Methane Gas Production 101

by Al Rutan Research http://www.methane-gas.com/

Methane, Biogas, or Gobar Gas (Gobar is the Nepali term for manure) is made by the anaerobic (in the absence of oxygen) digestion of manure and plant life. The purpose is to convert this manure into methane to use as cooking fuel.

Methane is:

• A gas made up of one molecule of carbon and four molecules of hydrogen.
• It is the major component of the "natural" gas used in many homes for cooking and heating.
• It is odorless, colorless,
• Yields about 1,000 British Thermal Units (Btu) [252 kilocalories (kcal)] of heat energy per cubic foot (0.028 cubic meters) when burned.

Natural gas is:

• a fossil fuel that was created eons ago by the anaerobic decomposition of organic materials.
• It is often found in association with oil and coal.
• The same types of anaerobic bacteria that produced natural gas also produce methane today.
• Anaerobic bacteria are some of the oldest forms of life on earth. They evolved before the photosynthesis of green plants released large quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere.
• Anaerobic bacteria break down or "digest" organic material in the absence of oxygen and produce "biogas" as a waste product.
• Aerobic decomposition, or composting, requires large amounts of oxygen and produces heat.) Anaerobic decomposition occurs naturally in swamps, water-logged soils and rice fields, deep bodies of water, and in the digestive systems of termites and large animals.

Anaerobic processes can be managed in a "digester" (an airtight tank) or a covered lagoon (a pond used to store manure) for waste treatment.

The primary benefits of anaerobic digestion are nutrient recycling, waste treatment, and odor control.

Except in very large systems, biogas production is a highly useful but secondary benefit.

Biogas is:

• produced in anaerobic digesters consists of methane (50%-80%), carbon dioxide (20%-50%), and trace levels of other gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide.
• The relative percentage of these gases in biogas depends on the feed material and management of the process.
• When burned, a cubic foot (0.028 cubic meters) of biogas yields about 10 Btu (2.52 kcal) of heat energy per percentage of methane composition. For example, biogas composed of 65% methane yields 650 Btu per cubic foot (5,857 kcal/cubic meter). http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/ab5.html

Source from http://www.methane-gas.com/