidies covering 25% to 45% of the total cost of biogas projects, with a significant portion of funding allocated to projects in the central and western regions to strengthen technical support. Policies similar to feed-in tariffs have been established to promote power generation at these plants, and local service systems have been set up to improve the efficiency of biogas production and utilization.

Unlike in Europe, where the economic value of biogas plants is derived primarily from energy production, about two-thirds of the economic value of biogas plants in China comes from organic fertilizer, with the remaining one-third coming from energy production. The Chinese government is currently pushing for the large-scale deployment of agricultural biogas plants to foster the growth of renewable energy and improve water and air quality.

In South Korea, 16.8% of produced biogas remains unutilized.

Domestic biogas plants operate primarily by using organic waste as a feedstock.

Because biogas production from organic waste offers the dual benefit of waste treatment and energy generation, the number of such facilities has steadily increased—from 38 in 2008 to 61 in 2013, and further to 110 by 2020.

Furthermore, following the outbreak of African Swine Fever in 2019—which led to a total ban on the processing of food waste into wet animal feed—it is expected that the use of biogasification as an alternative treatment method will continue to grow.

As shown in Table 1, which outlines the status of biogas plant operations nationwide, the total facility capacity as of 2020 stood at 67,449 tons per day, with an actual processing volume of 53,473 tons per day, resulting in an operational efficiency of 79.3%.

This represents a significant decline in operational efficiency compared to 2019, when the facility capacity was 64,436 tons/day, the throughput was 61,079 tons/day, and the operational efficiency stood at 94.8%. According to 2020 statistics from the Ministry of Environment, the total volume processed was 19,519 thousand tons/year—a decrease of 2,776 thousand tons/year from the 22,295 thousand tons/year recorded in 2019.

This drop in operational efficiency is attributed to a substantial decrease in the volume of sewage sludge processed at two facilities in 2020 compared to 2019.

Furthermore, the operational efficiencies for food waste and livestock manure were 56.3% and 45.7%, respectively—figures notably lower than the overall operational efficiency of 81.8%. As shown in Table 2, the production and utilization of biogas in South Korea have increased rapidly since 2008. Within this landscape, the largest shares are accounted for by the production and external supply of biogas (27.6%) and its internal, on-site utilization (31.4%).

A persistent challenge in biogas production is the generation of unutilized (surplus) gas. As shown in the table above, 60,714,000 cubic meters of gas went unutilized in 2020—approximately 16.5% of the total production. Such surplus gas has long been an issue; it typically arises when biogas digesters operate irregularly due to seasonal or technical factors, or when there is no available end-use for the gas, necessitating its disposal through combustion (flaring).

On February 14 of this year, the Ministry of Environment selected four cities—Seoul, Suncheon, Gumi, and Cheongju—as pilot sites for "integrated biogasification facilities," which process organic waste resources such as food waste, livestock manure, and sewage sludge.

Once completed in 2026, these pilot facilities will be capable of processing 1,660 tons of organic waste per day and generating approximately 140,000 normal cubic meters (Nm³) of biogas daily—an amount sufficient to supply city gas to roughly 92,000 households.

The Ministry of Environment plans to expand the number of biogas production facilities from the current 110 to over 150 by 2030.

Source: Gas News (http://www.gasnews.com)