Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Advantages of Biogas

Advantages of Biogas
1) It is light fuel gas.2) It mixes easily with the air.3) It is highly knocked resistant.4) Due to uniform distribution thermal efficiency is higher.5) Biogas has a high octane number.6) It reduces pollution.7) Higher compression ratio can be used with biogas.8) Plants capital cost is low.9) Domestic fuels for burners used in kitchen.10) No toxic to skin.
BENEFITS OF BIOGAS
A study released at the NGV Conference highlights the benefits of using biogas as a source of fuel for NGVs. Biogas consists primarily of methane and is given off in places where decaying organic material is found. According to the report, one of the primary benefits of capturing biogas generated at landfill sites, sewage waste treatment plants, and animal feedlots would be a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The report also finds that capturing and burning biogas would provide significant reductions in toxic emissions and ozone forming pollutants, and lower particulate emissions in the case of heavy-duty vehicles. In addition, the report finds that water quality could be improved as a result of reduced waste runoff near sites where biogas is captured and used in NGVs.
The potential reductions of greenhouse gas emissions presented in this paper are staggering. Much of this benefit is derived from capturing and burning methane emissions that currently are released into the atmosphere. The report indicates that an NGV using fuel derived from biogas that otherwise would have been vented provides as much benefit as removing six petroleum-fueled vehicles from the nation's highways. Stated differently, use of biogas in NGVs would produce 600 percent less greenhouse gas emissions when compared with using petroleum as a motor fuel.
Using biogas that currently is flared instead of vented would provide about a 100 percent net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared with burning petroleum motor fuel in a similar vehicle. The study also finds that utilization of available supplies of biogas could potentially reduce the motor vehicle-related greenhouse gas emission by more than 340 million tons -- a 23 percent reduction in overall emissions of motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.
The amount of natural gas that potentially could be produced from decaying material around the country is substantial. The report indicates that biogas could displace about 6 billion gallons of motor fuel a year, accounting for nearly four percent of all the gasoline and diesel currently used by motor vehicles. The report indicates that some of this biogas can be produced at prices competitive with conventional petroleum fuels. Much of the fuel, however, is not economic at today's fuel prices, but could easily be made economic if the right types of incentives or credits were provided.

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