The Hisory of BioGas.

Biogas has been around since there has been biomass and other waste decaying, decomposing and digested by bacteria. It is thought that it was first discovered in a swamp but the true potential of this gas wasn't realized until the 1890's when the gas was used for lighting in England.

In 1630 Von Helmont found that flammable gases could evolve from decaying organic matter and in 1667 Shirley notes his findings on biogas then known as marsh gas. It is said that Marco Polo wrote about covered sewage tanks in China but it is unclear if they captured the gas and used it. Some sources also tells of the Assyrians and Persians using this gas to heat bath water in ancient times.

1808 – Sir Humphrey Davy found that methane was present in the gases that is formed by the Anaerobic Digestion of manure.

1884 – Louis Pasteur presents his students work to the Academy of science and tells how this gas can be used for heating and lighting. His student, Ulysse Gayon, performed the anaerobic fermentation of manure and water at 35ºC and obtained 100 liters of Biogas per cubic meter of Manure.

1895 – Biogas is used to light up the streets in Exeter, England.

1940 – Biogas development and Applications lie dormant until the Energy shortages of the Second World War. The war forces people to look at alternative sources of energy again.

1957 – A British Inventor, Bates, modifies his car to run on Biogas produced from pig manure. In 1974 he explains the process and benefits thereof in the Documentary film "Sweet as a Nut". At that stage he has been running his car on Biogas for 17 years.

2005 – The Biogas Support program in Nepal wins the Ashden Reward for installing over 150,000 Biogas Plants in rural areas. And a Biogas powered train starts it's service in Sweden.

It is estimated that there are over 2,000,000 small scale biogas plants or digesters in India alone.

In Rural parts all over the world from Rawanda to Nepal and India biogas is being used for lighting, cooking and heating. Why should only the developing world benefit from using biogas...?