Renewable natural gas (RNG) is one of the most prominent fuels that help reduce upstream emissions from conventional natural gas networks without significant infrastructure changes. While the current resources for RNG are insufficient, there is a substantial interest in establishing the viability of integrating RNG into the gaseous-fuel industry portfolio. However, holistic studies that support the assessment and selection of the fuel production paths are limited. Therefore, the current study attempts to close that gap by introducing a systematic approach to assess the project viability of RNG investments. Twelve waste-to-RNG configurations were evaluated based on three types of waste feedstock and four biogas upgrade technologies in three selected population centres. Life cycle environmental and life cycle cost assessment tools were employed to determine the ecological footprint and economic performance of RNG production routes. Multi-criteria decision-making was applied using the TOPSIS method under varying stakeholder perspectives to derive suitability indices for RNG investments. Finally, recommendations were provided based on the results obtained for successfully implementing waste-to-RNG supply chain paths. According to study findings, not all RNG production methods guarantee positive returns. The least environmental impacts were assured by the anaerobic digestion of animal manure. However, the lowest returns were obtained via the same route. From a pro-economic and neutral decision perspective, landfill gas-based RNG production achieved higher suitability scores. The proposed framework is flexible and can be customized to suit varying decision priorities. The findings are geared towards supporting utility providers, community developers, and potential investors to foresee the success of planned RNG projects to ensure sustainable gaseous fuel networks.

可再生天然气 (RNG) 是最重要的燃料之一，它有助于减少传统天然气网络上游的排放，而无需对基础设施进行重大改造。虽然目前可再生天然气资源不足，但人们对建立将可再生天然气整合到气体燃料工业组合中的可行性有着浓厚的兴趣。然而，支持燃料生产路径评估和选择的整体研究是有限的。因此，当前的研究试图通过引入一种系统方法来评估 RNG 投资的项目可行性来缩小这一差距。在三个选定的人口中心，根据三种类型的废物原料和四种沼气升级技术，对十二种废物转化为可再生天然气的配置进行了评估。采用生命周期环境和生命周期成本评估工具来确定 RNG 生产路线的生态足迹和经济绩效。在不同的利益相关者视角下，使用 TOPSIS 方法应用多标准决策，以得出 RNG 投资的适用性指数。最后，根据成功实施废物到 RNG 供应链路径所获得的结果提供了建议。根据研究结果，并非所有 RNG 生产方法都能保证获得正回报。动物粪便的厌氧消化确保了对环境的影响最小。然而，最低的回报是通过相同的路线获得的。从有利于经济和中立决策的角度来看，基于垃圾填埋气的 RNG 生产获得了更高的适用性分数。拟议的框架是灵活的，可以定制以适应不同的决策优先级。这些调查结果旨在支持公用事业提供商、社区开发商和潜在投资者预见计划中的 RNG 项目的成功，以确保可持续的气体燃料网络。