Ein praxisorientiertes Modell für die Analyse der Treibhausgas- und Energiebilanz landwirtschaftlicher Biogasanlagen

In this article, we present an application for estimating and analyzing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cumulated energy demand of biogas production chains in agriculture, which was developed mainly for practitioners. The primary goal of this application is to illustrate: What are the important sources of GHGs along the biogas chain, and how can they be mitigated? In addition, figures for the individual specific CO2-equivalent(CO2e) emissions of electricity and heat supply from biogas are computed. In a reproducible manner, the application calculates the essential GHG sources within biogas systems, allowing for their comparison. In the underlying model, the process chain is separated into the sub-systems of energy crop production and biogas utilization. Using real-world data from ten biogas farms in Bavaria, we discuss the abilities and limitations of our application.