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Definition, Uses, Process

Definition

Category

Short history

Kinds

Biogas has contributed to the emergence of sustainable and attainable energy. Aside from this,
it is also of great help to the environment since it does not harm any elements in the planet and does
not produce waste. Instead, this solution consumes wastes and converts them to renewable energy for
power source. Biogas is a biofuel coming from the decomposition of organic materials like food scraps,
animal wastes, sludge from wastewater treatment plants, animal manure, and other biodegradable
waste from industrial facilities, etc. During the decomposition of such organic materials, these are
exposed to an environment with no oxygen and then a mixture of gases will be produced. Mostly of
these gases are methane and carbon dioxide [ CITATION Bio20 \l 13321 ]. The use of biogas all started
during the 18th century when, Flemish chemist, Jan Baptise van Helmont validated that there is
combustible gas produced from decomposing organic matter. Later, John Dalton and Humphrey Davy
clarified that the gas produced was methane. On 1859, the first major anaerobic digestion plant was
made in Bombay. After some time, on 1898, UK used anaerobic digestion to convert sewage into biogas.
It only became widely popular when the price of fossil fuels rose during the 1970s [ CITATION Wha \l
13321 ] Biogas can be utilized in numerous ways. It depends on how it is processed and further
converted. If it has little to no processing, it can be used for heating . However, if it is processed through
a combustion engine, fuel cell, or gas turbine, it can be used as electricity. In the meantime, the
digestate, remains after digestion process, can be further used as fertilizer for farms. Another use would
be utilized only if biogas is refined to remove the carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other trace gases in
it. This way, it becomes acceptable in the natural gas industries’ standards for it to be injected into the
existing natural gas grid or pipelines. Lastly, if the biogas is converted to compressed natural gas (CNG)
or liquefied natural gas (LNG), it can be used for fuels for vehicles [ CITATION Tan17 \l 13321 ]

References
Biogas Definition: What Is Biogas Production? What Are Its Stages? (2020, February 13). Retrieved from
youmatter: https://youmatter.world/

Tanigawa, S. (2017, October). Biogas: Converting Waste to Energy. Retrieved from Envirinmental and
Energy Study Institute: https://www.eesi.org/
What is Biogas? A Beginners Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from Homebiogas: https://www.homebiogas.com/