Biogas facts for kids

Biogas is a special kind of gas that forms when organic matter breaks down without any oxygen. This process is called anaerobic digestion or fermentation.

Organic matter can be many things, like manure (animal waste), sewage (wastewater), municipal waste (trash from cities), compost, or even food waste. Any material that can naturally break down can be used to make biogas.

Biogas is mostly made of two gases: methane and carbon dioxide.

Depending on where it is made, biogas can also be called:

• swamp gas
• marsh gas
• landfill gas
• digester gas

Biogas is very useful! It can power vehicles, create electricity, or be burned directly for cooking, heating, lighting, and other industrial uses.

Biogas and Anaerobic Digestion

Making biogas using anaerobic digestion is a great way to handle biodegradable waste. This process not only creates a valuable fuel but also helps to destroy harmful germs (called pathogens). It also reduces the amount of waste we need to get rid of.

The methane in biogas burns much cleaner than coal. It produces more energy with fewer emissions of carbon dioxide.

Collecting biogas is an important part of waste management. This is because methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. It traps much more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide does.

The carbon in biogas comes from plants that recently took it from the air through photosynthesis. So, when we burn biogas, we are mostly putting that carbon back into the air. This adds less total carbon to the atmosphere compared to burning fossil fuels, which release ancient carbon.

What is Biogas Made Of?

The exact mix of gases in biogas can change. It depends on how and where it is made. For example, gas from a landfill usually has about 50% methane. But advanced ways of treating waste can make biogas with 55% to 75% methane.

Here is a typical list of what biogas contains:

• Sometimes, a small amount of air (about 5%) is added to get rid of sulfur using tiny living things (microbes).

Related pages

• Producer gas

Images for kids

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  Pipes carrying biogas (foreground) and condensate

• 

  Biogas production in rural Germany

• 

  A biogas bus in Linköping, Sweden

• 

  "Biogaståget Amanda" ("Amanda the Biogas Train") train near Linköping station, Sweden

• 

  Biogas fueling station in Mikkeli, Finland

See also

In Spanish: Biogás para niños