Biogas is produced when organic matter, such as sewage, manure or vegetable matter, decomposes in the absence of oxygen. This may take place in a landfill site or in an anaerobic digester to produce biogas. The biogas mixture is typically 70% methane and 30% carbon dioxide.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for approximately 9-15 years, is more than 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, and is of growing environmental concern.
Methane is also a primary constituent of natural gas and an important energy source. As a result, efforts to utilize methane emissions can provide significant energy, economic and environmental benefits.
Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the U.S., accounting for 34% of all methane emissions. Thermal mass flow meters are widely used in many landfill, wastewater and sewage treatment applications, including:
- Digester gas flow monitoring
- Oxygen/ozone flow monitoring
- Chlorine gas flow monitoring
- Sample flow for gas chromatography
Methane is also produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic material in livestock manure management systems. Liquid manure management systems, such as lagoons and holding tanks, can produce significant amounts of methane. Many large swine and dairy operations are turning manure into a valuable resource by substituting biogas for natural gas or propane as fuel for boilers and electrical generators.
Farmers are also capturing methane from anaerobic digesters and monetizing the resulting carbon credits through greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading systems.
Related Links:
Case Study: RCM Digesters Specify FOX Thermal Flow Meters
RCM Digester Earns Greenhouse Gas Reduction Dollars
Applications
