On 2 October, Christian Aragón from CIRCE presented “Digestate Valorisation: Impact on the Opportunity Cost of Biogas?” at Salón Gas Renovable. The talk stems from DLV 3.6 of NENUPHAR—our benchmarking and techno-economic analysis of valorisation solutions focused on nutrient recovery.
This work was based on NENUPHAR´s Deliverable 3.6 – Benchmarking and techno-economic analysis of the NENUPHAR valorisation solutions. In essence were presented the emerging and commercial technologies aimed at nutrient recovery from digestate, then assembled realistic treatment-train scenarios and quantified the total OPEX for each (as additional analysis). We also examined the energy strategy behind those scenarios, comparing the economics of supplying them with on-site biogas (electric and thermal) versus sourcing electricity and heat from the grid, to make the opportunity cost of biogas explicit. As conclusion, the chosen valorisation route meaningfully reshapes plant economics, OPEX and energy requirements, and determines how much value we ultimately capture from nitrogen and phosphorus streams.
Key outcomes
- Benchmarked emerging & commercial routes (membranas, stripping, cristalización, evaporación, etc.) with a clear view of OPEX by scenario.
- Built realistic treatment-train scenarios to compare operational profiles and scale effects.
- Quantified the opportunity cost of biogas by contrasting energy supplied from on-site biogas (electric/thermal) vs grid energy.
- Takeaway: the chosen valorisation route materially shifts plant economics (OPEX + energy needs) and value capture from N & P streams.
Thanks to CIRCE, NENUPHAR, AVEBIOM, AEBIG y Salón Gas Renovable for driving the conversation forward across the biogas, biomass and waste-to-value community.
