Biogas – The Fuel Solution That Is All Around Us

Posted: Nov 14, 2009 |Comments: 0 | Views: 119 |

There is no doubt that the easier it is to find fuel, the cheaper our fuel bills will be. There is equally little doubt that the extraction and application of that fuel will require less work to be done by man and machine, and will by its very nature lead to greater energy efficiency. So it can reasonably be asked: if you could find a form of fuel that was created in the midst of things that we simply throw away every day, would it not be a great idea to put that to work for us? This is just what many people are suggesting we should do – although experiments are, at present, limited and the application of their results is therefore not widespread.

What, then, is this potential natural fuel solution? The answer, in a word, is “Biogas”, and it describes a gas produced as the result of the breakdown of organic material without oxygen. This process takes place naturally in the middle of landfills as a result of the severe compression of waste materials – and it is estimated that, if the potential of biogas was harnessed, it could greatly improve the energy efficiency of many households the world over. Although there may be plenty of opportunity for snickering at the idea of powering a car or even a home by the use of waste material, it is something that people are taking deadly seriously. The application of this technology could well be an important part of making the developed world more energy efficient.

There are two main types of biogas. One is created by the fermentation or anaerobic digestion of things such as crops, manure, municipal waste and other forms of waste, and is made up of carbon dioxide and methane. The other is called “wood gas” and results from the degradation of wood and other natural elements. Both biogases can be harnessed and compressed, and from there used in any number of different ways. They can be used for heating, cooking and running any kind of engine, including an internal combustion engine to power a motor vehicle. Recent tests in the United Kingdom have suggested that in that country it could have the effect of replacing up to 17% of all vehicle fuel.

So, considering that this can be made from stuff we are throwing away anyway, should we not be looking at making a little bit more of it? The potential for biogas to free humankind from the level of reliance we currently have on non-renewable energy sources is very real. There are certainly still some issues that need to be better understood, but one inventor in the UK made biogas by processing pig manure and used it to run his car. When a documentary was made detailing how he did this, he had been doing it for seventeen years – and the film was made in 1974. The potential, clearly, has always been there. It is the research and, currently, the will that seems to be lacking.

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