Biodigestion for reducing carbon emissions
Presentation Abstract
As our climate continues to change due to the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere, we need to develop more methods for reducing the amount of carbon we release. Methane (CH4) is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activities. Methane's lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than carbon dioxide (CO2), but CH4 is more efficient at trapping radiation than CO2. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of CH4 on climate change is more than 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period.
Animal waste and food waste release methane gas during the decomposition processes. Currently most of this waste is disposed of in ways that are not designed to capture the methane gas and it is freely released into the atmosphere. Bio-digester facilities can capture the methane and use it for producing electricity, use it as renewable natural gas, or just flare it off to breakdown the methane into less damaging carbon compounds.
Session Title
Upping the Action: Regional Climate Change Abatement
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Methane--Environmental aspects; Climate change mitigation.
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Biodigestion for reducing carbon emissions
2016SSEC
As our climate continues to change due to the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere, we need to develop more methods for reducing the amount of carbon we release. Methane (CH4) is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activities. Methane's lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than carbon dioxide (CO2), but CH4 is more efficient at trapping radiation than CO2. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of CH4 on climate change is more than 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period.
Animal waste and food waste release methane gas during the decomposition processes. Currently most of this waste is disposed of in ways that are not designed to capture the methane gas and it is freely released into the atmosphere. Bio-digester facilities can capture the methane and use it for producing electricity, use it as renewable natural gas, or just flare it off to breakdown the methane into less damaging carbon compounds.
