Life cycle Assessment of Manure-Based biomethane with carbon capture and storage for Argentina’s transport sector

This prospective study evaluates the environmental performance of manure-derived biomethane for use in passenger cars in Argentina . It compares the performance of fossil natural gas with that of carbon capture and storage (CCS) pathways under current conditions and three 2050 Integrated Assessment Model (IMAGE, REMIND, and TIAM-UCL) scenarios. Life cycle inventories were modeled using Brightway2/premise and the ecoinvent v3.10 database. Under current conditions, the global warming potential of fossil natural gas is 0.207 ± 0.034 kg CO 2 -eq/km. Biomethane with CCS significantly outperforms this baseline: specifically, when accounting for synthetic fertilizer displacement via digestate, the system achieves a net negative carbon balance of −0.248 ± 0.037 kg CO 2 -eq/km. However, multi-criteria analysis reveals burden shifting, with acidification and toxicity indicators increasing due to digestate logistics and CCS energy penalties. Long-term projections indicate that decarbonizing the Argentine electricity grid is decisive for sustainability, with the TIAM-UCL scenario enabling GHG reductions of ∼ 80% relative to the 2050 fossil baseline. To maximize mitigation potential while minimizing local trade-offs, the findings recommend prioritizing decentralized production clusters, powering CCS units with renewable energy, and enforcing rigorous methane leak control throughout the supply chain.