What is biogas?
Biogas is an energy-rich gas mixture and an environmentally friendly energy source. It is one of the most important renewable energies for the future. It is formed when organic material such as slurry, manure, residuals from agriculture and industry or bio-waste decompose naturally in the absence of air.
Biogas offers many advantages. It is climate-neutral, available decentralized at any time and promotes energy independence in many areas. In addition, electricity from biogas stabilizes the power supply, because the energy can be generated exactly when it is needed, regardless of the weather conditions or time of day.
What is a biogas plant?
Biogas plants produce biogas through the digestion of organic material. The process takes place in a tank with the absence of oxygen (anaerobic). Microorganisms break down the biomass in the tank and produce a gas mixture which consists predominantly of methane and carbon dioxide.
In addition to the production of environmentally friendly energy, biogas plants offer other benefits. They maintain jobs and create added value in various industries. In addition, the digestion residue is an excellent natural fertilizer. Slurry and manure digested in biogas plants are much more environmentally-friendly when applied to agricultural land because the organic acids and gases are almost completely degraded.
How does a biogas plant work?
Collection and preparation
In the first step, solid organic substances are collected on a plate and liquid components in a container and prepared. With the help of feeding systems, the biomass is conveyed into the digester.
Digestion process
Thermally isolated and in the absence of air, the biomass is fermented with the help of microorganisms – this is how biogas is produced: an energy-rich mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and trace gases.
Storage
In the final step, the biogas is stored in the plant. Here it is available for use at any time: It can be used, for example, to produce electricity or heat, or be fed into the natural gas grid.
What can biogas be used for?
Biogas is an excellent complement to renewable energy sources because it can be generated and stored independently of the weather conditions. Due to its high methane content, biogas is versatile:
- for the generation of electricity
- for the generation of heat
- for feeding into the natural gas grid
- as bio-CNG/bio-LNG fuel
- for the generation of CO2
Biogas in figures
small, medium and large- scale digesters*
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% of the world’s primary energy consumption can be met with Biogas Production*
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