Bioenergy systems

Research activities on bioenergy systems focus primarily on biogas and its integration into sustainable energy systems. The work covers the full value chain, from biomass conversion to energy production and system integration, with particular attention to optimising plant configurations and end-use pathways.

The research addresses biogas production from multiple sources, including wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), agricultural residues, and landfill gas. Activities span the entire process, from biomass conversion to biogas conditioning and final utilisation.
A key focus is the comparison and optimisation of different biogas exploitation pathways, including electricity generation through internal combustion engines (ICE) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), as well as upgrading to biomethane for grid injection. In addition, CO2 contained in biogas is valorised through methanation and other conversion processes to produce synthetic fuels (e.g. synthetic methane), enabling integration with Power-to-X pathways.

The group develops and applies a range of modelling tools to support system design and optimisation:

• Process modelling of biogas plants and SOFC systems (e.g. Aspen Plus)
• Techno-economic modelling using MATLAB, Python and Excel
• Adsorption modelling for biogas cleaning systems
• Degradation modelling of SOFCs under biogas and syngas operation (MATLAB, Python, COMSOL)

These models are used to evaluate system performance, identify optimal configurations, and support decision-making across different scales and applications.

Research includes the design and analysis of:

• Biogas-to-electricity systems (ICE and SOFC-based)
• Biomethane production for grid injection
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biogas-to-energy systems, including biogas-SOFC configurations
• Polygeneration systems integrating SOFC and carbon capture
• Biogas cleaning systems, with a focus on adsorption-based solutions
• Performance and degradation of SOFC systems operating on biogas
• CO2 methanation and synthesis of synthetic fuels (e.g. synthetic methane)

Additional activities explore syngas production via gasification and its use as an alternative biofuel.

Biofuels are also investigated in the context of sustainable transport. Techno-economic models have been developed for applications such as trains and ships, assessing fuels including biodiesel, biomethanol, and other bio-derived fuels, in comparison with synthetic alternatives such as e-methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia.