Opportunities for Green Gas

Biogas, or Green Gas, appears to be an interesting option for improving the sustainability of the Dutch economy through greatly increased use of gas in the energy supply. However, the biomass used as a feedstock for biogas can also be used for producing electricity, biodiesel, bio-ethanol, bioplastics, ‘green chemicals’ and even bio-steel. In this brief report the key features of using biomass for gas production are compared with options in other sectors. The comparison indicates that it is above all wet biomass flows (like manure and household biowaste) that are suitable for conversion to biogas. In 2020 this could potentially provide between 1 and 1.5 billion Nm3 gas. Although gasification of dry biomass may also eventually become an interesting option, in this case there will be strong competition from power generators, for whom solid biomass is a viable feedstock. In the course of time dry biomass may become attractive for the steel, chemicals and transport sectors, too.