A Techno-Economic Optimization Approach to an Integrated Biomethane and Hydrogen Supply Chain

One of the proposed strategies to reach net-zero goals is the diversification of a country�s energy mix and transition to technologies that favour the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, while decreasing dependency on conventional fuels. This work presents a mathematical model that describes key production routes for two proposed energy transition vectors, biomethane and hydrogen, expressed as a Mixed-Integer Linear Problem (MILP). The supply chain is optimized with the objective of maximizing the profits from the global supply chain. The problem is formulated as an allocation problem, with production distributed between biomethane and hydrogen markets. The case study focuses on a region in Mexico where second-generation biomass for biogas production is abundant, while hydrogen is produced from biomethane using steam methane reforming. The results highlight the importance of balancing resource allocation in shared supply chains. With a production ratio of 60% biomethane and 40% hydrogen, a Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH) of 2.07 �/kWh and a Levelized Cost of Biomethane (LCBM) of 0.17 �/kWh are obtained, resulting in total hydrogen and biomethane production of 12,563 GWh/year and 72,374 GWh/year, respectively.