Indicator-based economic, environmental, and social sustainability assessment of a small gasification bioenergy system fuelled with food processing residues from the Mediterranean agro-industrial sector

• Eco-innovative small scale technology to promote bioenergy in rural areas.
• Gasification-based unit for sustainable food waste and agri-residues management.
• Increasing the eco-efficiency of agro-industrial Mediterranean companies.
• 40 kWel installed capacity; investment cost ∼1520 €/kWhel, net profit 20,000 €/year.
• Commercial success depends on subsidies, feed in tariff and biomass price.

Small-scale gasification systems coupled with internal combustion engines could be innovative alternatives for combined heat and power production when fuelled with agricultural residues, providing benefits related to both food processing waste management and sustainable agriculture. In the present study, an indicator-based estimation of sustainability was performed for a gasification-based bioenergy system considering not only economic but also environmental and social issues. The analysed scenario consisted of an installed capacity of 40 kWel, with an investment cost estimated to be approximately 1520 €/kWhel and a net profit up to 20,000 €/year. However, commercial success depends on instruments of reducing capital investment, such as subsidies, electricity feed-in tariffs, and biomass prices. Additional benefits such as low- or zero-cost feedstock and zero-cost biomass logistics suggest that small-scale gasification systems based on agricultural residues are likely to play an important role in future energy supplies for Mediterranean countries.