Biogas technology making a comeback

The ever-increasing demand and cost energy consumption and its ill effect on consumers in most parts of the country are major problems, which entice the use of the biogas technology.

Biogas, a combustible gas consisting mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, can be used as energy source in all kinds of domestic and industrial applications. Its use was highly recommended in the 70’s as part of the solutions to the country’s energy crisis. With intense promotion backed by government financing, 960 units of biogas were installed in the countryside. However, when the supply of energy was stabilized several years later, interest on the technology, just like a fad, waned.

The country’s energy requirements, fuelled by the growing population and industrial development, have been increasing yearly. Based on the Philippine Statistical Yearbook 2000, our total energy consumption by source in 1988 was only 108.14 million barrels of fuel-oil equivalent (MBFOE) compared to 244.41 MBFOE in 1999.

This soaring use of energy, as observed by forestry and environment experts at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), has put pressure on the use of wood as energy source, aggravating the depletion of forest resources and increasing soil erosion, resulting in, ecological deterioration.

Promoting the use of biogas helps lessen the pressure on biomass resources, bolsters the energy supplies, and serves as an important link in building sustainable agricultural systems. This is true especially in the rural areas like what the Isabela State University-Affiliated Non-Conventional Energy Center (ISU-ANEC) in Isabela and the Cavite State University-Affiliated Non-Conventional Energy Center (CavSU-ANEC) in Cavite are doing. ISU-ANEC and CavSU-ANEC, which remained steadfast in promoting and commercializing the technology, recognize the technology’s potential and applicability.

The ISU-ANEC strategy in promoting the technology, involves construction of demonstration units to showcase the benefits of biogas technology, sharing strategy, and provision of technical assistance. Historical growth of the number of biogas systems installed by ISU-ANEC showed a construction of one demo unit 1989 to 17 demo units in early 2000.

In Cagayan, Batanes, Isabela, NuevaVizcaya, and Quirino, based on the Non-Renewable System (NRES) census conducted by ISU-ANEC, there were 20 functional biogas units as of 1999 with a total combined capacity of 95 cubic meter and a total annual energy generation of 615.10 BFOE.

CavSU, under the Biogas Extension Program of the Department of Energy (DOE)-CavSU-Department of Agriculture (DA) has been designated as the National Training Center for Biogas Technology to provide technical assistance and consultancy services in the design, construction, rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance of biogas plants to interested clients nationwide. As of 1996, under this program, 28 institutions and 26 private clienteles in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were its project beneficiaries.

According to CavSU-ANEC engineers, there are two kinds of benefits that can be derived from using the biogas system. And the first is the tangible benefits, which include savings in energy, feed materials, and fertilizer. And the second are the intangible benefits, which are invaluable. These include the conservation of natural resources by not cutting the trees for firewood and controlling pollution for a fresh, clean, and beautiful environment.

Specifically, the engineers identified the uses of biogas as fuel to run electric generators, water pumps, feed mills, refrigeration systems, threshers and other farm equipment. Biogas is also used in gas stove, gas mantle lamp in heating chicks and piglets, torch/fire as disinfectant in pigpens to replace chemical disinfectant. – S&T Media Service