California, Sweden sign agreement to jointly develop biomethane
29 June 2006 -- In a ceremony held at the Ministry of the Environment in Stockholm, representatives of the Kingdom of Sweden and the State of California signed an agreement pledging the two governments and their related industries to work together to develop bioenergy, with a particular emphasis on biomethane.
Sweden has been a global leader in terms of converting biowaste, largely agricultural material and residues, into usable biomethane. This gas is then used to either generate electricity, residential heating, or as a transportation fuel. Roughly 50 percent of the methane used to power Sweden's natural gas vehicles comes from biological sources.
Sweden was motivated to develop its biomethane industry because it has no natural gas reserves, to more efficiently manage its waste, and to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Accord. Since biomethane is developed from methane sources that would normally release into the atmosphere, it's considered one of the most climate friendly fuels. Methane is 21 times more reactive as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Sweden is currently meetings its objectives and schedule as outlined in the Kyoto accord.
Biomethane is developed by heating up and breaking down biomaterials in a digester. Among other raw materials, Swedish operators feed their digesters with slaughterhouse waste, swine manure, and even grassy crops. After the materials breakdown over a 20-day period, technology is then used to remove the impurities and produce biomethane. Once cleaned-up, biomethane is 98 percent methane and easily meets the Swedish and California pipeline standards.
Sweden refers to its biomethane program as a way to "green" the pipeline. Once upgraded, renewable biomethane is in some cases injected into the nation's natural gas pipeline network to augment supplies. The program is similar to the "green energy" program operated by some electric utilities in California.
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