Biogenic CO2 from biomethane for the decarbonisation of Europe

22/01/2026
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For the SAF platform, we have prepared a review of a comprehensive document by the European Biogas Association, which explores the possibility of using biogenic CO2 from the biogas sector.

This white paper examines the current status and future outlook of biogenic CO2 carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) from both the technical and economic perspectives, as well as providing market intelligence on trends shaping bioCO2 capture. The report details the sector’s fast-growing capture capacities, the expanding range of applications for renewable CO2 and the policy frameworks guiding its scale-up.

Biogenic CO2

Biogenic CO2 is the carbon dioxide (CO2) resulting from the decomposition, digestion, chemical reaction or combustion of biomass-derived products. Atmospheric CO2, assimilated by biomass through photosynthesis, is subsequently returned to the atmosphere or the soil as biogenic CO2, depending on the type of conversion and final use of the biomass, in what is known as the natural short carbon cycle.

Biogenic CO2 from biogas presents an immediate and scalable solution to Europe’s growing climate and circularity ambitions. The current conventional CO2 demand in Europe in 2024 stands at 13.9 Mt/year, with the merchant market accounting for 56% of this total.

However, the European Commission’s Impact Assessment for the Climate Target projects that emerging markets (primarily e-fuels and storage) will require a dramatic increase to 344 Mt of CO2 by 2040 to support a 90% net reduction in GHGs.

Biomethane and bio-CO2

The market data study shows the number of biomethane plants capturing biogenic CO2 in Europe has increased eightfold over the past five years, from 15 plants capturing 0.16 million tonnes in 2020 to 125 plants capturing 1.17 million tonnes in 2025, equivalent to around 14% of Europe’s merchant liquid and solid CO2 demand.

Historical and projected captured biogenic CO2. Source: EBA.

With confirmed and underconstruction projects, capacity is expected to exceed 2 Mt annually by 2027, with 179 biomethane plants.

Read the full material on the SAF platform. You can also download the full EBA report there.

We remind you that UABIO is a partner of the Sustainable agribusiness platform (SAF).

SAF is a communication platform that brings together agribusiness stakeholders and aims to establish strong links between market players and introduce sustainable approaches in agriculture. For this platform, our team prepares verified professional content on the bioenergy sector.