Interview with Jerry Murphy: Success stories thanks to biogas

In an interview with the Biogas Channel, Jerry Murphy, Director of MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, talks about his team’s research into biogas, with a focus on the biorefinery model to decarbonise the energy system. Professor Murphy shares success stories, where biogas is used to improve sustainability in rural communities or in businesses, such as distilleries. Finally, he discusses the use of biomethane for the creation of a circular and sustainable economy. 

Watch the interview here.

The Circular Economy, Energy, and Environmental Systems (CEEES) group was initiated in the ERI in 2007 by Prof Jerry D Murphy. The CEEES group focus on renewable gaseous biofuel production (biohydrogen and biomethane) from 2nd generation substrates such as wastes, agricultural residues and lignocellulosic energy crops, and 3rd generation substrates such as macro-algae (seaweed) and micro-algae. Research covers biological and thermochemical bioenergy pathways. The group investigates a range of digestion applications at lab scale including for innovative technologies such as Power to X, demand driven biogas, novel biogas upgrading technologies and bioeconomy and biorefinery applications. Fundamental and applied aspects of biomass gasification, pyrolysis, and methanation are also investigated. Work includes for desktop analyses such as chemical kinetic modelling, process simulation, geographic specific bioresources, Life Cycle Analysis, sustainability analyses and techno-economic studies. CEEES’s work facilitates the development of roadmaps, which describe how Ireland can initiate a green gas industry, which would contribute to mandatory renewable energy targets for renewable heat and transport fuel.