When was biogas first used?

Since biogas develops naturally in marshes and manure piles as well as in human and animal digestive systems, people have long known about the power inherent in the bacterial digestion of organic matter. In China and India, there are hundreds of thousands of small digesters fuelling hotplates on which the family meals are prepared. During World War II, some German army vehicles ran on biogas derived from farm manure (gas engines).

Over the past fifty years, anaerobic digestion technology has made significant progress in increasing the volume of methane (CH4) produced from organic wastes. Today, biogas systems worldwide are proving the viability of this renewable energy source. Dairy farms, landfill sites, municipal wastewater treatment facilities and even entire villages are powered and heated by central biogas systems.