Bio-methane: an alternative
What is Biomethane? Biomethane is a renewable fuel source, has the same chemical formula as natural gas, and is used throughout the world in countries such as Sweden where 60% of gas used in 38,500 natural gas vehicles use biomethane, in Germany where 25% of the public CNG stations dispense only biomethane, and India, which has had a natural gas program for over a decade in place, are utilizing biomethane to supplement fossil based natural gas.
It has only recently become a slightly more common fuel for use in the United States. Biomethane is a product of anaerobic digestion, where microbes digest organic material without the presence of oxygen, thus reducing the amount of CO2 released from areas such as landfills, sewage treatment facilities, animal manure on farms, crop residue, dedicated energy crops, organic waste from companies such as food manufactures, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals, educational facilities, and prisons. This biogas must then be refined to meet federal standards for compressed natural gas pipelines.
What is Biomethane? Biomethane is a renewable fuel source, has the same chemical formula as natural gas, and is used throughout the world in countries such as Sweden where 60% of gas used in 38,500 natural gas vehicles use biomethane, in Germany where 25% of the public CNG stations dispense only biomethane, and India, which has had a natural gas program for over a decade in place, are utilizing biomethane to supplement fossil based natural gas.
It has only recently become a slightly more common fuel for use in the United States. Biomethane is a product of anaerobic digestion, where microbes digest organic material without the presence of oxygen, thus reducing the amount of CO2 released from areas such as landfills, sewage treatment facilities, animal manure on farms, crop residue, dedicated energy crops, organic waste from companies such as food manufactures, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals, educational facilities, and prisons. This biogas must then be refined to meet federal standards for compressed natural gas pipelines.
The benefits of using biomethane include increased domestic energy security, less reliance on foreign fossil fuels and their volatile markets, as well as creating jobs for U.S. citizens. We would also see a decrease in the amount of methane released into our atmosphere from sources of biogas, and we would see a reduction in the cost of natural gas by increasing the total supply available. Using biogas from landfills would decrease the amount of waste, foul odors, and would produce more nutrient – rich fertilizer.
The United States 8,200 dairy and swine farms are able to support biogas generation with the potential to generate more than 13 million megawatt-hours which would displace about 1,670 megawatts of fossil fuel-fired generation collectively per year. (EPA)
The United States 8,200 dairy and swine farms are able to support biogas generation with the potential to generate more than 13 million megawatt-hours which would displace about 1,670 megawatts of fossil fuel-fired generation collectively per year. (EPA)
According to the Department of Energy, biogas is a mixture of methane, which contributes anywhere between fifty and eighty percent to the total mixture of biogas, and carbon dioxide, which can account for twenty to fifty percent of the mixture of biogas. The rest of the mixture is a concoction of gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen.
Fossil Fuel based natural gas usually contains more than 70% methane with most byproducts being valuable hydrocarbons that can be sold and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
Currently Operational Biogas Recovery Method
The entire process of producing biomethane from a landfill and turning it into a fuel that our vehicles can use is an interesting issue. Many steps must be taken to ensure that the quality of the gas is not compromised. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, landfills, designated locations for disposing waste, are the third largest source of anthropogenic emissions in the United States ("Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane)").
To be economically viable and practical for a landfill to collect excess biogas, it must contain at least one million tons of waste and be more than forty feet deep. This type of biogas recovery is called Landfill Gas, LFG, due to anaerobic digestion occurring under layer upon layer of trash and other waste products humans throw away.
Fossil Fuel based natural gas usually contains more than 70% methane with most byproducts being valuable hydrocarbons that can be sold and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
Currently Operational Biogas Recovery Method
The entire process of producing biomethane from a landfill and turning it into a fuel that our vehicles can use is an interesting issue. Many steps must be taken to ensure that the quality of the gas is not compromised. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, landfills, designated locations for disposing waste, are the third largest source of anthropogenic emissions in the United States ("Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane)").
To be economically viable and practical for a landfill to collect excess biogas, it must contain at least one million tons of waste and be more than forty feet deep. This type of biogas recovery is called Landfill Gas, LFG, due to anaerobic digestion occurring under layer upon layer of trash and other waste products humans throw away.
"Methane Emissions." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 7 May 2015. Web. 11 May 2015. http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html.
"Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane)." Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biogas. U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/emerging_biogas.html.
"Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane)." Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biogas. U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/emerging_biogas.html.