Sustainability Language

Energy & Transition

Biomethane

Near-pure methane produced by upgrading biogas or gasifying biomass — chemically indistinguishable from natural gas and usable in existing gas grids and vehicles.

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Definition

A near-pure methane fuel of biological origin, produced either by upgrading biogas — removing CO₂ and other contaminants, the route behind roughly 90% of current production — or by thermal gasification of solid biomass followed by methanation. With properties matching fossil natural gas, it can be injected into gas grids and used in natural gas vehicles without changes to infrastructure or end-user equipment.

References

Overview

What it means

Biomethane is the grid-ready form of biogas: where raw biogas is typically burned on-site for heat and power, upgrading (water scrubbing, membrane separation, pressure-swing adsorption, amine washing) concentrates the methane for distribution.

Because it derives from organic waste and residues, it captures methane that would otherwise escape, and can deliver negative or very low lifecycle emissions depending on feedstock.

How it is used

Injection into gas networks, transport fuel (bio-CNG/LNG), and balancing variable renewables. Deployment concentrates in Europe and North America, supported by guarantees-of-origin systems and renewable-gas targets; IEA analysis tracks its growth potential from agricultural, landfill and wastewater feedstocks.

Why it matters

Biomethane is one of the few drop-in renewable fuels for existing gas infrastructure — a pragmatic decarbonisation lever for sectors that cannot electrify quickly — provided methane leakage and feedstock sustainability are controlled.

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