Biogas Utilization in Refuse Power Plants (BURP<sup>2</sup>)

The BURP2 project investigated the technical and financial viability of co firing biogas with waste coal for power generation while using carbon capture and sequestration to achieve net negative emissions. A comparative assessment integrating geospatial mapping, technoeconomic analysis, and life cycle analysis was carried out to evaluate retrofitting an existing coal fired facility in West Virginia, versus developing a new greenfield power plant in Kentucky located near a low quality coal resource. The study found that CO2 capture rates of 90% or higher, in combination with biogas feedstocks such as animal manure, could significantly reduce global warming potential compared to plants using neither biogas nor CO2 capture systems. Economic feasibility depended heavily on federal tax credits and proximity to fuel sources. In both greenfield and retrofit scenarios, access to biogas played a key role. Because the retrofit site was located close to existing biogas resources, it represented a feasible option, whereas the greenfield site, being far from pipelines or biogas sources, would require prohibitively expensive biogas transport infrastructure. Overall, the research showed that repurposing waste or low-quality coal with renewable biogas and CO2 capture systems could provide a viable approach for reducing carbon emissions in power production, if biogas resources are easily accessible and available in sufficient quantities.