Debunking myths about biogas plants. Facts versus common concerns
In other countries, modern biogas production facilities are popping up like mushrooms. Why aren’t we taking advantage of this opportunity in Poland yet? Many false myths have grown around biogas and biomethane plants, which, when frequently repeated, raise residents’ concerns about such investments. What’s the real truth? It’s time to confront fears and concerns with facts.
"We don't want a biogas plant!", "The investment is dangerous and will poison our environment!", "It will bring noise, stench, and trucks destroying our roads!"
Such false accusations, repeated by opponents of biogas production facilities, certainly don't help those who want to transform our country's energy sector - for the benefit of each of us!
In other countries, biogas plants are sprouting up like mushrooms, there are thousands of them, and farmers, local authorities, and most importantly, residents themselves are satisfied with the installations. So why are there so many prejudices in our country, and how do they compare to the facts?
What is biogas and how is it produced?
Let's start with this - what is biogas and how is it produced? It's a new energy source that is generated from raw materials supplied by farmers, including manure, slurry, straw, and food waste, and then converted into biogas, from which methane is produced (in biomethane plants), the main component of natural gas, or electricity and heat (in biogas plants).
The result is clean energy in the form of biomethane or electricity and heat, which allows independence from gas fuel supplies from outside our country. Building a biomethane production facility simultaneously stimulates the local economy around the installation, providing jobs and taxes. Importantly for residents, the biogas plant significantly reduces unpleasant odors from farms, as what smells is neutralized in the hermetic installation.
Biogas shouldn't be listed alongside other renewable energy sources like wind turbines or photovoltaics, as biogas plants bring incomparably more benefits to local communities.
Such facilities have growing groups of enthusiasts among people who are aware of these benefits. At the same time, skeptical views remain widespread among those who fear such investments. This usually results from lack of knowledge, which in turn leads to misunderstandings and the growth of more myths that have no basis in reality.
Fear and misinformation cause investors to often hit a proverbial wall, facing residents’ protests that are often politically fueled, while it’s worth looking at the matter objectively, citing specific and factual arguments. So is a biogas plant a threat or a huge opportunity for development in municipalities? Below, we tackle the main myths, confronting residents’ concerns with concrete facts.
Myth #1: Biogas plants emit odor and pollute the air
Does a biogas plant mean pervasive odor throughout the area? The answer is obvious - absolutely not.
On the contrary - such an investment helps solve a problem that residents of agricultural regions have been struggling with for many years, namely eliminating the odor nuisance from slurry and manure spread on fields. If these materials go to the biogas plant, their organic compounds will be converted into biogas, and farmers will receive digestate in return, which practically doesn't emit odor and serves as a bio-fertilizer.
Worth emphasizing, it perfectly replaces slurry and manure in fields, providing nutrients. It’s worth noting that storing slurry and spreading it on fields without processing generates much more odors than the biogas plant itself. The conclusion is therefore obvious and confirmed by existing examples, including from our country – a biogas plant means less slurry on fields and better air quality for residents. Farmers are increasingly using this solution, as confirmed by statistics. In 2024, almost 6 million tons of digestate were used in fields, replacing other agricultural fertilizers.
So where do the fears come from? They stem from lack of knowledge, with many people confusing biogas plants with composting facilities.
Waste fermenting in the open air can smell strongly. In the case of a large biogas plant, and particularly a biomethane plant, this situation absolutely doesn't occur. The raw materials delivered to it are stored in closed halls instead of silos, and then fermented in hermetic tanks. Modern biogas plants are also equipped with filtering systems such as biofilters, which completely eliminate malodorous substances released into the atmosphere.
Biogas is produced during anaerobic fermentation, meaning without air. Importantly, in this case, it’s a process that emits minimal odor, but everything takes place under controlled conditions in hermetic tanks. A different situation occurs in the field or in a composting facility. Spread slurry or agricultural food product residues ferment with air and… genuinely stink.
And what about air pollution? This is another myth that has absolutely nothing to do with how it actually looks.
A biogas production facility causes not more, but actually less methane to enter the atmosphere. This reduces the amount of this greenhouse gas that would be released into the atmosphere from bio-waste decomposing in fields or composting facilities.
Fermentation in a biogas plant, due to the hermetic nature of the tanks and the biogas purification system, significantly eliminates the emission of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and other sulfur compounds characterized by unpleasant odors.
Myth #2: Trucks will destroy infrastructure, and residents will face increased traffic on roads
A biogas production facility doesn't create new waste, but reduces its amount.
So there's no question of waste being transported to the municipality from other parts of the country or abroad. The idea behind a biogas plant's operation is primarily based on locality. Its strength is the immediate surroundings, as nearby farms and facilities from the municipality or county will supply it with raw materials.
The regional nature of agricultural production also determines the character of the biogas plant. One of the main substrates, either slurry or manure, must be removed from the farm anyway, which currently happens only in the form of using them as fertilizer. In short – they will either be transported to the field or go to the biogas plant, where they will be utilized in the process of producing biogas and digestate.
According to estimates, the traffic intensity generated by a biogas plant during a day ranges from a few percent to literally fractions
In the case of locations near main roads, we're talking about the ratio to the total vehicles that use roads in the area. The debate concerns about 20-25 transports to the biogas plant.
In the context of the number of cars using local roads, this is therefore little. How does this compare to specific numbers and vehicular traffic on roads? According to the General Traffic Measurement in 2020-2021, the average annual daily traffic on provincial roads in Poland was 4,231 vehicles per day, and in the case of national roads, 13,574 vehicles per day. It’s therefore difficult to talk about a negative impact on road conditions in the case of raw material transport to a biomethane production facility. However, it’s worth emphasizing that investors building biogas plants participate in road infrastructure reconstruction and repairs through agreements with local governments, always being open to cooperation.
Myth #3: Biogas plants endanger human health and the environment
One of the arguments raised by ardent opponents of biogas plant construction is the claim that this type of investment threatens human health and the environment. The facts look completely different.
In the case of a modern and well-managed biogas plant, nothing like this occurs. Workers must comply with rigorous standards. The entire process is enclosed and monitored in accordance with environmental protection regulations.
Additionally, in the case of biomethane plants, any leaking biogas is a direct loss for the facility, and therefore extreme emphasis is placed on the tightness of the entire production line.
The fermentation of substrates, through which methane and carbon dioxide used for energy production are created, is a natural biological process that occurs under anaerobic conditions.
Interestingly, something similar happens... in a cow's digestive system, which is adapted to digest fibrous plant food. It occurs in one of the stomach compartments, where anaerobic conditions prevail. This part of the digestive system - called the rumen - is inhabited by billions of microorganisms that break down plant compounds into volatile fatty acids and biogas during fermentation.
It may be hard to believe, but it’s true! The digestion mechanisms in cows are similar to those in the fermentation tanks of a biogas production facility, and the animal itself is… a “natural biogas plant.” However, there is a fundamental difference between a cow and a biogas plant. A normal stage of food digestion by cows involves stomach contents and thus the release of gas from the organism into the atmosphere, which doesn’t occur in biogas plants.
And what about rats and rodents on biogas plant premises?
These are sporadic cases and there aren't more of them than in any barn, farm building, chicken coop, or pigsty.
The halls are closed, and additionally, every biogas plant must undergo deratization performed according to a specific schedule. Among the accusations made by biogas plant opponents is also the issue of birds feeding on products brought to the biogas plant. Nothing like this occurs because substrates are stored in closed halls where birds have no access.
Myth #4: Noisy and industrial colossi that spoil the rural landscape
A biogas plant is primarily not a typical huge industrial facility with tall smoking chimneys.
Modern biogas plants are designed to adapt to local conditions. Comparing them with other renewable energy sources such as wind turbines that are dozens or even hundreds of meters high, or photovoltaics occupying entire hectares, it can be considered that their impact on the landscape is undoubtedly much less invasive.
Biomethane production facilities can also be easily integrated into the surroundings through greenery planting or using natural terrain features, as well as through coloring that blends their appearance with the surrounding greenery.
There are also concerns about the noise that a biogas production facility might generate.
In today's times, developing technologies allow for significant noise elimination and acoustic insulation of machines.
The cogeneration engines operating in the biogas plant are silenced and placed in closed halls, so noise is not noticeable near the biogas plant. Each facility must meet specific noise standards that are precisely defined for the areas where they are located.
Myth #5: A biogas plant is a ticking bomb - risk of explosion and fire
What about safety? Let's start with the fact that biogas production facilities must meet extremely strict standards.
Biogas plants are equipped with safety systems including gas sensors, automatic fire extinguishing systems, and lightning protection. Let's do a small experiment and compare a biogas plant to... a gas station.
It turns out that considering the safety aspect, this comparison is fully justified. A gas station stores and distributes liquid fuels (gasoline and LPG). Meanwhile, a biogas plant produces methane – a biogas component that is also flammable. In both cases, advanced security systems are used to prevent ignition or explosion. It’s worth recalling here the situation we witness during many visits to the station – once liquid gas (LPG) had to be pumped by station staff, today we can do it ourselves. All thanks to a safe and advanced mechanism. Because after all, if there were even minimal risk, they wouldn’t give us a “pistol” feeding gas into the car’s tank. Right?
It should be emphasized that all such installations are subject to detailed legal regulations.
As well as equally detailed environmental protection standards and rigorous safety rules. Thanks to advanced automation, any risk of uncontrolled ignition is quickly detected and neutralized.
Concluding the confrontation with the last myth, it’s worth asking the following question: How often do you hear about a fire at a gas station? It happens extremely rarely, just like in biogas plants. A well-designed biogas plant is therefore as safe as a fuel station. If we look around, it’s easy to see that gas stations often operate in the middle of cities or near homes. The conclusions are therefore self-evident – if we’re not afraid to live next to a gas station, there’s no reason to fear a biogas plant either.
Biogas is an opportunity that must not be wasted
A biogas plant, like any novelty, can raise fears and concerns. However, before we too hastily say a firm "no," it's worth drawing a thick line between facts and our imaginations and perpetuated myths. The above examples show that many heard opinions have no basis in reality.
A biogas plant today is a modern and safe facility that will create new jobs and bring tax revenue to the municipality – which in turn means additional money for developing our “small homelands” – road repairs, school construction, and other improvements. It’s also profit for local farmers supplying raw materials to the biogas plant, and finally ecological heat and cheaper electricity. Building such an installation is also a step toward energy independence from external suppliers. Why not take advantage of this?
"People fear what they don't understand" - once said Polish Nobel laureate Marie Skłodowska-Curie
So perhaps it's worth seeking reliable information and knowledge to later make an informed decision benefiting the local community and municipality's economic development. Instead of remaining in ignorance and surrendering to fears, it's better to take a trip and see for yourself how a biogas production facility operates and form your own fact-based opinion.
A biogas plant is an opportunity for the local community, a new workplace processing substrates available from nearby residents into a valuable product. It’s a source of taxes that allow changing the municipality, as well as reducing odor nuisances from substrate disposal on fields. It’s a chance for development that may not come again. If such a facility is built in a neighboring municipality – we need to ask ourselves: do we want to be the ones who take away such an opportunity from ourselves and future generations?
Do you have a location, idea, or questions? Let's talk.
Whether you want to invest in a biomethane plant, check your land’s potential, or simply learn more.
We’ll respond specifically and factually.
