Biogas

• Biogas is a source of fuel generated from the natural process of decay
• Biogas


  Mainly made up of methane, which can be burned as a fuel
• Biogas production


  1. Anaerobic decay of plant and animal waste by microorganisms

  2. Sludge waste from sewage works or sugar factories is used to make biogas on a large scale
• Biogas generator


  A simple fermenter called a digester or generator
• Biogas generators


  • Need to be kept at a constant temperature to keep the microorganisms respiring away
  • Biogas can't be stored as a liquid, so it has to be used straight away for heating, cooking, lighting, or to power a turbine to generate electricity
• Types of biogas generators

  • Batch generators
  • Continuous generators
• Batch generators


  Make biogas in small batches, manually loaded up with waste, left to digest, and the by-products are cleared away at the end of each session
• Continuous generators


  Make biogas all the time, with waste continuously fed in and biogas produced at a steady rate, more suited to large-scale biogas projects
• Components of a biogas generator

  • Inlet for waste material
  • Outlet for digested material (to be used as fertiliser)
  • Outlet for biogas to be piped to where it is needed