How to meet the growing demand for biogas

"There's a lot of straw in agriculture across Västra Götaland, Halland, and Skåne that isn't currently being used for anything," says Johan Laurell from Energigas Sverige, who participated in the project. "But we've shown a path that's incredibly interesting and addresses the demand highlighted by the Biogas Commission of Industry."

Straw presents a challenge for biogas production due to its silicon and waxy content, which makes it difficult to digest. However, the project "Biogas and high-value input raw materials from agricultural residual streams in the Västra Götaland region" has demonstrated that specialised facilities can not only produce biogas from straw but also extract volatile fatty acids, which can then be used as raw material in industry.

"Sweden should look to Denmark, which already extracts biogas from straw," Laurell suggests. "The next step I'd like to see is a large-scale pilot or a small full-scale facility."

The Need for an Intermediary

To achieve the necessary production volumes, Laurell estimates that Sweden would eventually need 20–25 biogas plants, each connected to up to 20 farmers. He emphasises the need for an intermediary to bridge the gap between farmers, who desire long-term contracts, and industry, which is interested in large, short-term orders.

"Lantmännen, for example, recently formed Lantmännen Biogas and is skilled at putting together these types of business models," Laurell notes. "Perhaps they could act as such a trader between agriculture and industry? We can also look at Finland, where the state, through Gasum, has taken on the responsibility of building facilities in exchange for a promise of fertiliser deliveries from farmers."

More Than Just a Climate Issue

Biogas is used as fuel in the transport sector but can also serve as a sustainable raw material for many industrial products. While Sweden currently produces around 2 TWh of biogas from food waste, manure, and sewage sludge, the Industry's Biogas Commission estimates that demand for biogas will increase to 10 TWh over the next five years. They are calling for political measures to strengthen the conditions for increased production. Both the Commission and Johan Laurell stress that this is not solely a climate issue.

"It's about preparedness," Laurell states. "We need to start valuing domestically produced energy and raw materials, because if we rely solely on electrification, we make ourselves very vulnerable."

To learn more about the project Biogas and high-value input raw materials from agricultural residual streams in the Västra Götaland region contact: