Quote:
Originally Posted by PM01
What's the process of a methane digester? Does it work anything like a gasification plant?
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Anaerobic digestion and gasification are both ways of turning biomass into renewable energy. In the former, the biodegradable waste material is broken down by micro organisms in the absence of oxygen, the end result being mainly methane which can be used as a fuel.
In gasification the biomass is heated to high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen to produce a mixture of hydrogen and other gases which again can be used as a fuel. It was the process used in the early gasworks until they were superseded by the use of natural gas whose formula is more akin to the product of an anaerobic digester, being mainly methane.
Here ends today's chemistry lesson!