Biogas: a Solution to Many Problems In almost all developing countries, the lack of adequate supplies of cheap, convenient and reliable fuel is a major problem. Rural communities depend largely on kerosene, wood and dung for their cooking and lighting needs. But kerosene is now priced out of reach of many people and wood, except in heavily forested areas, is in short supply. The search for firewood occupies a large part of the working day and has resulted in widespread deforestation. Dung is in constant supply wherever there are farm animals and, when dried, it is convenient to store and use. But burning dung destroys its value as fertilizer, thus depriving the soil of a much needed source of humus and nitrogen. Rural areas of developing countries are also plagued by a lack of adequate sanitation. Improper waste disposal spreads disease, contaminates water sources and provides breeding grounds for disease—carrying insects. The problems of improving environmental hygiene, conserving resources and finding alternative sources of fuel may be unrelated. Their solutions, however, are not, as many countries experimenting with biogas technology are discovering. Biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, is produced by the fermentation of organic matter. The process of anaerobic fermentation is a natural one, occurring whenever living matter decomposes. By containing the matter—and the process—in a digester or biogas plant, the combustible gas can be trapped and used as fuel for household lighting and cooking. The digested slurry that remains can be used on the land as a soil conditioner and fertilizer. Biogas plants have attracted much interest in recent years and they are in use in several Asian countries: 36000 are reported in rural areas of India, 27000 in Korea and more than 80000 in China. In most countries the value of the gas has been the prime factor leading to their adoption: 70 percent of India" s plants, for instance, were built during the energy and fertilizer crisis of 1975-1976—although their use in that country dates back to 1951. Similarly in Thailand and Korea, biogas is being investigated as an alternative to costly charcoal ad to save compost materials from being burned.