“It’s not that complicated,” says Daniel Heilborn, a Swedish surfer from Gotland. “It can be done with all engines.” He’s talking, of course, about converting his old Volvo into a vehicle that runs on biogas, a form of fuel made from food waste, manure, sewage, green waste, and basically any organic material that will rot. Biogas is primarily comprised of methane and carbon dioxide, which are created in the process that happens when things naturally decompose. Made from organic material breaking down in the absence of oxygen, biogas has been around for a long time.
Way back in the 13th century, Marco Polo noticed that the Chinese generated power by covering their sewage tanks. And in the UK, it’s been used for centuries. Exeter, in fact, used sewage gas to keep its city street lights burning.
So how does it rotting material turn into something that moves your car? Anaerobic digesters are fed with “energy crops,” which are any kind of biodegradable wastes. The biomass waste is put in an airtight tank, where the methane and carbon dioxide is then used for heating, electricity, and anything that uses an internal combustion engine.
Compressed biogas is reasonably widely used in places like Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany, and has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in vehicles by up to 95%. Heilborn takes his old Volvo around Sweden looking for waves, and we’ll be damned if it isn’t the coolest thing this side of the Atlantic.
Carrots and Pinetrees from jakobwallin on Vimeo.
