The most critical R&D pathway for encapsulated systems also depends on contextual factors. For example, this study assumed the system would be deployed at a medium-size brewery that purchases natural gas for heating onsite. If affordable low-CI energy for heating is available, the R&D priorities could shift away from optimization of the methanogenic microbial community at room temperature, because anaerobic bioreactivity can often gain significant improvement by operating the system at mesophilic temperatures. Although not explicitly captured by the model, tensions may exist between different properties of encapsulant materials, which could limit the feasible region for technological advancements in Figure and Figure .