A new technological innovation has emerged in Japan that could increase biogas production by up to 40 per cent. If this proves correct, the innovation could transform the industry and lead to soaring demand for equipment such as pressure relief valves.
The new waste sorting system, called AdBio, has been developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and the new technology has been formally recognised by the Japan Environmental Sanitation Centre (JESC).
In a statement announcing the verification, MHI described AdBio as “a system to efficiently sort and recover biomass such as food waste and paper from municipal waste and unsorted food waste, enabling stable recovery of biogas in methane fermentation systems”.
The key benefit of the new system is its increased capacity to efficiently sort material and remove the elements that cannot be processed to make biogas from everything that can, bringing a two-fifths improvement in the extraction of usable material for biogas production.
A further obvious benefit is that it will then sift out other waste, some of which may be recycled, so that only a small amount goes into landfill.
How Will AdBio Help The Biofuels Industry?
The system can even be located alongside existing biogas fermentation plants as well as new ones, helping to swiftly deliver the extra material into the tanks.
A clear implication of the adoption of the system will be a need for greater capacity to realise the potential increase in biogas. This means more equipment will be required.
If this technology is exported or similar systems developed successfully elsewhere, this extra demand should be seen globally.
Japan has been a leader in biogas production in recent years. According to the 12th Global Bioenergy Statistics Report, published last year:
- Japan was one of the key drivers of the tripling of bioenergy installed capacity in Asia in the decade to 2024, alongside China and India
- Japan is the second largest importer of wood pellets for biomass generation behind the UK
- Major new biomass plants in Japan included the Ishinomaki Hibarino Biomass Power Plant, opened in 2020, and the Aichi Tahara Biomass Power Plant, which was opened in 2022, with both producing up to 530 GWH of energy a year
How Will Japan Benefit From More Biofuel Production?
A key benefit to Japan of producing biogas is partly its commitment to achieving net zero by 2050, which includes a commitment to slash carbon emissions by 46 per cent by 2030. This included an announcement in 2023 that it would build no new coal power plants.
In addition, developments such as those made possible by AdBio could help to counter scathing accusations by bodies such as Climate Action Tracker that its plans to achieve net zero are insufficient, due to a lack of transparency and detail.
However, Japan may have a more immediate incentive to increase biogas production. The increasing use of biogas instead of fossil fuels reduces its dependence on the latter source, which it does not produce domestically.
This consideration is particularly pertinent at a time when oil and gas prices have risen due to the closure of the Straits of Hormuz as the Middle Eastern conflict drags on, as well as the volatility exhibited by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Such geopolitical events may act as a further incentive towards decarbonisation and the maximisation of domestic sources as an alternative to imports that may fluctuate significantly in both price and the reliability of supply.
This point was highlighted by Gas World, which noted that other developments in Japan’s biofuel sector, such as improved purification of biogas, could help it reduce its imports of liquefied natural gas from the current 65 million tonnes a year, second only to China.
What Other Countries Could Gain Most From Increased Biofuel Output?
Much as Japan has plenty of good reasons to make the most of MIH’s new technology, other countries could benefit even more, based on their current output of energy from biofuel.
For example, the Global Bioenergy Statistics Report noted that in 2024:
- China accounted for 30 per cent of global electricity generation from bioenergy
- Over 20 per cent of all electricity generated in Uruguay and Estonia came from bioenergy
- Denmark had the second highest figure in Europe at 19 per cent
- In the UK, the figure was 14 per cent
These statistics highlight that while Japan may have invented the AdBio system, there may be other countries that could benefit even more from adopting it, building on their already larger bioenergy production capacities, whether in absolute or proportional terms.
As oil and natural gas become increasingly subject to volatile international conditions and the imperative to reduce carbon emissions, the latest innovation from Mitsubishi may help create a golden age for biofuels.
