Grant: Alliance Grants

As Canada and British Columbia (BC) strive to decarbonize their energy sector, it is estimated the province can save hundreds of billions of dollars by using both its natural gas and electricity systems, as opposed to electrification alone. Therefore, fulfilling natural gas demand using less carbon-intensive energy sources will help BC and Canada to transition off of fossil fuels and meet climate goals. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a technology that can convert organic waste streams into renewable natural gas (RNG), a carbon-neutral replacement for fossil fuel-derived natural gas, and is therefore a critical component in developing a circular bioeconomy. However, utilization of AD in Canada cannot support complete decarbonization, as there is not enough organic waste to offset fossil fuel-derived natural gas completely. Therefore, solutions are direly needed to increase RNG production from AD. This research project is a collaborative effort between UBC, Fortis BC, and Convertus Group, to develop new strategies to upgrade the carbon dioxide in AD-derived biogas into RNG, thus increasing net RNG production by up to 40% for a given amount of organic waste. This project will provide a clear comparison of the developed approaches to guide technoeconomic assessments and future scale-up. Specifically, we will develop and evaluate three new hybrid biogas upgrading technology platforms, and will also develop process models to enable engineering design and optimization. The outcomes of this project will be new biotechnologies that increase RNG production via AD in Canada, thus enabling a cost-effective transition from fossil fuels as well as promoting a circular bioeconomy.