Biogas Express - What is Biogas and how is it produced?

What is biogas?

Biogas consists of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and is formed when naturally occurring intestinal bacteria in oxygen-free environments digest organic material.

Biogas is produced when livestock manure and organic residues from industry and households are fed into biogas plants, which consists of a series of tanks without oxygen.

The biomass used comes primarily from livestock manure but can also consist of residues from the food industry, including slaughterhouse waste, and other sources such as household waste. In addition, residues from agriculture are used, including straw.

At Biogas Express, it is very important that the product comes from waste in order to make it as sustainable as possible, and to avoid using biological material that can be used in other ways, e.g. in the food industry.

The solid manure and biomass transported into the biogas plant

The liquid sludge and manure inserted into the biogas plant

The manure will be degassed in the tanks

How is biogas produced?

The biomass is transported to a common facility, where the manure is degassed.

In addition to livestock manure, a quantity of solid organic materials such as slaughterhouse waste, food waste or straw is added. In the degassing process itself, the organic material is decomposed under oxygen-free conditions in the biogas tank, whereby methane and carbon dioxide are formed. During this process, approx. half of the carbon, leaving a quantity of degassed biomass that can be used for fertilizer in the markets. In this way, a recycling of the nutrients is ensured.

The degassed biomass is used as fertilizer. In the biogas plants, the value of livestock manure as fertilizer is improved, and at the same time the risk of loss of nutrients to the aquatic environment is reduced. In addition, the degassed biomass smells a lot less than manure when the crops are fertilized.

The biogas plants also ensure the recycling of the nutrients in the organic waste, which is important in relation to the future food supply, as some of the nutrients that the plants need are scarce resources.

What can biogas do?

Biogas has many different uses. Traditionally has biogas been used for combined heat and power plants, where it is converted into electricity and district heating by means of a gas engine. Since 2013, the primary use of the increased biogas production has been upgrading, i.e. removing the CO2 content of the biogas, after which the methane content (CH4) is pumped into the gas network. Thus, biogas replaces natural gas, which is good for the climate. In addition, biogas can be used for heavy transport, where it can help replace fossil fuels, which also helps to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Biogas production as circular economy

Biogas production is circular economy in its purest form. Organic waste is used for heating and transport and the residual product is used as fertilizer in the fields, which helps to ensure the soil new nutrients, for which new crops grow up. This is used as animal feed, among other things. In this way, the cycle goes in circles, which is a climate-friendly approach to transport and heating rather than fossil alternatives and a resource supplement for wind and solar energy, which is not dependent on whether the wind blows or whether the sun shines.

Have any questions?

If you want to hear more about biogas, you are always welcome to contact us either by mail or call us at + 45 61 71 88 11.