Anaerobic digestion (also referred to as "methanization") aims at transforming organic materials (sugars, proteins and fats) in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas, i.e. a mixture of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), by means of bacteria. Biogas is more generally used as a fuel for the local production of heat or cogeneration of heat and electricity. However, the use of biogas as a vehicle fuel is growing more and more. In addition to energy applications, the process of biogas production provides a solution for the treatment of digestible effluents with high organic load such as cheese whey.
Figure : Biogas
The Biofuels Platform is dedicated primarily to liquid biofuels used in the transportation sector, particularly bioethanol and biodiesel. Swiss gas companies, through the Swiss Association for the Gas Industry, have recently adopted a convention requiring that at least 10% vol. of the natural gas used as a fuel should be produced from biomass (read the article, in French only).
For more information on biogas, please refer to the website of the BiomasseEnergie programme.
The websites www.gaz-naturel.ch, www.vehiculeagaz.ch and that of the Industry Services of Geneva (SIG) also provide quite a lot of information regarding biogas used as a vehicle fuel (in French only).
