Biogas can not be used directly after the extraction from the biogas plant. It contains impurities such as water vapour, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and dirt particles. These contaminants must be removed depending on the purpose. The following scale shows, for what application which component has to be removed.

The purest quality shows the same characteristics as natural gas.

Due to corresponding legislation, the combined heat and power usage is the most common utilisation. In this procedure, the biogas is used for the operation of a combustion engine which drives a generator for the production of electrical power. The hot water emerging from the cooling process as well as the exhausts can be used for heating purposes. The CHP regularly consist of aggregates of larger serial productions that have been adapted to the special technical needs of the biogas use. There are two types of engines: one type works according to the gas-otto-principle and the other type works on the basis of the diesel process adding inferior amounts of oil (fuel or vegetable oil) to the gas. Boilers for biogas have lost their importance due to the higher-valued CHP.

Cooking with biogas is a very simple, favourable and economic solution which can save power, natural gas or wood.  In the newly industrialized countries and in the developping countries, the biogas produced in very simple biogas plants is particularly used for cooking. 

Tests have shown that there are rarely technical problems when using biogas as fuel for tractors in the agricultural sector and compactors on waste disposal sites. Worldwide almost one million vehicles are run with biogas. The range of biogas mobiles is between 200 and 400 km.

In Germany a handful of biogas plants are in operation feeding in the gas into the public grid.