Biogas Fuel – An alternate fuel for the Future

What is Biogas

It seems like everywhere you look there are more and more fossil fuel alternatives being investigated. From ethanol to air, literally everything has been considered. Biogas is another one of these possibilities. It might be a term that is not familiar to some but it is not all that new of a resource because it is completely natural. Biogas comes from the anaerobic digestion of organic matter. In simple terms, this means that organic waste is compressed in a certain way that creates biogas which can be used as fuel. In fact, it is so natural that it almost makes one wonder why we did not consider using it sooner.

Biogas is created in landfills. When organic matter such as compost or natural waste is buried without oxygen, it starts to create a gas. This is biogas and it can be contained and used to produce energy. A landfill that is properly designed will produce biogas for several years. This gas is released into the earth’s atmosphere, so it just makes sense that harnessing it and making use of it would be a better solution. As far as natural resources go, this might be one of the best.

For the most part biogas is made up of carbon dioxide and methane. However, quite often there are also varying quantities of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and various other natural gases. Special wells have to be drilled in order to properly get biogas out of a landfill. It is a much more efficient way of capturing all of the gas. At this time there is a train in Sweden that is currently powered by biogas. The use of sewage and cow waste is the primary fuel source for that train. It has been determined that biogas has virtually no trace of toxic emissions in comparison with fossil fuels.

There are several great benefits to using biogas as fuel. Not only does it produce much needed energy but it also eliminates all of the organic waste in landfills by giving it a purpose. This in turn also improves conditions in landfills regarding insects and the reduction of pathogens. Reducing the amount of methane in the earth’s atmosphere is also a good idea which biogas helps with as well. Those that are interested in the benefits of biogas should do the necessary research in order to understand it better. As consumers and members of this earth, we all must do our part to make an educated choice.

There are a handful of disadvantages associated with biogas as well. The actual product value of biogas is incredibly low, which does not necessarily make it economically feasible. The process that is required to obtain biogas can also be quite expensive since special wells must be drilled. There is also reason to believe that some of the gases in biogas are corrosive to metal. This can be a problem because metal is a major component of automobile engines. Weighing the benefits and disadvantages is necessary in order to conclude if biogas will work for you.

Biogas Fuel Facts

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Changing the way the earth is affected by the consumption of oil is a top priority for many right now. It is a global concern that directly affects each and every person for many generations to come. Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels can be done in many ways. The alternatives to petroleum gasoline vary from green vehicles to different fuel sources altogether. Biogas is another way that vehicles and machinery can be powered as an alternative to burning fossil fuels. It is currently undergoing investigation and study in the hopes that it may one day be a leading energy source.

Biogas is created during the breaking down of organic waste inside a landfill. It is called anaerobic digestion. Organic matter such as plant life releases the gas after it has been buried without any oxygen for awhile. A landfill will actually generate biogas for many years after the organic waste has been buried. This gas has been proven to be effective in producing energy that can be used to power cars. There are now landfills designed just for the purpose of creating biogas.

Biogas is actually made up of several different types of gases. The two primary gases found in biogas are carbon dioxide and methane. There will also be traces of oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen present. The biogas does have to be put through a cleaning process before it can be used. Once it is ready though it could possibly power everything from cars to businesses. It can even be used for cooking.

Collecting biogas from the landfill is a pretty large task. It involves the use of gas wells which have to be drilled to properly obtain the biogas. The cost involved in this can be quite substantial which may be one of the downfalls to the use of this fuel source. Sweden is currently running a train solely on biogas between the cities Linkoeping and Vaestervik. The biogas used in the train is derived primarily from the waste of cattle and sewage. It certainly is interesting to see how waste can be made into something viable and useful.

Biogas certainly has other great attributes. It has far less carbon dioxide than diesel and gasoline. The emissions do not contain any of the same toxins as fossil fuels. If it could be obtained easier then perhaps it would be useful to the general public. However, even the best resources will have disadvantages. There are many pollutants that can be found in the burning of biogas which makes it an environmental risk. There is also a really high risk of bacteria because the management of it can be very sensitive. Production of biogas is not a simple process at all. The hard work involved does make biogas rather difficult to obtain.

Biogas simply is not common enough for public consumption at this point. Perhaps with more time and work it could become something that would be a great option that would also help the earth. Biogas remains a fantastic option that is still better than fossil fuels.

Biogas as Fuel

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Perhaps you have heard or read about using biogas as an alternative vehicle fuel.

The quest for an efficient alternative fuel is still going on; even though there are bio fuels that are already available in the market place commercially. Biogas fuel is one of them. So what is biogas? It is another form of renewable energy where its energy is extracted from organic waste materials. And manufacturing costs are a lot cheaper when compared to cost of production for petroleum fossil fuels.

How is energy generated? It is a biological reaction caused by bacteria degradation. The organic materials is being attacked by bacteria in the absence of oxygen hence anaerobic digestion occurred and gas in the form of methane and carbon dioxide is produced. The digestion process occur when there is an absence of oxygen. The ideal Environments are marshes, rubbish dumps, septic tanks, and Arctic Tundra. There are improvised methods developed by producing complex machines to have a better result.

Adding water to the organic waste material is the conventional method used and it is also known as the “liquid process”. The process used in “landfill sites are called “solid process”.

So now that we know how the biogas is produced, how do we collect it and consume it as a fuel? Methane gas from experience is very hard to compress. For this reason, the best approach is to use it as stationary fuel. Meaning we do not transport it but use it directly from the site where the gas is produced.

This fuel is best used at home for cooking, heating, light and absorption refrigeration. It can also be used to run pumps that are powered by gas powered engines.

What are its benefits? These are the benefits:

Save money from your energy bills
It is easy to control.
It is quicker to produce.
There is no smoke or smell.
It has no dark carbon residue on your pots.
The sludge produced could be used as a fertilizer.
It reduces pathogen transmission compared to untreated waste.
It helps to reduce our dependence to petroleum fossil oil, thus causing a positive effect on our economy.
It reduces the pollution of our environment.
It provides additional source of jobs.

In conclusion, Biogas fuel is one of the accepted Alternative Fuel Sources in the world today. With its valuable benefits and advantages over petroleum fossil fuels we should work together for its improvement. I personally believe that one day; we will live in a much cleaner, safer and healthier world.