The use of biomethane – methane produced through the fermentation of organic matter, rather than non-renewable fossil fuels – is projected to double by 2030 in response to the European Green Deal’s goal of decarbonising gas grids.

Although some of the metrological infrastructure required for this transition has been developed by the EMPIR project Metrology for biomethane, validated standards and test methods are still needed to ensure that biomethane used in biogas vehicles and gas networks meets specifications, namely EN 16723. This includes methods for measuring common impurities and an evaluation of the effect they, and other interference sources, have on the accuracy of biomethane monitoring. Standards are also needed to test and validate commonly used analytical instruments and methods, especially in the field, where the application of standards is hampered by cost and inaccessibility.

This project will develop techniques for producing static and dynamic reference gasses containing different common impurities, suitable for validating instruments and measurement methods. It will also develop a protocol for validating and evaluating the performance of commonly-used instruments and measurement methods. This protocol will be used to evaluate commercially available gas analysers used in both the lab and the field, and an accompanying good practice guide for its implementation will also be created.

The project’s outcomes will accelerate the uptake of biomethane as a fuel source, increasing the safety and efficiency of its use through more widely applicable and cost-effective monitoring techniques. The project will also contribute to ongoing standards development through collaboration with the ISO/TC193/SC1 “Biomethane” technical committee.