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Bio-Methane - what is it? |
From
a pure chemical standpoint biomethane, also called bio-natural gas, cannot be
distinguished from natural gas. Both
gases are made up primarily of methane (CH4). Unlike natural gas,
bio-methane isn't a fossil fuel: it is produced from biogas, which comes from
the digestion of many substrates like energy crops, manure, or wastes.
Raw
biogas consists of only 50 to 60% of combustible methane; the rest is mainly carbon
dioxide (CO2). Through
careful conditioning it is possible to selectively extract the methane from the
biogas. The generated gas can be used the same as natural gas.
Unlike
biogas, biomethane can be transported in the existing natural gas net thanks to
its similarity to natural gas. Because
of this, biomethane is considerably more efficient to use than raw biogas.
Hence, the use of bio-energy is no longer restricted to being in close
proximity to the biogas plant.
In
addition to economic benefits, biomethane also has ecological benefits. The process is CO2 neutral,
because in the production of bio-methane the released CO2 doesn't
come from fossil fuels but rather from CO2 gathered from the
atmosphere.
In most cases, manure is stored in open lagoons in California. Methane, which is created by a digestive process
that takes plays at all times, at faster rates in hot weather, can escape to
the atmosphere. Biogas systems trap this harmful greenhouse gas, which is 21x
times more harmful than CO2. Conditioning of biogas and injecting into the
natural gas grid has three big advantages. Harmful CH4-emissions are avoided,
fossil fuels are replaced and most energetic potential of manure is used.
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