Glossary

“BIOGAS”
Biogas is a combustible gas that primarily consists of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). It is produced via a biological reaction known as methanization or anaerobic digestion, which is a process where the organic matter is broken down by bacteria in the absence of oxygen. Purified biogas is known as biomethane. The purification process consists in eliminating the carbon dioxide and any undesirable compounds (water, nitrate, hydrogen sulfide, etc.) from the biogas, in order to make it compliant with the quality of the natural gas transmitted via the networks. In fact, biomethane, which is sometimes called “green gas”, and is produced from renewable resources (effluents and urban, industrial or agricultural waste), has the same composition as natural gas. It can be fed into natural gas networks and used as vehicle or heating fuel.

 

“BIOMETHANE”
Biomethane, which is also known as “green gas”, is a renewable energy produced from renewable resources via various technologies. It displays similar characteristics to natural gas. It can be fed into existing networks in order to be used as vehicle or heating fuel.
Biomethane is produced through the transformation of organic matter, including wood, plants, household organic waste, agricultural or industrial waste, and paper sludge, for instance.

 

“BIOMETHANE FROM DRY BIOMASS-TO-GAS”
Biomethane from dry biomass-to-gasfocuses on the recovery of lignocellulose biomass like wood or straw, and has the capacity to deal with a portion of the byproducts generated by various industries and sectors, including construction timber, by-products from the food processing industry, and paper sludge, and so on.

 

“METHANATION”
This term is key, as it is the focal point of the process that we are discussing as part of the Gaya Project. In French, a clear difference must be made between methanation and methanization. The two terms are similar, but the processes are very different. In English, there was no distinction between both processes until recently. In French, the term methanation is used to refer to the catalytic process that converts synthesis gas into methane at around 400°C, in order to differentiate it from processes that produce biogas via anaerobic fermentation at ambient temperature, using waste or non-ligneous “wet” biomass.