From Waste to Traffic Fuel (W-Fuel)

The W-Fuel project investigated the feasibility of producing biomethane from locally sourced biodegradable waste, sludge, manure, and energy crops in northern Estonia. The study focused on two pilot sites: the Hinnu pig farm in Harju County and a proposed plant in Rakvere, Lääne-Viru County. Findings indicate that while CHP production may be more commercially profitable due to existing feed-in tariffs, upgrading biogas to biomethane for transport fuel is more socially and environmentally beneficial, particularly when accounting for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS). The report also provides detailed biomass availability forecasts for 2020 and recommends specific waste prevention measures and governmental support schemes to facilitate the transition to gaseous renewable fuels.

• In Harju County, the total biomethane production potential for 2020 is estimated at approximately 17.3 million m3/y, with energy crops contributing the largest share at about 75%.
• In Lääne-Viru County, the total biomethane production potential for 2020 is estimated at about 24.4 million m3/year, with energy crops providing approximately 66% of this potential.
• For the Hinnu pilot plant in Harju County, producing biomethane for transport fuel is socially more beneficial than producing electricity and heat, with a social benefit-cost (B/C) ratio of 1.56 compared to 0.85 for the CHP option (if heat is not utilized).
• At the Rakvere pilot plant, both CHP and biomethane options are socially beneficial, but producing vehicle fuel offers a higher social B/C ratio of 2.3 compared to 1.7 for the CHP option.
• The environmental impact of biogas use is highly sensitive to the electricity generation baseline; replacing the average Estonian electricity mix (87% oil shale) yields higher emission savings than transport fuel, but when the EU-ETS is considered, biomethane for transport provides greater environmental improvement.
• Commercial profitability currently favors CHP production over biomethane upgrading due to lower investment costs and the availability of feed-in tariffs (FITs) for electricity.
• The report identifies that food waste prevention in Harju County could save between 30,000 and 127,000 tCO2-eq and between 29 and 122 MEUR by 2020, depending on the prevention target (2% to 30% reduction).
• For the Hinnu plant, water scrubbing is recommended as the most viable upgrading technology due to the proximity of the Kuusalu wastewater treatment plant, which can provide process water.
• For the Rakvere plant, an amino wash method is selected for upgrading because it can produce high-quality biomethane with methane losses of less than 0.1%.

APA

Kask, Ü., Andrijevskaja, J., Kask, L., Heinla, P., Hüüs, M., Kallaste, T., Laur, A., Menert, A., Pädam, S., Rasi, S., Heino, E., Ahonen, S., Marttinen, S., Aro-Heinilä, E., & Teerioja, N. (n.d.). From Waste to Traffic Fuel (W-Fuel). Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4432.pdf

Chicago

Kask, Ülo, Janita Andrijevskaja, Livia Kask, Priit Heinla, Meeli Hüüs, Tiit Kallaste, Anton Laur, et al. From Waste to Traffic Fuel (W-Fuel). Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4432.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{kaskndfrom, author = {Kask, Ülo and Andrijevskaja, Janita and Kask, Livia and Heinla, Priit and Hüüs, Meeli and Kallaste, Tiit and Laur, Anton and Menert, Anne and Pädam, Sirje and Rasi, Saija and Heino, Erja and Ahonen, Saana and Marttinen, Sanna and Aro-Heinilä, Esa and Teerioja, Nea}, title = {{From Waste to Traffic Fuel (W-Fuel)}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4432.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }