Biogas- Renewable source of energy

Fifth Official Post

In the fourth post, I will be talking about the main product produced by Anaerobic Digestion. It is something which is very important to all of us- biogas. Biogas can replace the depleting fossil fuels and supply us with energy as well.

The biogas mainly consists of methane and carbon dioxide along with a small amount of hydrogen. Biogas is more environmentally-friendly as compared to fossil fuels as the carbon dioxide produced is not released directly into the atmosphere. This will then not increase the level of carbon dioxide concentrations in the air.


Using a micro turbine or reciprocating engine, biogas can be combusted to from both electricity and heat. Some treatment to refine the gas and it can be used as fuel.

However, volatile siloxanes may be present in biogas and when burned, will be converted to silicon dioxide. The silicon dioxide will then remain in the machine and increase wear and tear. Solutions have been created to solve these problems. In situ treatment can reduce the content of carbon dioxide and increase the methane purity. In some countries, methane in the biogas will be concentrated to allow the gas to serve as fuel for transportation.

What is so special about biogas? Fossil fuels when burned will generate something called nitric acid and will then fall back to Earth in the form of Acid Rain. It also produces radioactive materials like uranium. When fossil fuels are used instead of biogas, the conditions of global warming will worsen. Worldwide, the burning of fossil fuels produce about 21.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide but the trees and plants can only take in around half of it. This will lead to an increase in carbon dioxide level and carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gasses.

Biogas will be very important as fossil fuels are running out. If we run out of fossil fuels one day, at least we can still use biogas as fossil fuels are non-renewable while biogas is a renewable source of energy. However, it will still not be enough to supply the entire world. Therefore, there is still a need to conserve our resources even with the presence of renewable resources.