The European Biogas Association has published a position paper identifying research and innovation gaps across the full biogas and biomethane value chain, offering the findings as a scientific roadmap to guide EU investment decisions ahead of Framework Programme 10.
The paper, produced in collaboration with EBA's Scientific Advisory Board and a network of European research institutions, organises its recommendations into five thematic pillars.
The first, covering biomass, nutrients, water and soil, highlights the sector's potential to act as a connector between agricultural systems, energy networks and nutrient cycles, and calls for further work on lignocellulosic feedstock pretreatment, digestate valorisation, nutrient recovery and the agroecological co-benefits of biogas-integrated farming.
The second pillar addresses the biology and process engineering of anaerobic digestion itself, which the EBA describes as the area with the greatest potential for compounding returns across the rest of the value chain. Priority research areas include microbial ecology and consortia engineering, additives and biological enhancers, and the role of AD in reducing pathogen loads and antimicrobial resistance genes — positioning the technology as a contributor to One Health objectives.
The third pillar covers the transformation of biogas and biomethane from energy carriers into molecular platforms for advanced fuels, chemicals and bioproducts. This includes innovative upgrading technologies, conversion to sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and synthetic hydrocarbons, biorefinery integration, and the valorisation of biogenic CO2 through Power-to-X and carbon capture routes.
The fourth pillar focuses on digitalisation, metrology and standards, which the EBA describes as the measurement infrastructure underpinning the entire sector. Key needs include robust monitoring systems for plants with limited connectivity, digital twins for process control, AI-based optimisation tools, and harmonised measurement protocols for methane emissions, feedstock characterisation and biogenic CO2 accounting.
The fifth pillar addresses system integration, deployment and societal dimensions, including the role of biogas in energy resilience strategies, sector coupling and socioeconomic modelling, social acceptance, and the mechanisms needed to bridge demonstration-stage technologies and commercial deployment — particularly for first-of-a-kind projects in areas such as lignocellulosic AD and biological methanation.
Across the five pillars, the EBA identifies five structural priorities for future European research programmes: balanced investment across the full technology readiness level spectrum; support for cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral consortia; dedicated first-of-a-kind de-risking mechanisms; funding for metrological and pre-normative research; and the integration of biogas and biomethane into cross-sectoral research agendas that reflect the technology's multifunctional nature.
EBA sets out R&I priorities for biogas and biomethane sector
