Analytical Note No. 3: Advanced biomethane production from microalgae harvested on digestate of biogas plants in Ukraine

03/11/2025
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We are pleased to share with you the third and final document in the project, which was developed by a team of UABIO experts. This analytical note is dedicated to the production of advanced biomethane from microalgae. This is a relatively new topic for Ukraine, which our experts have researched.

The purpose of this Analytical Note is to analyse the prospects for microalgae cultivation with the use of biomethane production by-products (CO2, digestate, heat) followed by subsequent production of advanced biomethane and other valuable products derived from microalgae.

Download Analytical Note No. 3 “Advanced biomethane production from microalgae harvested on digestate of biogas plants in Ukraine” (in Ukrainian)

Download Analytical Note No. 3 “Advanced biomethane production from microalgae harvested on digestate of biogas plants in Ukraine” (in English)

Analytical Note No. 3 was prepared by: Georgii Geletukha, Mariana Hyvel, Mykola Sydorenko, Volodymyr Kramar and Petro Kucheruk.

Prospects for Ukraine

Currently, microalgae production in Ukraine is at an early but promising stage of development. Despite relatively small production volumes on a national bioeconomy scale, interest in this sector is growing rapidly, given the wide range of applications for microalgae — from food supplements and pharma ceuticals to alternative energy sources and waste-water treatment.

It is expected that the price of biomethane from microalgae will be higher, as such biomethane is considered advanced according to EU Directive RED II (and RED III) and allows for significant greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The economic potential, taking into account the feasibility of growing microalgae in Ukrainian conditions and only partial use of this approach at biomethane plants, will be no more than 1 billion m3/year, which, however, is also a significant amount.

Key topics of the Analytical Note No. 3

Overview of microalgae;
Cultivation and harvesting of microalgae;
Microalgae market in the world: potential, production, technologies;
Digestate as a feedstock for microalgae cultivation;
Biogas/biomethane production from microalgae;
Feasibility of biomethane production from microalgae;
Integrated case studies on CO₂ utilization, microalgae cultivation, and biomethane/biogas production.
Assessment of the potential for biomethane production in Ukraine, taking into account microalgae that can be collected from the digestate of biogas plants.

We recommend you to read the analytical note and pay attention to microalgae as a new and promising source of biomass for the production of advanced biomethane.

Given the high reproductive activity and significantly higher conversion rate of solar radiation energy into organic matter, microalgae can become another significant source of biomass for energy production, in particular biomethane.

If you are interested in the topic of advanced biomethane production, we recommend that you explore it further and read the first and second analytical notes within this project:

The analytical note was prepared within the framework of the project “Ukrainian Biomethane Sector Development”, funded by the Energy Community with the support of the UK Agency for International Development (FCDO) and implemented by the Public Union “Bioenergy Association of Ukraine” (UABIO).