Auto Tips: What is compressed biogas, which is getting full support from the government..

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that work is being done on increasing the use of compressed biogas. He said that there is a plan to set up 5000 commercial compressed biogas plants by 2024-25. This will go a long way in helping India meet its energy needs. He also said that 46 CBG plants have already been given permission. Today we will tell you what is compressed biogas.

It is methane gas just like CNG i.e. Compressed Natural Gas. CNG is extracted from the ground near oil wells. Compressed gas is cleaner and does less harm to the environment. Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) is generated from agricultural waste, cow dung, sugarcane waste, other types of domestic waste, and waste present in sewage treatment plants.

How is CBG made?
In the initial stages, it contains methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. After this it is compressed by removing carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from it, then compressed biogas is formed. In the end, the amount of methane becomes 90 percent, which was only 60-65 percent earlier.

What would be the benefit?
Like CNG, it can be used as an automotive fuel. This is a less polluting gas, which India will also take a positive step towards carbon neutrality. Also, it will be much cheaper than petroleum products. Due to cheap fuel, a large part of the expenditure on vehicles will be reduced considerably. Significantly, biogas can also be used to generate electricity. The price of biogas including GST is currently around Rs 48 per kg.

Where is biogas available now?
Permission to sell it was given only in 2015. Right now it is sold at a total of 100 places. However, there is a plan to increase its production to 15 million metric tonnes. With the increase in the trend of biogas, India's dependence on the import of natural gas will be greatly reduced. This will also provide relief to the foreign exchange reserves of the country.