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Video length: 3 min
Green energy: the hidden face of methanization
Green energy: the hidden face of methanization – (France 2)
Green domes spring up in the French countryside. These methanization units digest slurry, manure and crops to extract biogas. A virtuous practice which is, however, not without risk.
For several years, the face of French farms has been changing. Methanizers, domes six meters high, dot our countryside. Capable of transforming organic matter into gas, they allow France to increase its production of renewable energy. But this technology is not without risk for the environment.
A technology that can be dangerous and polluting
Methanization waste is reused to fertilize the soil, saving money on fertilizer for breeders, who can also resell the methane. However, methanization remains a recent, fragile, and sometimes dangerous technology. In Brittany, of the 186 methane digesters in service, 18 accidents have been recorded since 2021. Another risk: pollution. In Châteaulin (Finistère), digestate polluted a river following a leak.
