Biogas

Thermophile bacteria don’t look pleasant, but there is a lot of evidence that they can be good for the environment by accelerating the production of biogas.

In Sweden, over 15 000 cars run on biogas, and by 2010 all petrol stations must supply bio-gas or bio-ethanol. Biogas from wet organic waste such as animal droppings and food waste is relatively simple to produce. It can be used for heating, or it can be upgraded to fuel – and in addition the by-products are ideal for soil improvement.

Recently, the presence of certain bacteria has also aroused interest in biogas.  The Norwegian firm Hyperthermics has discovered that thermophile bacteria, small creatures that are most comfortable in high temperatures, can accelerate the biogas process.  By adding thermophile bacteria to the biomass in a biogas reactor and increasing the temperature to between 80 and 90 degrees centigrade, biogas is formed ten times as quickly with less energy use.  Such a substantial reduction of time and money used in the production process is being viewed with great interest. 

Nevertheless, for many countries the first priority is to put in place an infrastructure and a system for the production and use of biogas. In Norway, the potential is still great. The Bellona Foundation has estimated that if as much as 60 percent of the country’s farm animal slurry was collected for biogas production, agricultural emissions could be cut by 12 percent.