Biogas and Natural Gas

For a very long time, natural gas was considered one of the most attractive sources of electricity, heating fuel and automotive combustibles. Among the other fossil fuels — petroleum and coal e.g. — it emits the lowest carbon output. Less costly overall, natural gas is widely available, enjoying a far-flung and accessible pipeline and transportation network. As biogas rises to prominence as a renewable natural gas, its future alongside natural gas from geological sources is increasingly promising.

A history of natural gas

While awareness of natural gas extends back thousands of years, its application as a commercial energy source has a much shorter history. In Europe and the U.S., natural gas from coal was first used to ignite street lamps in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. 1821 saw the first workable natural gas well in upstate New York. Shortly thereafter, the first natural gas distribution enterprise was started in the same place. Nearly 15 years later, the city of Philadelphia inaugurated the first publicly owned natural gas distributor, which remains in business today. For the first 50 years of natural gas sales, the fuel was employed almost exclusively for lighting. Yet, as a new century approached, the Bunsen burner demonstrated natural gas as a heat producer. This development prompted the construction of pipelines to better move the product from its sources to its consumers. In a short time, natural gas was powering home appliances, boilers and industrial plants.

Is natural gas regulated?

The Natural Gas Act was passed by Congress in 1938 out of a concern that, since the pipelines transcended state lines, the federal government had an interest in suppressing any monopolistic behaviors by distributors. With the advent of the federal Department of Energy in 1977, regulatory authority over sales, transport and rate-setting by providers was consolidated into this new cabinet-level department.

How is natural gas used today?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the lion's share of natural gas — 36 percent — goes toward the generation of electrical power. Briefly, the gas is pumped underground directly to the utility which then burns it to boil water and produce steam. The steam, in turn, moves the turbines of a generator. Still, 33 percent of natural gas goes to power industrial machinery; 16 percent serves to heat homes and residential water supplies; 11 percent does likewise for commercial buildings; and three percent is used for cars, buses and trucks as fuel.

Is biogas the solution?

Biogas is the product of anaerobic digestion, that is the chemical disintegration of organic matter when oxygen is not available. This multi-phased process concludes with the release of gas containing methane, carbon dioxide and several trace compounds. Biogas and natural gas have much in common. The primary chemical compound in each is methane. They both need processing and upgrading to make them safe and efficient for commercial storage and transport. In addition, their practical applications are identical: generating electricity, providing heat and fueling vehicles. There are also clear divergences. First of all, biogas is profoundly renewable. Organic matter can range from the clippings of a freshly cut lawn to horse manure; from the food scraps that go in the garbage to various forms of roadkill. Also, biogas and biofuel are carbon neutral since their emissions would end up in the atmosphere one way or the other.