CIRCULAR BIOENERGY PATHWAYS FOR INDUSTRIAL DECARBONISATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK LINKING WASTE-TO-FUEL SYSTEMS
Keywords:
Circular Economy, Waste-to-Fuel, Bioenergy, Industrial Decarbonisation, Carbon Mitigation, Systematic ReviewAbstract
This paper reviews and attempts to identify the different circular bioenergy pathways that integrate waste-to-fuel systems with the decarbonisation strategies of various industries. Using secondary data, rather than original modelling, the study attempts to synthesise data from peer reviewed literature, global energy reports, and documented case studies for WtE, BECCS and life-cycle assessment studies. The review looks at the deployment of circular bioenergy systems in various industries and the techno-economic, environmental, and policy impact in each of the systems. Existing studies suggest that integrated waste-to-fuel pathways typically attain electricity generation conversion efficiencies from 20 to 35%, and when integrated with BECCS systems from a single waste stream, the net life-cycle emissions could be reduced by 0.3 to 1.2 tCO2-e and even greater with carbon capture. There are a few reasons for the limited deployment of circular bioenergy systems from fragmented policies in the energy, waste and climate systems, the broken and limited infrastructure, and high system costs. The study provides a fragmented synthesis of the industrial decarbonisation and waste systems literature. The study is intended to be an intervention at the systems level to decarbonise the industrial systems. The study identifies policy pathways for scaling circular bioeconomy solutions and clarifying the industrial carbon management and waste valorisation systems.
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