Biogas: Energy for a More Sustainable Future

As Earth Day quickly approaches its 50^th birthday, creating a more sustainable environment has become more important than ever. This year’s theme is “Trees for the Earth,” an ambitious campaign to plant 7.8 billion trees across the globe. With such a positive impact on climate, air quality, and overall environmental and societal stability, investing in the protection of trees is a critical goal.

While the endeavor to plant billions of trees may seem overly optimistic to some, having more trees is an excellent investment in our planet’s future. Trees produce oxygen while absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — literally allowing people room to breathe while reducing the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. Trees also intercept airborne pollutants, cleanse the soil in which they are rooted, and cool the areas covered by their leafy shade, reducing the need for electricity used for air conditioning.

With all of the positive impacts that trees provide us, it makes sense to pursue policies that keep forest lands as robust as possible — this includes the use of renewable energy applications, such as biogas, which limit the scope of landfills.

Keeping Landfills in Check

While landfill size and scope have decreased over the past few decades as a result of an increase in recycling efforts, they still take up an inordinate amount of space on both a domestic and an international scale. Not only do landfills require cutting down trees to create open land to build waste facilities, but they also generate methane and carbon dioxide — both designated as greenhouse gases.

When bio-waste is sent to a closed reactor, it produces methane; this gas is collected within the enclosed space, harnessed, and then used for energy creation — or biogas. As a renewable energy source, biogas has a very small carbon footprint. This allows it to decrease reliance on imported energy and lower the amount landfill waste.

By reducing the further sprawl of landfills, we can protect trees from being cut down to make space for new waste area developments. Landfills require the deforestation of large tracts of ground; biogas facilities take up much less territory and produce useful energy — providing a benefit for the environment and cleaner fuels for society to run on.

Committed to Biogas Technology

At Nova Analytical Systems, we offer a number of high-tech products that are essential in biogas production, including the Nova 910 Series Continuous Landfill Gas Analyzers and the 920 Series Continuous Biogas Analyzers. They provide the accurate sensors and detectors required for this process and are housed in steel cabinets that can withstand nearly any weather or climate conditions — no matter how severe.

Whether a single person plants a tree or a company builds renewable energy facilities, keeping our planet healthy and sustainable is everybody’s business. With over 30 years of providing the most accurate gas analysis equipment, Nova is dedicated to building technology that not only fulfills our customers’ needs, but also promotes sustainable energy.

For more information about our products, please view our Biogas Analyzers or contact a member of our team directly.