Differentiate between: Biogas and Natural Gas.
Answers
The gaseous fuel formed from the conversion of organic waste such as dead plant, animal material, animal dung and kitchen waste is called biogas. Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide and produces a huge amount of organic manure each year. Whereas, natural gas is extracted with petroleum deposits when crude oil is brought to the surface.
Explanation:
Biogas
Biogas is defined as the gas that is produced by decomposing the organic matter. This gas is produced in the absence of oxygen, and it majorly consists of carbon dioxide and methane. Biogas is produced from various materials like sewage, agricultural waste, food waste, animal waste, etc. One of the advantages of biogas is that it is a green energy source leading to less emission of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane. It is important to note that due to the presence of methane, biogas is highly flammable. The blue flame that is produced is used as an energy resource. Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion. Now, there have been several discussions on biogas being good or bad. But biogas is not harmful; rather, it is eco-friendly. Biogas is a renewable energy source that helps in reducing the greenhouse effect. One more characteristic of biogas is that it immerses in the air and is much lighter than LPG and CNG. There are several kinds of biogas digesters and plants like fixed dome biogas plants, earth-pit plants, floating drum plants, Ferro-cement plants, etc. Methanogen is used in producing biogas. It helps in converting the nitrates into the soil to make nitrogen. Biogas is used for various other purposes like gas engines, cooking, etc.
Natural Gas
As the name suggests, natural gas is defined as the gas that is produced naturally underground. Natural gas primarily consists of methane and various other hydrocarbons. A percentage of carbon dioxide, methane, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, etc., are mixed together. The fusion of methane and other alkanes leads to the production of natural gases. Natural gas is a fossil fuel, but greenhouse gas emissions are relatively lower than oil or coal. Natural gas emits 50-60% of less carbon dioxide. Natural gas is primarily made of four gases, namely methane, ethane, propane, and butane. One of the significant disadvantages is that it is highly flammable and can lead to explosions.
Moreover, a large amount of money is required to construct the gas pipelines. But the natural gas is mostly used for cooking purposes, cooling, drying clothes, etc. Unlike biogas, natural gas may have adverse effects on the environment. Natural gas emits methane which leaks into the atmosphere resulting in high levels of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide. Now, there are some contrasting points between biogas and natural gas. So, let us discuss this in brief about them