Renewable Biomethane from Land and Ocean Energy Crops and Organic Wastes

Production of methane via anaerobic digestion of energy crops and organic wastes would benefit society by providing a clean fuel from renewable feedstocks. This could replace fossil fuel-derived energy and reduce its environmental impacts, including global warming and acid rain. Although biomass energy is more costly than fossil fuel-derived energy, trends to limit carbon dioxide and other emissions through regulations, carbon taxes, and subsidies of biomass energy would make it cost competitive. Methane derived from anaerobic digestion is competitive in efficiencies and costs with other biomass energy forms including heat, synthesis gases, and ethanol. The objective of this paper is to review the results and conclusions of research on biomass energy conducted under the sponsorship of the gas industry with periodic co-funding from other agencies. The scope of this program was to determine the technical and economic feasibility of production of substitute natural gas (SNG) from marine and terrestrial biomass and organic wastes using anaerobic digestion as a conversion process. This work began in 1968 and continued until about 1990, ending as a result of low energy prices in the U.S. and reduced emphasis on renewable energy. For each of these feedstock categories, growth or collection (in the case of wastes), harvesting, conversion by anaerobic digestion, and systems and economic analysis were addressed. More recently the potential use of anaerobic digestion for stabilization and recovery of nutrients from solid wastes during space missions was studied with funding from NASA. The application of this process for that function as well as treatment of wastewater and waste gases generated during space missions is addressed.