中外沼气发展史略

产甲烷菌是一种古细菌(Archebacteria),有机物在厌氧条件下的产甲烷现象早在远古便有。而有文字记载的人类发现、认识以及研究开发并利用厌氧消化产生沼气的历史还是近两千年内的事情。本文通过大量史料、史实,从化学、生物、地质和比较历史学的角度,论证了西汉四川“火井”浅层生物生成气与沼气在形成机理上的相同性,从而提出了中国是世事上最早发现并利用沼气的国家(年代可追朔到公元前一世纪)的新观点,这一研究结果比以往中国沼气史的计算方法提早了约2000年。本文还用详尽的文字论述了中外沼气的发现、沼气实验,厌氧消化工艺研究及人工制取沼气技术的发展史。

The Brief History of World Biogas Development

Methanogenic bacteria is a kind of archebacteria, therefore methane-producing phenomenon of organic matter in anaerobic condition was an old phenomenon oecured in as early as remote antiguity. However the history that the humanbeing discovered, understood, researched, developed and utilized biogas from anaerobic digestion was started as late as in the past 2000 years. This paper presen- ts a lot of historic data and historic facts to prove the same mechanisium of formation for both of the natural shallow-layer biogenic gas of the FIRE WELL in Sichuan in Western Han Dynasty of China and biogas produced by anaerobic digester in the light of Chemistry, biology, geology and comparative historys so as to offer a new viewpiont, i.e. China is the earliest country that discovered and used biogas produced in natural anaerobic condition (the time can be traced back to one centuary before B.C). The essay also describes the development history of how China and Other foreign countries discovered naturalbiogas, how they conducted biogas experiments and scientific research for anaerobic digestion processes as well as how biogas were produced by variours artificial biodigesters in the world.