Gaseous biofuels

New Zealand has a successful, internationally renowned and growing biogas sector, with a pool of consultancies and equipment suppliers implementing projects at home and abroad, supported by a well-informed and skilled research sector.  Biogas is commonly produced in municipal wastewater and sewage treatment plants, industrial operations that have liquid wastes containing organic material and on farms where animals are kept or held in a small area, such as pig or poultry farms. The anaerobic digestion can occur in purpose-built sealed containers or in covered ponds.

Municipal council's desire to reduce the amount of organic matter going to landfull provides a significant opportunity for the community to use municipal waste as a feedstock for the production of biogas, heat or transport fuels.  Turning waste into wealth should be a goal of all municipal councils and some such as Auckland council are doing just that.  For details on the opportunities executive [at] bioenergy.org.nz (contact us).

Biogas has been used for centuries in a wide variety of ways, and is a relatively low-cost fuel for heating and cooking.  Bioenergy Association-registered biogas advisors can provide guidance on specific applications and maximising plant operating efficiency.

As natural gas becomes less available or more expensive gaseous biofuels will become more in demand. Already the LPG sector is looking to produce renewable LPG produced from biomass and waste. Biogas can also be a feedstock for producing hydrogen or as biomethane used as a transport fuel.