Biogas plants to be setup in schools and hospitals

The district panchayat in association with the Total Sanitation Cell is set to implement source-level solid waste management projects in eight schools and three hospitals in the district.

Tendering process for the Rs.21.41-lakh project had been completed and works would begin soon, Suchitwa Mission secretary V.S. Santhosh Kumar said. Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd., which was the lowest bidder, will be the implementing agency. The scheme includes construction of biogas plants of varying capacities at these institutions.

The Neyyattinkara District Hospital; District Ayurveda Hospital, Varkala; and District Homoeo Hospital, Fort; are the three hospitals where biogas plants will be installed. While a 500 kg a day capacity plant will be installed at Neyyattinkara District Hospital at a cost of Rs.7.41 lakh, at the District Ayurveda Hospital and the District Homeo Hospital 200 kg a day capacity plants will be installed at a cost of Rs.6 lakh.

Apart from this, biogas plants having a capacity to process 50 kg a day will be installed in eight schools in the district at a cost of Rs.1 lakh each. The Government Higher Secondary School (HSS), Punnamoodu; Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (VHSS), Vellanad; Government HSS, Venjaramoodu; Government HSS, Narayimuttam; Government VHSS, Njekkadu; Government HSS, Kilimanoor; Governemnt VHSS, Paruthipally; and Government VHSS, Kallara; are the schools in which the plants will be installed.

An official of Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd said that works on the plant would begin as soon as the Corporation receives the work order from the cell. ‘‘We will not take up the works on all the plants at one go. Rather the construction of one or two plants will be done simultaneously. In all, it might take around four months to complete all the 11 projects,'' the official said.

District panchayat president Remani P. Nair said the source-level solid waste management project would be extended to more schools in the next financial year.

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Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). biogas plant for Kovalam

A solution to the vexed issue of garbage disposal at Kovalam, near here, is in sight with the government giving the green signal for setting up a five-tonne innovative biogas plant developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The Rs.1.18-crore Nisargruna biogas plant, developed by the Technology Transfer and Collaboration Division of BARC, Trombay, for effective management of solid waste, will be set up on 50 cents owned by Kerala Tourism at Mayakunnu behind the popular Light House beach.

Official sources told The Hindu that the government had issued orders for setting up the biogas plant after the Working Group on Tourism cleared a proposal recommended by the Suchitwa Mission.

The plant will be set up by Kerala Tourism within a year. The funds have been made available from the current year's budget.

The biogas plant, which works on bio-methonisation technology developed by BARC, will be able to handle five tonnes of waste daily. It is estimated that hotels at the tourist destination generate 5,000 kg of biodegradable waste daily. The capital-based Socio Economic Unit Foundation (SEUF), the nodal agency that holds the patent for the BARC model, will provide technical support for installing the plant.

Advantages

Unlike conventional biogas plants, the BARC plant ensures increased production of biogas for every tonne of waste, reduces waste processing time, and provides for separate treatment of slurry.

The plant can process kitchen waste, paper waste, grass, leaf litter, remains from abattoirs, hospital waste, green plant waste, crop residues, and water hyacinth. The material to be processed should be brought to the plant site every day and sorted.

The main drawback of the conventional plants is the unscientific management of slurry, which is allowed to ooze out into open surfaces, polluting groundwater and soil. Under the BARC technology, the slurry will get filtered in separate compartments. While the liquid part will be recycled in the operation of the plant, the solid particles will be dried and used for making fertilizer.

Biogas

The BARC model ensures production of 32 kg biogas for a tonne of waste, compared to 20 to 22 kg produced by conventional plants. The methane content in the biogas produced by the BARC plant is 10 per cent more than the methane content produced by the other plants.

Official sources said the gas generated from the biogas plant at Kovalam would either be used for running biogas engines for electricity generation or partially meeting the fuel requirement for cooking without causing environmental problems.

Since the BARC model preserved an optimum temperature of 55 degree Celsius inside the plant, it would help cut down the waste processing time. The processing time would be almost halved from 35 days, as was the case in conventional plants, they said.

A committee with officials of the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation, Tourism and Local Self-government Departments, Suchitwa Mission, and Kerala State Pollution Control Board will be set up to oversee the implementation of the project.

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Biogas in India - Current Status and Future Possibilities

Biogas is primarily methane that is generated from an anaerobic digestion of organic wastes by microorganisms. It is a relatively simple and economical method to produce a fuel from waste.
While technically biogas can be produced from any type of organic material, most times, biogas is produced from organic waste. This waste could comprise agricultural and crop waste, human waste and animal waste (cow dung for instance). With a calorific value of about 5000 KCal / m3, biogas is an excellent fuel for heating purposes as well as for generating electricity.
It is estimated that India can produce power of about 17,000 MW using biogas. This is over 10% of the total electricity installed capacity in India.
The advantages of biogas-based energy generation are as follows:
1. It is based on renewable sources
2. It can provide distributed energy generation, thereby providing much-needed energy for remote locations and villages.
3. In many cases, it provides a beneficial way of disposing organic waste
Biogas in households and communities
Biogas production has been quite dominant in India at household and community levels (especially in rural areas) than on large scales. In villages especially, thousands of small biogas plants use the cattle waste (especially cow dung) and provide biogas used for home heating and cooking. It is estimated that over 2 million such biogas plants have been installed all over India.
Such use of biogas systems in agrarian communities can increase agricultural productivity. This is because producing heat using biogas is more efficient than producing it using combustion, and hence more agricultural and animal waste can be returned to the land by farmers as organic fertilizer. Moreover, the slurry that is returned after methanogenesis is superior in terms of its nutrient content and can be used as a soil conditioner and plant nutrient (fertilizer).
Biogas for electricity production
The use of biogas for electricity generation in India is more recent, but this trend is accelerating. In many cities across India, sewage treatment centers and organic waste treatment plants (those treating organic municipal solid waste, for instance) already use anaerobic digesters to generate biogas and electricity. Some of the industries that generate significant amounts of solid or liquid organic waste also have installed digesters and gas engines for electricity production. Many of these require sizable investments, but it is estimated that they have a good return on investment as the main feedstock that they use is essentially free.
Biogas in the Indian industry
Use of digesters at industrial complexes (to treat the waste generated at the factory) is also increasing. For the factories and businesses concerned, this is an excellent avenue to dispose of waste in a cost effective manner while at the same time generate heat and/or electricity. Industries that have an especially high potential for using anaerobic digestion include cattle and poultry industry, sugar, breweries, pulp and paper, leather, and the fruits & vegetables industry. As pointed out earlier, some of these industries are already producing electricity from biogas, and this trend is likely to grow further in future.
Many Indian industries, in their quest for becoming more environment conscious, are turning to biogas one of their energy sources. In Sep 2009, for instance, PepsiCo India, a division of PepsiCo installed a biogas plant at its Pune-based Frito-Lay manufacturing unit. It's the first plant within Frito-Lay's global operations to use biogas. Companies such as Sintex Industries have introduced novel biogas digesters for the small users of this renewable energy resource.
Future prospects for biogas in India
With the Indian government keen on utilizing renewable resources for energy production, it is likely that there will be a greater thrust and higher incentives for concepts such as biogas production from waste. An increasing awareness among the public regarding sustainable use of resources will only enhance the production and use of biogas. It can hence be expected that biogas will have a significant growth in India at all levels of usage (household, municipality and industry) for both heat generation and electricity production.
It is also possible to earn carbon credits for biogas-based power or heat generation in India. For instance, in Apr 2008, Andhyodaya, a non-government agency working in the field of promoting water management and non-conventional energy and social development distributed the first installment of the biogas carbon credit to farmers in the state of Kerala. Andhyodaya had helped construct 15,000 biogas plants in the state and earned carbon credits. This trend is likely to grow further.
Both the central and the state governments in India have recognized the significance of biomass-based energy in the context of development of the rural population. It is also heartening to note that steps are already being taken in this regard. For instance, in Feb 2010, the Haryana Government has formulated a Rs. 85 crore project for setting up 50,000 family size biogas plants to harness the potential of generating biogas for cooking and (remnants as) organic manure in the fields.
More such investments and efforts are on the horizon.
In sum, India has significant potential for generating heat and electricity from waste in the form of biogas. While only a portion of the potential has been tapped, it is likely that more investments in this direction could accelerate exploitation of this source in future.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Renga_Nathan

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biogas demand in India

biogas demand in India

New biogas products to meet growing demand in India

As part of our judging process earlier this year, David Fulford had the chance to catch up with BIOTECH Ltd, in Kerala, India. Their award-winning work is building domestic, commercial and municipal biogas plants. BIOTECH has grown a lot since winning in 2007 and as a result of their ongoing research and development, they’ve now developed two innovations which takes them closer to meeting the large demand for their biogas systems.
The need for biogas is massive in urban areas; food waste from markets, for example, is a huge problem. Animals often break open refuse bags and municipal councils and households are looking for a good way to deal with a stinky and unhygienic problem.

 

A biogas plant works by taking food waste or even sewage and letting microbes digest it in a sealed container until a gas is produced. This gas can then be then burnt safely and used for cooking, lighting or running engines. If you’d like a more in-depth explanation of how it works, we’ve got great technical pages  .
BIOTECH were doing well when they won an award, but now their trade is really soaring. They’ve sold 22,000 domestic plants 270 institutional plants and 62 waste-to-electricity plants – councils love these as they can use the electricity to light streets in the early mornings and evenings. This mobile demonstration unit is in constant demand in towns and villages:

Changing the material that domestic plants are made from has made a huge difference. David Fulford reports on why BIOTECH took the step to move from using glass reinforced plastic (grp) to High Density Polyethene (HDPE):
“The problem with the original domestic systems is that the demand is growing rapidly, but the production capacity is limited. Biotech’s grp manufacturing unit can only make one domestic plant a day for each set of moulds. In order to meet the increasing demand, they worked with Capital Polymers of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala to design and make dies for a domestic biogas plant made from spun HDPE. One stainless steel die can be used to make 20 to 25 units a day. At present they have 3 dies in use and have installed 400 of these systems. Biotech Ltd has moved from a cottage industry to a factory production line. They are now selling between 5 and 10 units a day and demand is still increasing.”

 For their larger systems BIOTECH have also developed a modular two stage digestion system made from grp which are much quicker to install and is much more efficient than their original designs.  This system is still under development.
David, who had the chance to see one of these in action while he was visiting, explains how they work:
“The system is designed to work mainly with gravity, although there is one pump to recycle the effluent liquid to the feed tank. The food waste - kitchen peelings, leftovers and cooking water - is put in the feed hopper of one of several pre-digesters. Inside the vessel is a screen that prevents the solid material from continuing through the system. The liquid from the outlet of the digester is pumped into a storage tank, from which it flows slowly through the pre-digester. The microbes in the liquid dissolve out digestible matter, which is flushed into the main digester tanks.
Once a predigester is filled with solid material, which takes several weeks (up to three months) the next one is used. The full pre-digester is drained of liquid and the solid matter removed by hand. The food materials are not crushed or ground, but the microbes dissolve any digestible matter over time. The material that is left has little smell and forms good quality compost quickly. Both the solid compost and the excess liquor can be sold as biofertiliser and there is a good market in places such as Kochi for farmers and gardeners.
The main digester tanks are designed to be high-rate digesters. There are usually two or more main digester tanks connected in series. Biogas is generated in the pre and main digesters and taken from the top of the containers through pipes to a gas storage system. The gas is cleaned of hydrogen sulphide and stored in flexible synthetic bags, enclosed in a cylindrical tank. A system of counterbalances and weights controls the gas pressure in the bags. The gas is either used for cooking in kitchens or to run an engine to generate electricity for lighting.”

 

 Source:biogas demand in India

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Small scale Biomethanation (Biogas) in India

Small scale Biomethanation (Biogas) in India 

 

**References in this post need to be updated**

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of kitchen waste to produce biogas and liquid slurry on a small scale has been very successful in India, especially South India, where the region’s temperate weather conditions favor the process yearlong.  Many households have such biogas units installed. Total number of units installed in cities is unknown as there are too many companies offering them and the units being installed in both urban and rural areas, while the numbers are not necessarily recorded. In order to have a closer look at this technology, the author identified a private company called Biotech with its office in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala as a case study for small scale biogas. This company alone installed twenty thousand (20,000) units of small scale biogas in Thiruvanathapuram and Kochi, combined. These units divert about 40 tons of waste from landfills, which is 7% of the organic waste generated in both cities combined. It also implies avoidance of 4.7% of collection and transportation costs and resulting GHG emissions.

A small scale (2 kg per day) Biogas unit at Biotech's office in Thiruvananthapuram

**References in this post need to be updated**

Capacity and Cost

The units are smaller in size, flexible with feed and operation when compared to its counterparts. They cost $ 470 (INR 21,000) per unit and almost half of this cost is subsidized in different ways. The remaining cost of the digester is paid back in approximately 3 years in the form of savings on cooking fuel. Each unit can handle kitchen waste from a household with 3 – 5 members and can generate one cubic meter of biogas every day. Biogas mainly constitutes methane and carbon dioxide and the unit can be connected directly to a cooking stove. Per capita organic waste generation in Thiruvanathapuram and Kochi is 0.17 kg/day and 0.38 kg/day respectively. A single household in Thiruvanathapuram and Kochi produce 0.51 – 0.85 kg/day and 1.14 – 1.9 kg/day respectively (depending on the number of persons in the house). Thus, the capacity of these biogas units is enough for households in these two cities and each unit occupies only 1.25 sq.m of space.

The technology was successfully scaled-up by the company to handle 300 kg of organic wastes every day. Space required per kg of waste treated increases with the scale due to increase in the number of single-units used and piping involved. More than 235 institutional units were installed at different hotels and canteens, hospitals, schools, markets and slaughter houses. These institutions use a generator to convert the biogas into electricity which in turn is generally used for street lighting. 1 cu.m of gas can produce 1.5 KW of electricity.

**References in this post need to be updated**

Comparison

This decentralized technology will be helpful in solving MSWM crisis in India sustainably but it takes many single units to address organic waste from a single community. Also, the technology would be able to address only 51% of the waste stream in Thiruvanathapuram or Kochi. The public investment into the technology is comparatively much higher (Table 1). Also, the units produce organic slurry which needs to be properly utilized. Table 1 is a comparison between small scale biogas and WTE incineration as waste to energy solutions to the MSWM crisis in Chennai. The values used in these calculations are generation of 6,464 TPD of MSW (in year 2005), organic waste percentage of 41% and calorific value of 10.9 MJ/kg.

Table: Comparison of small scale biogas and WTE incineration as options for MSWM for Chennai (cost in $)

	Small Scale Biogas	WTE Incineration	Comparison
Capital cost*	623 million	241 million
Operational +transportation cost* (20 yrs)	Negligible	243 million
Total expenses to society	623 million Note: Present Value	484 million Note: Future Value	0.77
Landfilling avoided (%)	41%	90%	2.1
Electric energy produced (MWh/day/ton)	0.75	0.76
Total energy produced in 20 yrs (MWh)	26 million	64 million	2.5
Pollution from transportation avoided	41%	0	41

*Costs calculated for the society as a whole

Despite the huge difference in total costs which is because of the difference in scale of the technologies compared, small scale anaerobic digestion would (is more likely) be the most sustainable way to treat source separated organic wastes considering the avoidance of emissions from transportation. Since anaerobic digestion works only for source separated organics as is the case with small scale biogas plants, it is not at all an option for mixed solid wastes. As source separation is not practiced in India, it is difficult to collect separated organic wastes on a large scale. That also explains why large scale biomethanation which could have been an option otherwise is not a part of this report.

 

Source : http://bio-gas-plant.blogspot.com/2011/08/small-scale-biomethanation-biogas-or.html

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BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM KITCHEN WASTE/REFUSE in india

BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM KITCHEN WASTE/REFUSE

Authors: Prof. Eng. Joaquin Perez Diaz (PhD) *, Mulallira Bwanika**, Vianney Tumwesige***

*Department of Chemistry and Food Processing Technology, Faculty of Science.Kyambogo University, Uganda. E-mail: joaquin.perez@infomed.sld.cu** Transport Officer, Kyambogo University. E-mail: jbwanika04@yahoo.co.uk*** Former student at Kyambogo University with a Bsc. in Food Processing and
technology E-mail: trustvianney@gmail.com

 ABSTRACT

The study was conducted in Laboratory (former rat house, biology department),Kyambogo University in 2008. Biogas refers to a gas made from anaerobic digestion of agricultural and animal waste. The gas is useful as a fuel substitute for firewood, dung, agricultural residues, petrol, diesel, and electricity. The cost of energy (electricity, firewood and LPG) in Kyambogo University is of heavy charge to the University budget, the bigger part corresponding to the LPG balloon for cooking. The objective of this work was to produce biogas in a Compact Water Plastic Tank with a Dome Fixed, using different organic waste from the kitchen in Kyambogo University. It was realized through the Observation and Experimental Test using 500 ml bottles the
rate of gas produced and retention time (with 24 hour biogas was produced). Fermentation of individual kitchen waste was done and cabbage leaves produces more gas after day 1 but on day 3, cooked posho had more gas. In phase two, a mixture of different kitchen waste was elaborated and later fermented, a mixture of cabbage leaves, matooke peelings and cooked posho had more gas after 24 hours.
In the experimental pilot and scale up tank, the formula was fermented and the 3 different types of digesters were tested, the old system with different inlet and outlet worked first, that is to say, the outlet system was able to let out the sludge. The other 2 news systems never let out the sludge due to the gas escape. The designs for the different kitchens in Kyambogo University were obtained and they will be implemented when the university administration supports implementation process.

KEYWORDS: Biogas; Kitchen waste; Anaerobic digestion, fermentation.

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