Renewable natural gas – biofuel is a clean, readily produced alternative to fossil fuels. As fossil fuel sources are being depleted, the world is seeking clean and renewable fuels. Natural gas is naturally produced from sources like landfill waste and is a clean-burning fuel that is becoming more commonly used to power vehicles.
Biofuel is formed when bacteria break down organic material in the absence of oxygen, called anaerobic digestion. It is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and other impurities. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, can be collected and used a fuel source to generate electricity and heat or to power vehicles. The methane produced this way is commonly called biomethane. Unlike the methane produced from fossil fuels, biomethane is a renewable energy source which can be produced from organic waste products.
Biogas can be produced from various types of organic materials, including landfill waste, solid waste, and agricultural manure. In particular, it is becoming more common for landfills to be designed to collect biogases. These gases are produced naturally in all landfills, and if they are not collected, they escape the landfill and rise into the atmosphere. The landfill waste is covered and compressed by its own weight, forcing oxygen out. The oxygen-free environment allows microbes to decompose the organic materials in the landfill. The gas produced, which is typically around 65 percent methane, is collected and treated to remove impurities. The gas can then be used as fuel directly or converted into liquid form, called liquefied natural gas.
One example of commercial production of natural gas is the Altamont landfill in California. There they produce approximately 13,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas daily. The natural gas is used to fuel 400 of their trash collecting trucks, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 30,000 tons per year.
Renewable natural gas for vehicles
Because biomethane is a natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic materials and can be collected from waste products, it is a renewable energy source and is frequently called renewable natural gas. It is completely compatible with existing systems which use fossil fuel natural gas. Aside from its uses in electricity and heat production, natural gas is becoming more common in vehicles as a replacement for gasoline.
Natural gas is a cleaner alternative to conventional fuels for vehicles like gasoline and diesel. It produces the lowest carbon emissions of any fuel used in transportation and can be used in any engine which is designed for natural gas. Currently, there are several types of natural gas-fueled vehicles, with some solely powered by natural gas and others which use a mix of natural gas and conventional fuels. As society moves away from fossil fuels, natural gas vehicles are becoming an attractive alternative.