What is a biogas plant?
Biogas is a gas whose primary elements are about 65% of methane (CH4) and about 35% of carbon dioxide (CO2). It is a product of the natural decomposition of any organic substance of animal or plant origin due to the activity of anaerobic (functioning in a non-oxygen environment) bacteria. Major sources of methane are all animal excrements, waste landfills, and any other organic material which is left untreated. The bacteria involved in the process are methanogenic bacteria, which are subdivided into psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic strains according to their optimum temperature range. The optimum temperature for mesophilic bacteria lies in the range 30°C – 35°C, while the thermophilic group prefers 50°C – 60°C. The pH value of the fermentation substrate lies between weakly acidic (ca. pH 6) and weakly alkaline (ca. pH 8). Antibiotics, disinfectants and other chemicals present in the substrate can seriously inhibit or even stop completely the fermentation process. The main pro
