TechNavio analysts predict that by 2018, anaerobic digestion will severely outshine landfill solutions as the leading technology used in the Global Biogas Market, helping fuel market growth at a CAGR of 8.64 percent for the 2013-2018 period.
What is Biogas?
Biogas is a gas produced by the decomposition of organic substances in the absence of oxygen. It is a by-product of biodiesel and ethanol from anaerobic digestion of energy crops and organic residues. The process of decomposition creates methane that can be used as a gas or can be converted into electricity or stored in canisters for transportation.
Biogas is gaining traction as an alternative energy source with significant potential to meet the growing demand for power and fuel. Biogas has several advantages over other energy sources such as resource efficiency and environmental friendliness.
It can also be of benefit from a socioeconomic perspective. Biogas can be purified and upgraded to a quality similar to that of natural gas so that it can be injected into natural gas grids.
Anaerobic Digestion Technology
The Anaerobic Digestion segment accounted for a major share of the market in 2013 because of the technological benefits of anaerobic digestion over landfill methods of biogas generation.
The Anaerobic Digestion segment is expected to continue dominating the market for the next four years and its market share is expected to increase because of the growing popularity and benefits of this technology. Conversely, the market share of the Landfill segment is expected to decrease over the forecast period.
Though treating food waste in an anaerobic digester is costlier than using landfill and other options, it is environmentally sustainable. Currently, the Anaerobic Digestion segment leads the Global Biogas market in terms of production.
This is mainly because of the numerous advantages this technology has over other methods of biogas generation. One such advantage is that it converts methane into carbon dioxide, which cannot be achieved by landfill technology.
Moreover, the quality of the waste produced by anaerobic digestion is better as there is less odor, it produces better fertilizer, the organic load is reduced, and it results in less pollution.
Landfill Technology
Landfill technology is one of the oldest methods for producing biogas and is the primary method of waste disposal in many parts of the world. It has been a leading source of biogas production in rural areas as it has cheaper to install and run than anaerobic digestion technology.
However, the popularity of landfill technology is expected to decline because the waste disposal techniques of anaerobic digestion technology are better. Moreover, methane, which is produced from waste in landfill pits, has harmful effects on the atmosphere and can also explode if it accumulates.
However, a better type of landfill technology, the bioreactor landfill is now being used in most of the regions of the world and may help in maintaining the market share of this segment. Bioreactor landfills increase the rate of decomposition and require 30 percent less space than conventional landfills.
With the increasing amounts of solid waste produced every year and scarcity of land available for new landfill sites, bioreactor landfills could offer a significant means of maximizing landfill space.
