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Cities and their surrounding rural areas generate vast amounts of organic resources, from manure and crop residues to food and agricultural by-products.

These materials hold great potential for producing renewable energy and strengthening sustainable food systems, yet they are often underused or seen as competing with food and feed production.
In this challenge, you will explore how biogas production can be effectively integrated with agriculture in ways that create value for both farmers and energy systems.

Together with , one of Northern Europe’s largest producers of bio-LNG, a sustainable and locally produced alternative to fossil fuels, you will investigate real-life examples where agricultural resources are used for biogas without compromising food production.

Based on your findings, you will develop practical recommendations for how such approaches can be applied at St1 Biokraft’s new production facility in Mönsterås and you will contribute to shaping smarter, more circular solutions for energy and agriculture, helping drive the transition to a more sustainable future. The challenge is open to students from all backgrounds, blending engineering, natural sciences, and social studies to develop cutting-edge solutions.

This BIP is given within the context of the course

The course examines how anaerobic digestion transforms organic waste into biogas and digestate – two valuable resources for energy and agriculture. You will gain insight into the technical, environmental, and societal challenges affecting the efficiency and adoption of biogas production.

Emphasising interdisciplinary approaches, the course encourages students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate in solving real-world problems.
The course introduces the principles of anaerobic digestion and its applications for producing biogas and digestate.

You will investigate the links between biotechnology, environmental policy, and biorefinery systems, as well as analyse how these technologies can be integrated into societal structures to promote sustainability.
At the heart of the course is a group-based project where students from diverse backgrounds collaborate to solve a real-world challenge presented by a societal stakeholder, such as a company, research initiative, or government agency. Through this challenge, you will develop skills in project management, communication, and critical thinking.

In this iteration of the course the external partner that provided the real-life problem is St1 Biokraft and the challenge is called Building cities of the future: harnessing new urban bioresources.
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The challenge

Urban biogas and sustainable agriculture – from challenge to opportunity

Urban and peri-urban areas produce large amounts of organic resources such as food waste, manure, and agricultural residues. While these materials have great potential to contribute to sustainable energy and circular food systems, they are often underused or misunderstood. This challenge invites you to explore how biogas production can be better combined with agriculture in ways that benefit both energy systems and food production.

Working together with , you will investigate how biogas production—particularly from manure and agricultural residues—can be expanded without creating conflicts with food or feed production. One key issue is that some valuable materials, such as grass or crop residues, are sometimes seen as too valuable to be used for energy, as they could instead be used as animal feed or left in the field. This creates both practical and perception barriers to using these resources.

Your challenge will be to explore real-world examples, assess how these examples work in practice and identify their benefits. Based in these examples, you will develop recommendations for how similar approaches can be implemented in ST1´s newly started production unit in Mönsterås, and propose strategies for ST1 and local farmers on how biogas production can be more beneficial for everyone.

During the challenge, you will collaborate with industry experts from , engage in interdisciplinary research, and present your innovative solutions to stakeholders. This challenge-based learning experience promises to be both intellectually stimulating and practically impactful, driving sustainable development the transition to greener futures.
The challenge includes a face-to-face (F2F) week at Linköping University in Sweden. During the F2F week, you will get the opportunity to engage with some of the most advanced biogas systems in the world, you will interact directly with the challenge provider and visit state-of-the art biogas research facilities.

Join us and be part of the solution!

Preliminary schedule

The course will be given in blended mode, with most of the activities online and a mandatory face-to-face (F2F) week at Valla campus, Linköping from 12 to 16 October 2026. Please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your home university to secure Erasmus funding for the F2F week as soon as possible.

See the preliminary schedule via the link below. Please note that changes may occur.

LiU will offer suggestions and assistance to find accommodation to the admitted students. However, it is the students' responsibility to book and pay for the accommodation.

you can find a list of all the hotels and hostels in Linköping, if you would like to start planning your trip already now.