In 2024, demand for CO₂ in Europe reached almost 14 million tons, and by 2040, demand could increase tenfold. Research by the European Biogas Association shows that biogenic CO₂ from the biomethane sector could partially close this gap.
The data from the report was analyzed by the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine.
Growth in demand
Biogenic carbon dioxide is obtained from biomass. This requires fermentation, decomposition, combustion, or chemical reaction processes.
Europe's annual CO₂ demand in 2024 was 13.9 million tons. However, the region continues to adhere to a clear climate vector and circularity principles, so the generation of "green" CO₂ is gradually increasing.
However, industry estimates indicate that this demand will grow exponentially. It is likely that by 2040, Europe will need nearly 350 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. And providing such volumes from biomass is a daunting task.
A leap in the development of the industry
Europe is consistently and actively developing the biogenic CO₂ market. While in 2020 there were only 15 plants in the region that could capture 160,000 tons of this gas from biomethane, by 2025 the number of such enterprises had increased eightfold. There are now 125 plants operating in Europe, and the volume of gas they can capture per year has increased to 1.17 million tons.
Existing bio-CO₂ production can already meet about 14% of the total demand for solid and liquid carbon dioxide in European countries.
The analysis took into account information about projects that are currently in the process of implementation or have been given the green light for construction. If all of them are put into operation, there will be 179 biomethane plants in Europe. Their total capacity will exceed 2 million tons per year.
Source: EBA. Translation: UABIO.
EcoPolitic previously reported that last year Ukraine exported over 11 million cubic meters of biomethane.
