| Abstract: | Biogas generation from the latent energy in biomass is one of the most attractive renewable energy sources. This can be attributed to the environmental friendly nature of the process and its less energy requirements. This article reviews the anaerobic digestion of biomass (livestock manure and crop residues) for biogas and methane production as a source of renewable energy. Furthermore, this study investigates the enhancement of biogas and methane production using light and laser radiations. The laser radiation accelerates bacterial division and growth, where this process is termed as “photobiostimulation.” Additionally, laser radiation photoactivates the inactive enzymes. The results of this literature review showed that the irradiation of methanogenic bacteria with laser sources increased the biogas production by one and a half fold the traditional method of biogas production. The simultaneous irradiation of both nanomaterials and methanogenic bacteria using laser radiation increased the biogas volume by twofolds the biogas volume resulted from the traditional method of biogas production. |
