Low energy gas applications

Low energy gas or Biogas, is typically defines a gas resulting from the anaerobic (in absence of oxygen) decomposition of organic material like:

   • Municipal waste leftovers - resulting in landfill gas;
   • Sewage waste (the mixture of waste from the human body and used water that
     is carried away from houses by pipes under ground) - resulting in digester gas;
   • Energy crops (corn, wheat, grass) - resulting in industrial biogas;
   • Liquid manure or dung - resulting in agricultural biogas.

Biogas is very similar to natural gas by properties. Synonyms for biogas are such words as methane, sewage gas, marsh gas. biogas caloric value is from 6000 to 9500 kcal/m3.

Biogas is a gas with 50-70 % of methane (CH4) and 30-50 % of carbon dioxide (CO2) content. It is a renewable fuel with a special composition which demands proper addressing in both, plant layout as well as in engine / genset design.

Typical chemical composition of biogas depends on:

quality and composition of the input biomass material (vegetal, animal, etc.);
operation of the plant, specially temperature and pressure in the fermenter.

Biogas can be burned in boilers as natural gas, burned with a purpose of electric and heat power production, or after its treatment up to methane it can be used as fuel for vehicles or fed in to the grid like a natural gas.