What is Fuel?

A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it
releases chemical or nuclear energy as heat or to be used for work. The concept was originally
applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but has since also been
applied to other sources of heat energy such as nuclear energy (via nuclear fission and nuclear
fusion).

What is a good fuel?

Ans: A fuel is said to be good fuel if it produces a large amount of heat on burning
without producing a lot of smoke, and is easily available.

Carbon-based fuel
Carbon-based fuel is any fuel principally from the oxidation or burning of carbon. Carbon-
based fuels are of two main kinds, biofuels and fossil fuels. Whereas biofuels are derived
from recent-growth organic matter[1] and are typically harvested, as with logging of forests
and cutting of corn, fossil fuels are of prehistoric origin[2] and are extracted from the
ground, the principal fossil fuels being oil, coal, and natural gas.

Biogas
Biogas means a gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter.
The organic matter can be manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste
or any other biodegradable feedstock. Biogas is mainly methane and carbon dioxide.
Depending on where it is produced, biogas is also called:
swamp gas
marsh gas
landfill gas
digester gas

Chemical Reactions occurring on Slurry in Bio-gas Generator

The slurry is the mixture of the cattle dung and the water, which are mixed in the mixture in
the ratio of 1:1. When there is no air is present in the biogas plants, two types of bacteria act
on the slurry: acid forming bacteria and gasifying bacteria. Let us see how both these bacteria
act:
1) Acid forming bacteria: The acid forming bacteria are formed due to the liquefaction of the
cattle feed. When cattle feed is mixed with water, its liquefaction occurs. The acid forming
bacteria are a set of saprophytic bacteria that are produced by the process of extracellular
bacteria enzyme. These bacteria can exist, develop and multiply in wide range of conditions.
The acid forming bacteria convert carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into too the volatile acids
and release carbon dioxide.
2) Gasifying bacteria: After the liquefaction process, the next process is that of gasification,
which is carried out by the gasifying or methane bacteria. These bacteria act on the acids
produced in the previous phase with the help of intracellular bacteria enzyme and convert them
into methane and carbon dioxide. This gas can be removed from the dome of the biogas plant
and it can be used for various purposes. The flow of the gas can be controlled by the valve.
Biogas Use
This energy release allows biogas to be used as a fuel; it can be used for any heating purpose, such as
cooking. It can also be used in a gas engine to convert the energy in the gas into electricity and
heat. Biogas can be compressed, the same way as natural gas is compressed to CNG, and used to power
motor vehicles.

Composition of Biogas
Typical composition of biogas

Compound Formula %

Methane CH4 5075

Carbon dioxide CO2 2550

Nitrogen N2 010

Hydrogen H2 01

Hydrogen sulfide H2S 03

Oxygen O2 00.5

Bio gas pollution level

While combustion of biogas, like natural gas, produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, the carbon in biogas comes
from plant matter that fixed this carbon from atmospheric CO2. Thus, biogas production is carbon-neutral and does not
add to greenhouse gas emissions. Further, any consumption of fossil fuels replaced by biogas will lower CO2 emissions.

Why we should control the use of fuel and how to preserve it?

The rate of fuel consumption currently going on throughout the world is quite alarming. Fuel consumption rates,
along with carbon emissions, are off the chart. Here are a few statistics that underscore some of these alarming
trends:

Since 1970, the world's use of fuel has more than doubled. This includes everything from cars, oil usage,
factories, planes, etc.

Almost 100 million barrels a DAY are being produced all around the world. Oil is a nonrenewable
resource, and conservative estimates show that within the next 20 years, that the production will be a
third of what it is today. That is why it is important that clean fuel and alternate fuel substances are
developed in this time.
 North Americans consume almost nearly three times the amount of fuel as other consumers in the world.

The United States alone uses up about 25% of the oil every day, which is about 21 million barrels per
day. China is next at 9%, but then there is a drop off. Unless renewable energy is found, this level of
consumption cannot be sustained.

Over the past 60 years, carbon emissions have gone off the chart as well. Carbon emissions have gone
from 1000 million metric tons of carbon to now over 7000 million metric tons of carbon per year.