BiogasBiogasBiogas

7/27/2019 BiogasBiogasBiogas

1/32

BIOGAS

ABSTRACT

Biogas means a gasproduced by the anaerobic digestion orfermentation of

organic matter. The organic matter can be manure, sewage sludge, municipal

solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock.

Biogas is mainly methane and carbon dioxide.

There are many advantages of biogas over wood as a cooking fuel:-

They are less labour than tree felling,Trees can be retained,Biogas is a quick,

easily controlled fuel,No smoke or smell so reduced eye/respiratory

irritation,Clean pots,Sludge is a better fertiliser than manure or synthetic

fertilisers ,Reduced pathogen transmission compared to untreated waste

By converting cow manure into methane biogas via anaerobic digestion, the

millions of cows in the United States would be able to produce one hundred

billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power millions of homes

across the United States. In fact, one cow can produce enough manure in one

day to generate three kilowatt hours of electricity; only 2.4 kilowatt hours of

electricity are needed to power a single one hundred watt light bulb for one

day. Furthermore, by converting cow manure into methane biogas instead of
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentationhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_matterhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manurehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewagehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewagehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manurehttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_matterhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentationhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttp://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas


2/32

letting it decompose, global warming gases could be reduced by ninety-nine

million metric tons or four percent. In Nepal biogas is being used as a

reliable source of rural energy, says Bikash Haddi of Biogas promotion

center.

INTRODUCTION

Biogas is generated when bacteria degrade biological material in the absence

of oxygen, in a process known as anaerobic digestion. Since biogas is a

mixture of methane (also known as marsh gas or natural gas, CH4) and

carbon dioxide it is a renewable fuel produced from waste treatment.

Anaerobic digestion is basically a simple process carried out in a number of

steps that can use almost any organic material as a substrate - it occurs in

digestive systems, marshes, rubbish dumps, septic tanks and the Arctic

Tundra. Humans tend to make the process as complicated as possible by

trying to improve on nature in complex machines but a simple approach is

still possible, as I hope you see in this website.

Conventional anaerobic digestion has been a "liquid" process, where waste

is mixed with water to facilitate digestion, but a "solid" process is also

possible, as occurs in landfill sites.


3/32

As methane is very hard to compress I see its best use as for stationary fuel,

rather than mobile fuel. It takes a lot of energy to compress the gas (this

energy is usually just wasted), plus you have the hazard of high pressure. A

variable volume storage (flexible bag or floating drum are the two main

variants) is much easier and cheaper to arrange than high pressure cylinders,

regulators and compressors.

I think biogas is best used directly for cooking/heating, light or even

absorption refrigeration rather than the complication and energy waste of

trying to make electricity from biogas. You can also run pumps and

equipment off a gas powered engine rather than using electricity.


Less labour than tree felling Trees can be retained Biogas is a quick, easily controlled fuel No smoke or smell (unless there is a leak - then you need to know

anyway!) so reduced eye/respiratory irritation

Clean pots Sludge is a better fertiliser than manure or synthetic fertilisers (and

is cheaper then manufactured products)

Reduced pathogen transmission compared to untreated waste
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/Gaslight.pdfhttp://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/Gaslight.pdf


4/32

PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS AND ITS EFFECT

Bio gas is practically produced as landfill gas (LFG) ordigested gas. A bio

gas plantis the name often given to an anaerobic digester that treats farm

wastes or energy crops. Bio gas can be produced using anaerobic digesters.

These plants can be fed with energy crops such as maize silage

orbiodegradable wastes including sewage sludge and food waste. During the

process, an air-tight tank transforms biomass waste into methane producing

renewable energy that can be used for heating, electricity, and many other

operations that use any variation of an internal combustion engine, such

as GE Jenbachergas engines.

There are two key processes: Mesophilic and Thermophilic digestion. In

experimental work at University of Alaska Fairbanks, a 1000-litre digester

using psychrophiles harvested from "mud from a frozen lake in Alaska" has

produced 200300 liters of methane per day, about 2030% of the output

from digesters in warmer climates. Landfill gas is produced by wet organic

waste decomposing under anaerobic conditions in a landfill.

The waste is covered and mechanically compressed by the weight of the

material that is deposited from above. This material prevents oxygen

exposure thus allowing anaerobic microbes to thrive. This gas builds up and

is slowly released into the atmosphere if the landfill site has not been
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anaerobic_digested&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_wastehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Jenbacherhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesophilichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermophilichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Alaska_Fairbankshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Alaska_Fairbankshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermophilichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesophilichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Jenbacherhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_wastehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anaerobic_digested&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_gas


5/32

engineered to capture the gas. Landfill gas is hazardous for three key

reasons. Landfill gas becomes explosive when it escapes from the landfill

and mixes with oxygen. The lower explosive limit is 5% methane and the

upper explosive limit is 15% methane.

The methane contained within biogas is 20 times more potent a greenhouse

gas than carbon dioxide. Therefore, uncontained landfill gas, which escapes

into the atmosphere may significantly contribute to the effects ofglobal

warming. In addition, landfill gas impact in global warming, volatile organic

compounds (VOCs) contained within landfill gas contribute to the formation

ofphotochemical smog.

COMPOSITION

Typical composition of biogas

Compound Molecular formula %

MethaneCH

4

5075

Carbon dioxide CO 2550
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warminghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warminghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photochemical_smoghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photochemical_smoghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warminghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warminghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas


6/32

2

Nitrogen

N

2010

Hydrogen

H

2

01

Hydrogen sulphide

H

2S

03

Oxygen

O

2

00

The composition of biogas varies depending upon the origin of the anaerobic

digestionprocess. Landfill gas typically has methane concentrations around

50%. Advanced waste treatment technologies can produce biogas with 55

75% methane, which for reactors with free liquids can be increased to 80-

90% methane using in-situ gas purification techniques As-produced, biogas

also contains water vapor. The fractional volume of water vapor is a function

of biogas temperature; correction of measured gas volume for both water

vapor content and thermal expansion is easily done via simple

mathematics which yields the standardized volume of dry biogas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion


7/32

In some cases, biogas contains siloxanes. These siloxanes are

formed from the anaerobic decomposition of materials commonly found in

soaps and detergents. During combustion of biogas containing

siloxanes, silicon is released and can combine with free oxygen or various

other elements in the combustion gas. Deposits are formed containing

mostly silica (SiOorsilicates (SixOy) and can also

contain calcium, sulfur, zinc, phosphorus. Such white mineral deposits

accumulate to a surface thickness of several millimeters and must be

removed by chemical or mechanical means.

Practical and cost-effective technologies to remove siloxanes and other

biogas contaminants are currently available.

BENEFITS

When biogas is used, many advantages arise. In North America, utilization

of biogas would generate enough electricity to meet up to three percent of

the continent's electricity expenditure. In addition, biogas could potentially

help reduce global climate change. Normally, manure that is left to

decompose releases two main gases that cause global climate

change: nitrogen dioxide and methane. Nitrogen dioxide (NO
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siloxaneshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_decompositionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siliconhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calciumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinchttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorushttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_mineral&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_mineral&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinchttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calciumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siliconhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_decompositionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siloxanes


8/32

2) warms the atmosphere 310 times more than carbon dioxide and methane

21 times more than carbon dioxide.

By converting cow manure into methane biogas via anaerobic digestion, the

millions of cows in the United States would be able to produce one hundred

billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power millions of homes

across the United States. In fact, one cow can produce enough manure in one

day to generate three kilowatt hours of electricity; only 2.4 kilowatt hours of

electricity are needed to power a single one hundred watt light bulb for one

day.[15]Furthermore, by converting cow manure into methane biogas instead

of letting it decompose, global warming gases could be reduced by ninety-

nine million metric tons or four percent. In Nepal biogas is being used as a

reliable source of rural energy, says Bikash Haddi of Biogas promotion

center.

EFFECTS

Effects on Health

Positive Effects

Reduction in eye related disease and headache has been the most significant

and direct effect of biogas plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#cite_note-15https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#cite_note-15https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#cite_note-15https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#cite_note-15https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion


9/32

All sample household respondents reported that the women engaged in

kitchen used to have problems of eye irritation, rolling tears, eye sores, eye

pain and headache before the installation of biogas plant. These problems

have not been experienced after they started using biogas. Although the

respondents argued that there could be numerous factors to cause eye

problems, they firmly believed that the smoke coming out of firewood stove

was the main cause of their eye related troubles before.

These expressions were fully substantiated during women focus discussions

too. The extent mof relief to eye problems made possible by the use of

biogas could best be understood from the following remarks made by the

plant owners in the focus group discussions.

Biogas plant has been blessing for us. We the women engaged in kitchen

activities had to suffer from frequent eye troubles due to fire wood smoke.

But mm: after the introduction of biogas, we do not have eye problem any

more.

The contrary feelings expressed by the non-plant owner group of women

also support the above positive effect of biogas. The common remarks made

by them was :

Rolling tears, eye irritation, eye pain, eye sores, headache etc, are our major

problems. We believe that the smoke coming out of the fire wood stove is


10/32

the major cause of these problems. We have heard from our neighbors (plant

owners} that biogas has greatly reduced their eye problems.

However, the degree to which the use of biogas as cooking fuel has

contributed to reduce the

eye diseases could not be estimated from the present study. Attempts were

made to find out the frequencies of occurrences of eye related problems

before and after the biogas installation. But the respondents found it difficult

to recall and figure out how often they and their family members had eye

problems before.

Although the women engaged in the kitchen seem to be the main

beneficiaries of the smokeless biogas, other family members, who have to be

inside the kitchen for eating and other purposes are benefited as well The

key informants reported that the smoke free kitchen ( due to the use of

biogas) is enjoyed not only by the house wives but by al! family members i.e

male, female, children and even the guests.

Occurrence of coughing and throat ache were significantly reducedAsked whether the use of biogas had contributed to reduce the frequency of

respiratory diseases, the sample respondents observed that although they

were not sure of other respiratory diseases, they experienced drastic


11/32

reduction in the occurrences of coughing and throat ache after the

introduction of biogas plant. The reason, as given by them, was that

unlike before (cooking on fire wood stove) the women do not have to inhale

smoke and ash dusts which avoids coughing and other respiratory troubles

According to them with the use of biogas. the women do not have to keep

sitting near the stove anymore to blow the fire time and again as they used to

do earlier while cooking foods on fire wood stove before the Physical stress

of women has been greatly reduced The introduction of biogas plant has had

positive effect on health, especially of women, through a significant

reduction in physical stress. Shortening of time in fire wood collection,

cooking, cleaning utensils etc. has contributed to the save women's time. The

saving of time, according to the respondents, has contributed to the reduction

in physical stress in the following manner:

The women during focus group discussion categorically stressed that itwas far better for them to fetch 5-7 buckets of additional water rather

than collecting one bhari (bundle) of fire wood It implies that fire wood

collection is very tiring and tedious job for them which results in loss of

considerable amount of body energy.

From the household opinion survey it was reported that the consumptionof firewood on an average has been reduced by 63% (Table 3.1) after the


12/32

introduction of biogas This led to a net saving of 1570 Kgs. of firewood

per household per annum on an average Assuming that it takes 6 hours (

reported by women focus group) to collect one bhari (25-30 Kgs.) of fire

wood, a woman has to spend only 222 hours a year at present against

600 hours during pre-biogas period.

The sample household respondents as well as the women of focus groupdiscussants indicated that women now rest for longer hours than before

which means that there has been some reduction in their physical stress.

According to the women respondents there has been a remarkablereduction in their time required to wait for their male counterparts to

teed. The socio-cultural norms of the Nepalese society, particularly in

rural areas, does not allow a woman to take food without serving her

husband.

Since the food cooked on gas stove does not retain heat for longer period,

the males have to rush.The women used to bear excessive heat and smoke

during summer while cooking on firewood stove which is not the case at

present. The women from the focus groups remarked:

Effects on intestinal and diarrhea disease control are indicativeSample respondents were asked to mention the frequency of the occurrence

of diarrhea and intestinal


13/32

IMPORTANCE OF BIOGAS IN ECHOSYSTEM

The Impact on the Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is caused by gases in the atmosphere (mainly carbon

dioxide CO2) which allow the sun's short wave radiation to reach the earth

surface while they absorb, to a large degree, the long wave heat radiation

from the earth's surface and from the atmosphere. Due to the "natural

greenhouse effect" of the earth's atmosphere the average temperature on

earth is 15C and not minus 18C.

The increase of the so called greenhouse gases which also include methane,

ozone, nitrous oxide, etc. cause a rise of the earth's temperature. The World

Bank Group expects a rise in sea levels until the year 2050 of up to 50 cm.

Flooding, erosion of the coasts, salinization of ground water and loss of land

are but a few of the consequences mentioned.

Until now, instruments to reduce the greenhouse effect considered primarily

the reduction of CO2-emissions, due to their high proportion in the

atmosphere. Though other greenhouse gases appear to a smaller extend in

the atmosphere, they cause much more harm to the climate.


14/32

Sources of Methane Emissions in the Agricultural Field

The amount of worldwide methane emissions from agricultural production

comprises about 33 % of the global anthropogenic methane release. Animal

husbandry alone comprises 16 %, followed by rice fields with 12 % and

animal manure with 5 % . While methane released through digestion of

ruminants (about 80 Mil t CH4 per year) can rarely be reduced, methane

emissions from animal waste can be captured and energetically used through

anaerobic treatment. The amount of methane emission mainly depends on

fodder, animal type and animal waste systems. For example: the methane

emission potential from dairy cattle in industrialized countries is about 0,24

m3 CH4/kg volatile solids (influence of fodder), in developing countries it is

only about 0,13 m3 CH4/kg volatile solids. But taking into account the

aerobic condition of solid dung systems (only 5 % of the methane emission

potential is released) it is mainly the liquid waste management systems

which contribute through anaerobic conditions with a high methane release

to the climate change (up to 90 % of the methane emission potential is

released).


15/32

Methane Reduction Potential Through the Application of Biogas

Technology

Through anaerobic treatment of animal waste, respectively through

controlled capture of methane and its energetic use, about 13,24 Mil t

CH4/year can be eliminated worldwide. This figure includes methane

emissions resulting from incomplete burning of dung for cooking purposes.

By replacing dung through biogas, these emissions are avoided. In total

about 4 % of the global anthropogenic methane emissions could be reduced

by biogas technology.

If fossil fuels and firewood is replaced by biogas additional CO 2-emissions

can be avoided including a saving of forest resources which are a natural

CO2 sink. Reduction Potential of Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agriculture

The relative climatic change potential of nitrous oxide is up to 320 times

higher as that of CO2 . Nitrous oxide generation is a natural microbial

process. It is produced during nitrification and de-nitrification processes in

soils, stables and animal waste management systems. In general, nitrous

oxides emissions appear in soils without anthropogenic influence. Fertilizing

as well as special conditions during storage can immensely increase the

emissions.


16/32

Little detailed information is available about the reduction potential of

nitrous oxides through anaerobic digestion of animal waste. There is still a

big need for further research.

Nevertheless, ongoing research results indicate that anaerobic digestion of

animal waste significantly reduces nitrous oxide emissions by:

1. avoiding of emissions during storage of animal waste,2. avoiding of anaerobic conditions in soils,3. reducing N2O-emissions through increased nitrogen availability for

plants and a faster nitrogen absorption through crop plants,

4. reducing application of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer by which N2O-emissions are reduced during production of nitrogen fertilizer.

APPLICATIONS

A biogas bus in Linkping, Sweden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6pinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BioGasBus.pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6ping


17/32

Biogas can be utilized for electricity production on sewage works, in

a CHP gas engine, where the waste heat from the engine is conveniently

used for heating the digester; cooking; space heating; water heating; and

process heating. If compressed, it can replace compressed natural gas for use

in vehicles, where it can fuel an internal combustion engine orfuel cells and

is a much more effective displacer of carbon dioxide than the normal use in

on-site CHP plants.

Methane within biogas can be concentrated via a biogas upgraderto the

same standards as fossil natural gas, which itself has had to go through a

cleaning process, and becomes biomethane. If the local gas network allows

for this, the producer of the biogas may utilize the local gas distribution

networks. Gas must be very clean to reach pipeline quality, and must be of

the correct composition for the local distribution network to accept. Carbon

dioxide, water, hydrogen sulfide, and particulates must be removed if

present.

Biogas upgrading

Raw biogas produced from digestion is roughly 60% methane and 29% CO

2 with trace elements of H 2S, and is not high quality enough to be used as

fuel gas for machinery. The corrosive nature of H2S alone is enough to

destroy the internals of a plant. The solution is the use of biogas upgrading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogenerationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_enginehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_heatinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_natural_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_enginehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas_upgraderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulatehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulatehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas_upgraderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_enginehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_natural_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_heatinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_enginehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogeneration


18/32

or purification processes whereby contaminants in the raw biogas stream are

absorbed or scrubbed, leaving more methane per unit volume of gas. There

are four main methods of biogas upgrading, these include water washing,

pressure swing absorption, selexol absorption, and amine gas treating.

The most prevalent method is water washing where high pressure gas flows

into a column where the carbon dioxide and other trace elements are

scrubbed by cascading water running counter-flow to the gas. This

arrangement could deliver 98% methane with manufacturers guaranteeing

maximum 2% methane loss in the system. It takes roughly between 3-6% of

the total energy output in gas to run a biogas upgrading system.

BIOGAS GAS-GRID INJECTION

Gas-grid injection is the injection of biogas into the methane grid (natural

gas grid). Injections includes biogas: until the breakthrough ofmicro

combined heat and powertwo-thirds of all the energy produced by biogas

power plants was lost (the heat), using the grid to transport the gas to

customers, the electricity and the heat can be used foron-site

generation resulting in a reduction of losses in the transportation of energy.

Typical energy losses in natural gas transmission systems range from 12%.

The current energy losses on a large electrical system range from 58%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amine_gas_treatinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injectionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_combined_heat_and_powerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_combined_heat_and_powerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_generationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_generationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_generationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_generationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_combined_heat_and_powerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_combined_heat_and_powerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_gridhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injectionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amine_gas_treating


19/32

BIOGAS IN TRANSPORT

"Biogastget Amanda" train nearLinkpingstation, Sweden

If concentrated and compressed, it can also be used in vehicle transportation.

Compressed biogas is becoming widely used inSweden, Switzerland, and

Germany. A biogas-powered train, namedBiogastget Amanda, has been in

service in Sweden since 2005. Biogas also powers automobiles and in 1974,

a British documentary film entitled Sweet as a Nutdetailed the biogas

production process from pig manure, and how the biogas fueled a custom-

adapted combustion engine. In 2007, an estimated 12,000 vehicles were

being fueled with upgraded biogas worldwide, mostly in Europe.

LEGISLATION

The European Union presently has some of the strictest legislation regarding

waste management and landfill sites called the Landfill Directive. The

United States legislates against landfill gas as it contains VOCs. The United
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6pinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_Directivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biogas-train-amanda-in-linkoping-2006.JPGhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compoundhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_Directivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6ping


20/32

States Clean Air Act and Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

requires landfill owners to estimate the quantity of non-methane organic

compounds (NMOCs) emitted. If the estimated NMOC emissions exceeds

50 tonnes per year, the landfill owner is required to collect the landfill gas

and treat it to remove the entrained NMOCs. Treatment of the landfill gas is

usually by combustion. Because of the remoteness of landfill sites, it is

sometimes not economically feasible to produce electricity from the gas.

However, countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany now have

legislation in force that provides farmers with long-term revenue and energy

security.

Development around the world

United States

With the many benefits of biogas, it is starting to become a popular source of

energy and is starting to be utilized in the United States more. In 2003, the

United States consumed 147 trillion BTU of energy from "landfill gas",

about 0.6% of the total U.S. natural gas consumption. Methane biogas

derived from cow manure is also being tested in the U.S. According to a

2008 study, collected by the Science and Children magazine, methane

biogas from cow manure would be sufficient to produce 100 billion kilowatt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_(United_States)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt_hourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt_hourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_(United_States)


21/32

hours enough to power millions of homes across America. Furthermore,

methane biogas has been tested to prove that it can reduce 99 million metric

tons of greenhouse gas emissions or about 4% of the greenhouse gases

produced by the United States. rrently around 60 non-sewage biogas plants

in the UK, most are on-farm, but some larger facilities exist off-farm, which

are taking food and consumer wastes.

On 5 October 2010, biogas was injected into the UK gas grid for the first

time. Sewage from over 30,000 Oxfordshire homes is sent to Didcot sewage

treatment works, where it is treated in an anaerobic digestor to produce

biogas, which is then cleaned to provide gas for approximately 200 homes.

Germany

Germany is Europe's biggest biogas producer as it is the market leader in

biogas technology. In 2010 there were 5,905 biogas plants operating

throughout the whole country, in which Lower Saxony, Bavaria and the

eastern federal states are the main regions. Most of these plants are

employed as power plants. Usually the biogas plants are directly connected

with a CHP which produces electric power by burning the bio methane. The

electrical power is then fed into the public power grid. In 2010, the total

installed electrical capacity of these power plants was 2,291 MW. The
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt_hourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt_hour


22/32

electricity supply was approximately 12.8 TWh, which is 12.6 per cent of

the total generated renewable electricity.

Biogas in Germany is primarily extracted by the co-fermentation of energy

crops (called NawaRo, an abbreviation of nachwachsende Rohstoffe,

which is German for renewable resources) mixed with manure, the main

crop utilized is corn. Organic waste and industrial and agricultural residues

such as waste from the food industry are also used for biogas generation. In

this respect, Biogas production in Germany differs significantly from the

UK, where biogas generated from landfill sites is most common.

The German agricultural biogas production was given a further push in 2004

by implementing the so-called NawaRo-Bonus. This is a special bonus

payment given for the usage of renewable resources i.e. energy crops. In

2007 the German government stressed its intention to invest further effort

and support in improving the renewable energy supply to provide an answer

on growing climate challenges and increasing oil prices by the Integrated

Climate and Energy Programme.

This continual trend of renewable energy promotion induces a number of

challenges facing the management and organisation of renewable energy

supply that has also several impacts on the biogas production. The first

challenge to be noticed is the high area-consuming of the biogas electric


23/32

power supply. In 2011 energy crops for biogas production consumed an area

of circa 800,000 ha in Germany. This high demand of agricultural areas

generates new competitions with the food industries that did not exist yet.

Moreover new industries and markets were created in predominately rural

regions entailing different new players with an economic, political and civil

background. Their influence and acting has to be governed to gain all

advantages this new source of energy is offering. Finally biogas will

furthermore play an important role in the German renewable energy supply

if good governance is focused.

Indian subcontinent

In India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh biogas produced from the

anaerobic digestion ofmanure in small-scale digestion facilities is

called gobar gas; it is estimated that such facilities exist in over two million

households in India, fifty thousands in Bangladesh and thousands in

Pakistan, particularly North Punjab, due to the thriving population of

livestock. The digester is an airtight circular pit made of concrete with a pipe

connection. The manure is directed to the pit, usually directly from the cattle

shed. The pit is then filled with a required quantity ofwastewater. The gas

pipe is connected to the kitchen fireplace through control valves. The

combustion of this biogas has very little odour or smoke. Owing to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manurehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#Gobar_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewaterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewaterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas#Gobar_gashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manure


24/32

simplicity in implementation and use of cheap raw materials in villages, it is

one of the most environmentally sound energy sources for rural needs. One

type of these system is the Sintex Digester. Some designs

use vermiculture to further enhance the slurry produced by the biogas plant

for use as compost.

In order to create awareness and associate the people interested in biogas, an

association "Indian Biogas Association" (www.biogas-India.com) was

formed. The Indian Biogas Association aspires to be a unique blend of;

nationwide operators, manufacturers and planners of biogas plants, and

representatives from science and research. The association was founded in

2010 and is now ready to start mushrooming. The sole motto of the

association is propagating Biogas in a sustainable way.

The Deenabandhu Model is a new biogas-production model popular in India.

(Deenabandhu means "friend of the helpless.") The unit usually has a

capacity of 2 to 3 cubic metres. It is constructed using bricks or by

a ferrocement mixture. In India, the brick model costs slightly more than the

ferrocement model; however, India's Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy offers some subsidy per model constructed.

In Pakistan, the Rural Support Programmes Network is running the Pakistan

Domestic Biogas Programme which has installed over 1500 biogas plants
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sintex_Digester&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocementhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocementhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sintex_Digester&action=edit&redlink=1


25/32

and has trained in excess of 200 masons on the technology and aims to

develop the Biogas Sector in Pakistan.

Also PAK-Energy Solution has taken the most innovative and responsible

initiatives in biogas technology. In this regard, the company is also awarded

by 1st prize in "Young Entrepreneur Business Plan Challenge" jointly

organized by Punjab Govt. & LCCI. They have designed and developed

Uetians Hybrid Model, in which they have combined fixed dome and

floating drums and Uetians Triplex Model. Moreover, Pakistan Dairy

Development Company has also taken an initiative to develop this kind of

alternative source of energy for Pakistani farmers. Biogas is now running

diesel engines, gas generators, kitchen ovens, geysers, and other utilities in

Pakistan. In Nepal, the government provides subsidies to build biogas plant.

Jain irrigation, Jalgaon is successfully operating a 1.7 MW Biogas based

power generation plant with CHP module . It is designed for 100 to 150

MT/day solid waste. Generate 1.7 MW power, 450 TR refrigeration and 10

MT/day compost.

China

The Chinese had experimented the applications of biogas since 1958.

Around 1970, China had installed 6,000,000 digesters in an effort to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Punjab_(Pakistan)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Chamber_of_Commerence_%26_Industryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Chamber_of_Commerence_%26_Industryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Punjab_(Pakistan)


26/32

make agriculture more efficient. During the last years the technology has

met high growth rates. This seems to be the earliest developments in

generating biogas from agricultural waste.

In developing nations

Domestic biogas plants convert livestock manure and night soil into biogas

and slurry, the fermented manure. This technology is feasible for small

holders with livestock producing 50 kg manure per day, an equivalent of

about 6 pigs or 3 cows. This manure has to be collectable to mix it with

water and feed it into the plant. Toilets can be connected. Another

precondition is the temperature that affects the fermentation process. With

an optimum at 36 C the technology especially applies for those living in a

(sub) tropical climate. This makes the technology for small holders in

developing countries often suitable.

Simple sketch of household biogas plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biogas_plant_sketch.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture


27/32

Depending on size and location, a typical brick made fixed dome biogas

plant can be installed at the yard of a rural household with the investment

between 300 to 500 US $ in Asian countries and up to 1400 US $ in the

African context. A high quality biogas plant needs minimum maintenance

costs and can produce gas for at least 1520 years without major problems

and re-investments. For the user, biogas provides clean cooking energy,

reduces indoor air pollution, and reduces the time needed for traditional

biomass collection, especially for women and children. The slurry is a clean

organic fertilizer that potentially increases agricultural productivity.

Domestic biogas technology is a proven and established technology in many

parts of the world, especially Asia. Several countries in this region have

embarked on large-scale programmes on domestic biogas, such as China and

India.

In the 1985 Australian film Mad Max Beyond Thunder dome the post-

apocalyptic settlement Barter town is powered by a central biogas system

based upon a piggery. As well as providing electricity, methane is used to

power Barter town's vehicles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mad_Max_Beyond_Thunder_dome&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mad_Max_Beyond_Thunder_dome&action=edit&redlink=1


28/32

CONCLUSION

Biogas is generated when bacteria degrade biological material in the absence

of oxygen, in a process known as anaerobic digestion. Since biogas is a

mixture of methane (also known as marsh gas or natural gas, CH4) and

carbon dioxide it is a renewable fuel produced from waste treatment.

Anaerobic digestion is basically a simple process carried out in a number of

steps that can use almost any organic material as a substrate - it occurs in

digestive systems, marshes, rubbish dumps, septic tanks and the Arctic

TundraConventional anaerobic digestion has been a "liquid" process, where

waste is mixed with water to facilitate digestion, but a "solid" process is also

possible, as occurs in landfil sites.


They are less labour than tree felling,Trees can be retained,Biogas is a quick,

easily controlled fuel,No smoke or smell so reduced eye/respiratory

irritation,Clean pots,Sludge is a better fertiliser than manure or synthetic

fertilisers ,Reduced pathogen transmission compared to untreated waste

When biogas is used, many advantages arise. In North America, utilization

of biogas would generate enough electricity to meet up to three percent of


29/32

the continent's electricity expenditure. In addition, biogas could potentially

help reduce global climate change. Normally, manure that is left to

decompose releases two main gases that cause global climate

change: nitrogen dioxide and methane. Nitrogen dioxide (NO

2) warms the atmosphere 310 times more than carbon dioxide and methane

21 times more than carbon dioxide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxide


30/32

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chynoweth, D.P., C.E. Turick, J.M. Owens, D.E. Jerger and M.W. Peck(1993). Biochemical methane potential of biomass and waste feedstocks.

Cornejo, C. and Wilkie, A.C. (2010). Greenhouse gas emissions andbiogas potential from livestock in Ecuador.

Davis, J.A., Farrah, S.R. and Wilkie, A.C.(2006). Selective growth ofStaphylococcus aureus from flushed dairy manure wastewater using

acriflavine-supplemented mannitol salt agar.

Davis, J.A., Farrah, S.R. and Wilkie, A.C. (2006). Adsorption of virusesto soil: impact of anaerobic treatment.

Evans, J.M. and Wilkie, A.C. (2010). Life cycle assessment of nutrientremediation and bioenergy production potential from the harvest of

hydrilla

Evans, J.M., Wilkie, A.C., Burkhardt, J. (2008). Adaptive managementof nonnative species: moving beyond the "either-or" through

experimental pluralism.

Evans, J.M., Wilkie, A.C., Burkhardt, J. (2009). Beneath the straw: indefense of participatory adaptive management.


31/32

Genung, R.K., Hancher, C.W., Rivera, A.L. and Harris, M.T. (1982).Energy conservation and methane production in municipal wastewater

treatment

Graunke, R.E. and Wilkie, A.C. (2008). Converting food waste tobiogas: sustainable Gator dining.

Harris, W.G., Wilkie, A.C., Cao, X. and Sirengo, R. (2008). Bench-scalerecovery of phosphorus from flushed dairy manure wastewater.

Henze, M. and Harremoes. P. (1982). Review paper: Anaerobictreatment of wastewater in fixed film reactors.

Hughes, K. and Wilkie, A.C., Eds. (2005). Cost-effective andEnvironmentally Beneficial Dairy Manure Management Practices.

Lincoln, E.P., Wilkie, A.C. and French, B.T. (1996). Cyanobacterialprocess for renovating dairy wastewater.

Lettinga, G. and van Haandel, A.C. (1993). Anaerobic digestion forenergy production and environmental protection. In: Renewable Energy

Sources for Fuels and Electricity.

McCarty, P.L. (1982). One hundred years of anaerobic treatment. In:Anaerobic Digestion, 1981. D.E. Hughes, D.A. Stafford, B.I. Wheatley,

W. Baader, G. Lettinga, E.J. Nyns, W. Verstraete,


32/32

Mulkey, S., Alavalapati, J., Hodges, A., Wilkie, A.C. and Grunwald, S.(2008). Opportunities for Greenhouse Gas Reduction through Forestry

and Agriculture in Florida. University of Florida

Ross, C.C. and Walsh, J.L. (1996). Chapter 2, Biogas Sources &Characteristics. In:Handbook of Biogas Utilization, Second Edition,

Schellinkhout, A., Lettinga, G., van Velson, L., Kooijmans, J.L. andRodriquez, G. (1985). The application of the UASB-concept for the

direct treatment of domestic wastewater under tropical conditions.

Smith, W.H., Wilkie, A.C. and Smith, P.H. (1992). Methane frombiomass and waste - a program review. TIDE

Sooknah, R.D. and Wilkie, A.C. (2004). Nutrient removal by floatingaquatic macrophytes cultured in anaerobically digested flushed dairy

manure wastewater.

Totzke, D.E. (1991). Anaerobic treatment technology update. In: 1991Proceedings of the Food Processing Waste Treament Conference,

Georgia Tech Research Institute

Documents

BiogasBiogasBiogas