A circular economy pathway implementation in a real case industry: from landfill biogas to dimethyl ether

INTRODUCTION
Landfill biogas, a renewable energy source primarily composed of methane and carbon dioxide, offers significant potential for sustainable production of chemicals and green energy. This project focuses on converting biogas into dimethyl ether, a versatile chemical and fuel with industrial applications. This aligns with circular economy frameworks by substituting traditional fossil resources with valorised landfill emissions to create a closed-loop chemical production cycle. The research integrates technoeconomic studies and environmental analysis to optimize the conversion process and scale it up to a real-life scenario.
METHODS
The aim of this research is to develop an efficient process for transforming biogas into dimethyl ether. The approach relies on detailed process simulations using Aspen Plus to model real-world conditions based on actual landfill biogas data. Key variables include catalyst selection, syngas composition (H₂/CO/CO₂ ratios), and operating parameters (temperature, pressure, gas hourly space velocity). Economic viability is analysed via cost-benefit assessments to discuss the Profitability Index, while environmental impacts are initially evaluated through greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency metrics.
RESULTS
Process simulations indicate that optimizing H2/CO/CO2 ratios via selecting adequate bigas-to-syngas upgrading routes improves efficiency and reduces costs. Economic analysis suggests that the process can be competitive under certain operating conditions. Environmental metrics, such as CO₂ emissions and energy intensity, favour the direct conversion route.
CONCLUSIONS
This research proves the feasibility of converting biogas into dimethyl ether through an integrated technical-economic-environmental approach. It provides insights into process optimization, economic profitability, and real-world applicability. Future work will focus on comparison with other potential chemical platforms production to confirm feasibility and environmental benefits.