MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), as part of its regional grants-in-aid program, has funded the building of a fixed dome biogas digester in the municipal abattoir of Baler, Aurora.
The 444,000-peso project has a loading capacity of 20 cubic meters and will utilize the excrements of cows and pigs for the production of biogas.
Biogas is a naturally occurring renewable source of energy that is produced after organic matters are broken down by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment and is primarily composed of methane and carbon dioxide.
Aurora Provincial Science Technology Director Maricel Sicat explained that the biogas digester will lessen dependence on conventional energy, like liquefied petroleum gas, and will help reduce the problem of ecological solid waste management.
According to an article by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, among the uses of the energy in biogas are providing heat, generating electricity, and powering cooling systems. When purified, biogas becomes a renewable natural gas and can be sold and injected into the natural gas distribution system, compressed and used as vehicle fuel, or as an alternative transportation fuel when processed further.