Biogas

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Biogas

	Biogas - Biogas, a mixture of different gases is produced by anaerobic microbes using domestic and agricultural wastes. Bulk (about 50- 70%) of biogas is CH₄ and other gases are in low proportions. These include CO₂ (25-35%), H₂ (1-5%), N₂ (2-7%) and O₂ (0-0.1%). In India a large number of gobar gas plants are already in operation in rural areas.
Left overs of these plants are good fertilisers also. Animal waste is first hydrolysed by hydrolytic bacteria. It is followed by acid formation by a group of acetogenic bacteria, which convert monomers into simple compounds like NH₃, CO₂ and H₂. Finally methanogens reduce acetate and or CO₂, to CH₄' In India, cattle dung is the chief source of biogas
Other fuels include hydrogen that could be developed as a major fuel produced by microbes in future. Photosynthetic microbes produce H₂. They are able to convert solar energy into a fuel that can be stored. The photo production of hydrogen is very attractive. Some higher molecular weight hydrocarbons are produced by some algae
However, a thorough under standing of basic mechanisms of microbial hydrocarbons formation and the formation of petroleum deposits should permit the development of genetically engineered microbes and fermentation processes to produce synthetic sources of petroleum hydrocarbons.