Biomethane's Next? Biowaste could be the hot fuel for '07
SAN FRANCISCO -- Biomethane, chemically the same as natural gas yet available from most organic waste, is emerging as a viable renewable alternative to fossil fuels, according to experts in the field. That's the word from Fleets & Fuels, a newsletter on advanced technology vehicles and the fuels that drive them. Biomethane's fundamental production efficiencies make it competitive with such better-known liquids as biodiesel and ethanol, even though vehicles need special fuel tanks to handle it. It's made from waste -- from animals, crops or even municipal sewage -- so, unlike the liquid biofuels, its production involves no diversion of foodstuffs and costs are unaffected by world energy market swings. "We're extremely excited about the potential for biomethane," said Fleets & Fuels editor Rich Piellisch. "It's potential production efficiencies are terrific, and not at all dependent on the fossil fuel markets. "And, because its production actually consumes potent greenhouse gases that are often vented to the atmosphere, there's a double benefit in terms of climate change mitigation," he says. Biomethane (chemically CH4) is fast proving itself in Europe, says Piellisch, and entrepreneurs and policymakers in North America are becoming aware of it too. Biomethane can be injected into existing natural gas pipelines, and drawn from the pipeline network for vehicle use or any other natural gas application. It can also easily be processed into compressed natural gas (CNG) for natural gas vehicles or liquefied natural gas (LNG) and can also be used as a renewable hydrogen source. -- Via Truckinginfo.com