site map Contacts Links Choose the language The company Our products Assistance and maintenance References Print area Download Our products A single supplier Our plants Components Biomethane Schmack Biogas brochure Biogas professionals 4.0 MB EUCOmpact and COCCUS Mini systems 1.6 MB Service Box Print Bookmark Biogas, a source of clean energy Among the renewable energy sources, biogas has one of the greatest development potentials. The UN report on renewable energy counts biomass and cogeneration as the key technologies to combat climate change. Italy is an energy importer country: it imports 13.1% of its electricity needs directly, and almost all fossil fuels, through which 72% of its needs are produced (Terna 2012 data). Biogas is therefore a doubly important and interesting source of energy. Primarily it responds to the country's energy needs. Secondly, it is a renewable energy source, which does not emit new CO2 into the atmosphere and therefore can actively contribute to combating the greenhouse effect. What is biogas and how it is formed Biogas is a gas mixture that is naturally produced by specialized bacteria, in conditions of absence of oxygen, starting from organic raw materials. The biomass, inserted in hermetically closed environments (the fermenters), is attacked by bacteria, which break down complex organic substances (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), simplifying them as the four phases of anaerobic fermentation are passed through. Biogas is mainly composed of methane, which if produced from agricultural raw materials is typically between 50 and 55%, and carbon dioxide, between 35 and 40%. This fuel can therefore be used for the production of electrical and thermal energy, through a cogenerator, or be purified and made identical to natural gas of fossil origin. The carbon dioxide that is released during the process is equal to that fixed by plants during their existence. The biomasses that can be used are the most varied: energy crops such as corn, sorghum or other cereals, animal waste, agro-industrial processing waste, even the organic fraction of solid urban waste. In any case, bacteria, which are living beings, must be guaranteed a balanced diet: it is therefore important to study the feeding plan with experts. Schmack Biogas specializes in plants dedicated to the world of agriculture. The advantages of biogas: Biogas supplies both electrical and thermal energy, but also fuel, in the form of methane. Biogas gives a guarantee of production: production takes place 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Furthermore there is the possibility of storing it. The production of biogas does not depend on the weather, but is continuous and constant. A biogas plant not only produces renewable energy, but creates new job opportunities. From biomass to energy back Impressum | © Schmack Biogas Srl The companyOur productsAssistance and maintenanceReferencesPrint areaDownload site mapContactsLinks