BioGas Production

Project BIOGAS

Sub group members

• M. Abdullah • Aemun Khalid• Arhum Hassan• Moaz Abbas

Contents of Presentation• Motivation for the project• Introduction • Properties of Biogas and It’s potential• Benefits of Biogas technology• Selection of best production process• Factors affecting efficiency• Objective and work plan• Experiments, proposals and their potential benefits• Business opportunities • Further optimization through integration

Motivation for Biogas ProjectPublic health HazardsTyphoid, Malaria, CholeraBreeding of flies, mosquitos, rats and other disease bearing insectsDeforestation for Wood-fuel which leads to soil erosion

Introduction

This project is to convert harmful waste materials into useful energy source to get multiple benefits.

Business opportunitySocial ServiceTo Play a constructive role in Energy crises

Properties of Biogas and Its Potential

1 kg Biogas = 5.2(approx) kWh of energy

Properties of Biogas and Its Potential

• Composition depends upon feed material• 20% lighter than air• Ignition temperature range=650-750 oC• Burns with blue flame similar to LPG• Calorific value= 20 MJ/m3

• Burns with 60% efficiency on a conventional stove

Benefits of Biogas Technology

• Cost effective and eco-friendly

• Slurry (the best alternative of chemical fertilizers)

• No geographical limitations

• No sophisticated technology required

Selection of Best Production Method

• We discarded some alternative processes due to following reasons:

• Economics of Scale• Requirement of sophisticated technology• Lesser efficiency

• The Process of our choice is“Wet Anaerobic Digestion”

Why Anaerobic Digestion

• High yield

• Easier to homogenize the waste in wet condition to obtain a consistent yield

• More methane yield and nitrogen rich compost (slurry).

Factors Affecting Efficiency

• Feedstock characteristics• Design of reactor• Operation conditions (36 degree optimum)• Moisture content• Volatile solids• Particle size• Biodegradability

Objective and Work Plan

• Objective of this project is to explore the factors through which efficiency can be enhanced, to carry out feasibility study and to discover business opportunities related to this project

Work Plan

• To check the workability of Biogas plant on smaller scale

• To carry out experiments to verify the effect of different constraints

• To optimize the process• To use Economics of scale to design the smallest

possible commercial plant that is profitable• To explore the growth potential in this business

Experiment 1

• We took a polymer semi-transparent white bottle• Attached inlet pipe for waste• Outlet pipe for Gas output• Painted it black so that light passage becomes as

low as possible• Filled with feedstock (water + cow dung)• Waiting for fermentation and detectable gas

output

Pictures of Experiment 1

Problems Faced

• The process is extremely slow

• The time projected for complete fermentation is almost 5 weeks

• The same assembly has already been used in some rural areas and not appreciated due to inefficiency, high initial cost and limitations

Possible Reasons and Solutions proposed

• The feedstock we used (cow dung) has very low calorific values

• We can achieve better results if light blockage was better

• pH decreases during the process due to volatile fatty acids

Solutions

• Use of feedstock with starchy or sugary content. This includes kitchen waste, rotten fruits, green leaves and other wastes containing fats and lipids.

• painting “green” color instead of black. • The pH can be controlled by using alkaline

additives. (NaOH)

Potential benefits of purposed changings

• faster generation of methanogens bacteria.• Same amount of gas is produced by 95%

lesser amount of waste.• The fermentation reaction completes in 24-30

hours that would have taken 5 weeks in case of cow dung

• These factors increase the efficiency up to roughly 800%.

Potential benefits of purposed changings

• Size reduction

• Due to smaller size and nature of waste input, the urban areas where availability of cow dung and space is an issue can also take benefit of this technology

Business Opportunities

• What business is all about?• We are here to serve people, to provide them

solutions, and to gain trust. Money is just a by-product

• But we can create a win-win situation. Where people get the solution and we get the by-product. How will we do it? The answer is in upcoming slides

Problem Analysis

• Loop holes leading to business opportunities.

• Energy crises and gas/electricity load shedding

• People need a solution, a way out, a shortcut, an escape from this problem.

How Can We Help

Independent Power Producing Company (IPP)

Operational Steps

• Biogas Production• (gas condensation and purification)• Bio-methane production• (can be injected into gas grid or fed to

vehicles)• Electricity and heat generation by CHP