Project Proposal: Biodiesel

Full description of problem/need

In rural India, much of the population depends on diesel to run
tractors, jeeps, buses and other vehicles. Petrol is only used in
motorbikes. There are also a lot of power cuts in the area and so
diesel is used in generators to produce electricity. So there is a
need for a sustainable source of diesel fuel to be developed so
that it can be used in diesel engines, cleanly and safely.
A biodiesel plant could be set up to provide biodiesel at a low cost
to the local area, running off locally produced crops, such as the
common 'weed' Jatropha. This production plant should be able to
run on locally produced biomass and/or waste. The aim is to
design a plant that would continuously produce biodiesel
throughout the year.
How will the local community use the proposed solution?
The community would use the proposed solution to construct and
maintain a biodiesel generator. This generator would be used by
a farmer who would grow a biodiesel feed crop. The farmer that
first develops such a generator could then offer the generator
other farmers' crops. Then local biodiesel generators servicing a
local community would be created. During summer 2005 the
given plantation owner contact is eager to set up such a
generator on his farm.
The biodiesel would then be effectively used for transportation
and/or a back up for electricity. This would mean that it could be
used in many engines and generators with near or complete
combustion. As of summer 2005, biodiesel that has been created
is of a crude form and when combusted a lot of soot is produced,
indicating inadequate combustion. A crucial part of this project
would be to distil the crude biodiesel to a sufficient level, so that
it can be efficiently used in engines.
Estimate of the economic benefit anticipated and plans for
training of the local community? What are the major
impacts on such a project?
A biodiesel generator would give the community an alternate
source of fuel and constant power and it would provide jobs for a
portion of the community. Jobs would include constructing the
plant, maintaining the plant and selling the biodiesel to the local
community. There would also be indirect jobs provided by a
biodiesel generator. There could be a demand for more biomass
and more crops would have to be grown, creating further profits
for farmers or more jobs in the community. This would help to
stabilise the local economy, making money stay in the area, as
the community would use local resources to create their power.
An ideal solution would be to produce biodiesel at such a cheap
price that it could replace any reliance on the unreliable Indian
power grid.
A test case for a biodiesel plant could be developed either at
Vigyan Ashram or at B.R.Nagarkar's farm, which has a substantial
biodiesel crop plantation, as of summer 2005. Both parties would
be eager to pilot a suitable solution and with clear designs and
simple instructions could create and maintain a biodiesel plant.
Then the idea could be used by other local entrepreneurs.
The biodiesel also should be available at a lower cost than it is
currently (Rs. 36/litre). This would benefit everyone in the
community that uses transport, which would be the vast majority
of people. The proposal would especially benefit local businesses,
which use transport as an integral part of their day-to-day work.
Full description of the local situation (e.g. social,
economic, geographical, political)
Vigyan Ashram built a biodiesel generator. However, the biodiesel
it produced was pure crude and they had no method of
esterification. It was tested on a tractor engine, unrefined, and
much of the oil passed through the engine unused. Heating the oil
before combustion was tried but had no effect.
Vigyan Ashram found that a Moha seed was effective in producing
biodiesel. Unfortunately this took several years to grow and
would be far too inefficient for the local community to use (see
below for more detail on seeds).
A proposed solution should have a simple refining method and
should be able to use a more sustainable crop as a fuel source
which takes only a season, as compared to years, to mature. The
plantation owner uses a seed called Jatropha (amongst others,
see below) which is a common weed across India, so is therefore
cheap. It can grow in one season but only lasts for 45 years.

Jatropha plants at the biodiesel plantation
Full description of relevant infrastructure available locally
and/or internationally
Plant names (in Marathi, unless stated)
Earndi
Jatropha (English name)
This plant produces crops continuously once it begins producing
seeds. Too much rain causes discoloring of leaves. It is a robust
plant and can grow in summer and winter conditions. It is present
almost everywhere in India (and so it is perceived as a weed).
Lifespan: 45 years.
Selling Price of seeds: Rs. 50 /kg of seeds.
The crops take 15 months to produce seeds. One plant (tree)
costs Rs. 20 from local nursery.
The plantation owner has 3 acres and 4000 plants.
The crops produce 5 - 25 kg of seeds per year per plant.
150 ml/week minimum of water is required per plant. The
optimum amount is 500 ml/week per plant.
The plantation owner users 5000 l/ day from self-constructed
dam.
Water system provides all-year watering.
The
Jatropha Plant
Moha
Lifespan: 200 years
Takes seven years to produce seeds - lost profit.
Requires further 2 years to grow in a nursery.
Karnj
Lifespan: 70 years
Takes seven years to produce seeds - lost profit.
Requires further 2 years to grow in a nursery.
Unda
Jojoba
Items mentioned in the Inventory, particularly
-Metals
-Cement
-Petrol barrels
Biodiesel Project Proposal
(Redirected from EN:Biodiesel Project/Proposal)

Biodiesel Project Proposal
(Research and Application)

Contents
[hide]
1 Introduction
o 1.1 Abstract
o 1.2 Sponsors
o 1.3 Applicants
2 Narrative
o 2.1 Statement of need
o 2.2 State of the art
o 2.3 Related experience
o 2.4 Proposed work
o 2.5 Partnerships
o 2.6 Mission fit
3 Summary
o 3.1 Goals
o 3.2 Specifications
o 3.3 Deliverables
4 Activity time line
5 Resources
o 5.1 Personnel and facilities
5.1.1 Team Members 2007-2008
5.1.2 Trailer
5.1.3 Vehicles
5.1.4 Storage
5.1.5 Frey Hall
5.1.5.1 Testing
5.1.5.2 Design and Fabrication
5.1.6 Off-campus Facilities
o 5.2 Budget
5.2.1 Footnotes
Introduction
Abstract
The Biodiesel Project exists to provide a more environmentally sustainable fuel
option to the world and in doing so proclaim the biblical Truth that we all are
stewards of the entire Earth. Furthermore we seek to produce biodiesel at home
and abroad, in conjunction with our local community and partners around the
world (particularly ECC-DOM in the Congo), so that we may educate and promote
environmental and economic sustainability.
Sponsors
Group - Energy Group
Client - Messiah College and ECC-DOM
Applicants
Team advisor - Jay Bennett
Team leader - David Hostetter
Additional advisors - Steve Frank and Carl Erikson
Additional students - Tim Jones, Luke Witmer, Jake Munson, Andy Derr, Eric
Schleusner, Julie Longenecker
Narrative
Statement of need
The Biodiesel Project exists to satisfy needs at Messiah, in our local community
and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At Messiah the project provides a great platform for the development of the
biodiesel manufacturing process and a practical application of manufacturing
processes, industrial safety, and environmental and economic sustainability.
Currently the world is coming to grips with the development of two looming
potential disasters in global warming and peak oil. It has become apparent to
many that environmentally sustainable fuels, such as biodiesel, can alleviate
these two problems due to biodiesels' reduced emissions and non-petroleum
based nature. Despite all of its benefits biodiesel is not as widely used as
possible so the need for education in our local community exists.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently undergoing a severe
(economic) crisis. The cost of petroleum based diesel fuel is very high and the
demand for palm oil has decreased leaving a surplus of the oil and people with
out jobs. This combination makes local biodiesel production from palm oil in
the DRC an ideal solution to provide a cheap alternative to petroleum based
diesel fuel, an increased market for palm oil and jobs for the unemployed.
The purpose of our project is to aid Eglise du Christ au Congo-Direction des
Oeuvres Mdicales (ECC-DOM) in establishing palm oil based biodiesel
production in the Congo. This non-profit organization within the structure of the
Protestant Church of Congo is dedicated to improving the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) health services. Its holistic approach includes promotion of
sustainable, income-generating, and environmentally sound activities in poor DRC
communities as an avenue of affordable healthcare.

State of the art
The science of biodiesel has been around for many years. The process has been
tested and has its own ASTM standard D6751. Many articles and books have been
written about the production of biodiesel. People have been running diesel engines
on biodiesel for some time and even driven across the country using it. While most
people prefer to make their own biodiesel in their back yard, commercial biodiesel
is emerging. Individuals can now buy million gallon biodiesel processing plants for
commercial use. Some trucking industries are beginning to look into the usage of
biodiesel in all of their fuel.
Messiah College has had biodiesel groups in the past who have successfully
converted waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. However, some of the ingredients
they used are not readily available in countries such as the Congo. Our project
intends to try different feedstocks and produce ASTM biodiesel so that biodiesel
can easily be created in Africa.
From what we have found in our literature review, there have been successful lab
tests to make biodiesel from crude palm oil. The problem with this is that it was
performed through a two part process, of esterification and transesterification, to
produce the fuel and this process may not be possible over in the Congo.
Keystone Biofuels, of Shiremanstown, is a local manufacturer of B100 fuel.
Professor Carl Eriksons son works there so this is a great resource that we will
have throughout the course of this project.
Related experience
The 2006-2007 biodiesel senior project team designed and built a small scale
biodiesel conversion system. This system converts waste vegetable oil (WVO) to
biodiesel and glycerin waste. This is a technology that has been done before and so
we were able to learn from previous work. The processing unit for conversion of
waste vegetable oil has many subsystems in the process, and there are variations
for each system.
For the waste vegetable oil collection there is a variation in the biodiesel
community from people collecting the WVO by using pumps, or pouring to collect
the oil. The collection tanks can range in size from 30 gallons to 250 gallons. We
have found that barrels sized 55 gallons and larger must be double lined if used for
oil collection. This requirement came from Tim Hansen, former head chef of Lottie
Nelson Dining Hall.
To establish the state of the art for the heating and mixing units of the processor,
we will discuss designs that are currently used. The main variation is whether or
not the system is a two step process or a one step process. Some designs pre-heat
the oil and then move the oil into another tank for mixing. This is done sometimes
to remove water from the WVO, and it also allows for a mixing tank without
heating coils inside. The other possible method is for the heating and mixing
systems to be combined into one. This combination takes up less space due to
fewer tanks.
Other variation we found in our literature review was how to heat the WVO for the
reaction. Some people use a hot water heater for the heating tank. Thus, they use
electrical heating elements. Due to the work of previous projects; this is the course
of action that we are using also. Though we are not using a hot water heater we are
using electric heating elements. The other way to heat the WVO is to create a heat
exchanger with copper tubing and water flowing through the tubing. This will heat
the WVO to the temperature of the water. Thus if a system is created to heat the
water in a controlled way then the WVO could also be heated in a controlled way.
We have found this system to be used by Keystone Biofuels for their heating and
mixing tanks.
Another variation we found in our research for the heating and mixing of the
system is the mixing method. Two prominent mixing methods include mixing
through a pump or mixing through the use of a stirrer. The use of a pump fits well
into a closed system, helping to prevent fluids and vapors from escaping the tanks.
The stir-mixing method can have variable mixing speeds and it can do a very good
job at agitating the fluid. Our current design utilizes a pump to circulate and mix
hot oil and converting biodiesel.
The final variation in design that we researched was that of biodiesel washing
technique. The first alternative is to stir water into the fuel, and the other is to mist
water through the biodiesel and bubble air up from the bottom to add turbulence.
Both systems have the similar effect of mixing the water with the biodiesel to pull
out contaminants. The advantage of misting is that it introduces little agitation.
Thus, the water is less likely to emulsify with the biodiesel. The lighter agitation of
the mister system is less likely to cause the water and the biodiesel to bond, but the
contaminants in the biodiesel are still likely to dissolve into the wash water.
Dealing with glycerin and wash water side streams was the next problem that
required research. There is not a clear cut answer on the solution for getting rid of
the glycerin. Some people have proposed putting it into composting piles, putting it
in the woods, throwing it out, and others have avoided the issue by just storing it
up waiting for the demand for unrefined glycerin to increase. We found that
Keystone Biofuels has a tractor trailer haul their waste glycerin away. This isnt a
viable solution for us. We considered making soap out of waste glycerin, but soap-
making requires that methanol is removed from the waste, which was not part of
the scope of this years senior project. However, the Collaboratory students have
been working on a waste methanol recovery system, so soap-making is a possible
option for a future project group. Creating a market for biodiesel byproduct soap
may be a difficult undertaking, however. For now, waste glycerin is hauled away
by Wes Bower, who charges the senior project to have it hauled away by waste
management.
The next side stream we had to deal with was wash water. This waste is chiefly tap
water, but also contains traces of glycerin and methanol. When interviewed by our
team at the Life After Cheap Oil Conference, many people told us that they simply
pour wash water down the drain. Our research of township requirements yielded
two important conditions for wash water. There must be no more than 10 parts per
1000 of fatty substances, and the pH must be between 6.5 and 9. Typically the pH
of our first wash batch is around 8.5-9. Although this lies within the township
requirements, we typically neutralize the pH to just over 7, using vinegar. It is
important to note that these requirements vary by location, according to local
standards. The other issue we found in our research is that wash water BOD
(biological oxidation demand) can be up to 12,000, while sewage water is closer to
5,000. This means that the water lacks oxygen and is likely to form anaerobic
reactions, or slime.
Other research that our team gathered in our binder includes Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDS), Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines, articles from Penn Future
on Biofuels, Messiah Colleges Hazardous Waste Disposal techniques, and
handouts from the Life After Cheap Oil conference. At the conference we were
given a quick overview of how biodiesel is made, from web sources
including biodiesel.infopop.cc, biodieselcommunity.org, kitchen-
biodiesel.com, biodiesel.coop, utahbiodieselsupply.com, b100supply.com,
andbiodiesel.org. We also collected notes that were written during Life After
Cheap Oil lectures, a subcontractors report of Biodiesel Production Technology
taken from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), information
from Murray Nickel about the Congo, and finally a hard copy of the final report of
last years biodiesel senior project team.
From our research, we found that biodiesel kits are readily available on the internet
at various websites. These kits vary significantly in size. The main components
include a few tanks or drums and piping. Some kits have hand pumps and some
have electrical pumps. Internet surfers can also readily find plans for a build-your-
own system at journeytoforever.comand other web locations. Thus, there is not
currently a great need for a 20-50 gallon system design in the greater biodiesel
community. Our processor design was based more on inherited components and
space constraints inside a trailer. We also found that there isnt a clearly agreed-
upon method for production at this size. It is this open playing field that has given
us liberty to design a system we feel to be a usable system in terms of operation
and practicality.
Proposed work
At Messiah the Biodiesel Project will provide students with great learning
experiences in manufacturing processes, the importance of safety, and what it
means to be environmentally and economically sustainable. These experiences
will occur by students working on the project and just by being exposed to the
work that other students are doing on the project.
In our local community we will provide an example of environmental
sustainability and education as to its importance by using the Biodiesel Trailer
as a mobile education tool.
In the DRC we will provide an increased livelihood of the locality through the
production and distribution of biodiesel from locally harvested palm oil.
Partnerships
This project will partner with groups here and in the DRC.
On campus there exists groups that are very interested in environmental
sustainability such as the Earth Keepers. The Biodiesel Project seeks to partner
with these groups to provide the Biodiesel Trailer as an educational tool as well
to train people from these groups to continue and expand the biodiesel
manufacturing process.
Our contact within the DRC is Dr. Murray Nickel. The biodiesel project seeks
to partner with him to implement three prototype plants within the DRC.
Mission fit
The Collaboratory exists so that it may proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and
create disciples of Him, demonstrate the Love of God through the integration of
our gifts and abilities into practical solutions for the underprivileged and in doing
so cultivate sustainable relationships and results. The Biodiesel Project not only
mirrors this mission, through the application of the biodiesel process in the DRC,
but expands upon it through the integration of the education of people local and
abroad as to the cruciality of environmental sustainability and how the Gospel of
Jesus Christ proclaims this.
Summary
Goals
1. Maintain knowledge of the state of the art of small-scale biodiesel
production.
2. Develop a process that converts any location-appropriate feedstock to
ASTM-standardized biodiesel fuel in appropriate quantities.
3. Consistently produce ASTM-quality biodiesel fuel on Messiah College
campus for local consumption.
4. Create and maintain a manual that addresses all safety and maintenance
concerns, clearly describes systematic procedures, and provides a user-
friendly list of input variables with instructions for dealing with them.
5. Create a business plan for implementation of community biodiesel reaction
facilities.
6. Minimize waste by managing Glycerin and other biodiesel side streams.
Specifications
ASTM D 6751-02 Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel (B100)
Property Method Limits Units
Flash point, closed cup D 93 130 min C
Water and sediment D 2709 0.050 max % volume
Kinematic viscosity, 40 C D 445 1.9 - 6.0 mm
2
/s
Sulfated ash D 874 0.020 max wt. %
Total Sulfur D 5453 0.05 max wt. %
Copper strip corrosion D 130 No. 3 max

Cetane number D 613 47 min

Cloud point D 2500 Report to customer C
Carbon residue D 4530 0.050 max wt. %
Acid number D 664 0.80 max
mg
KOH/g
Free glycerin D 6584 0.020 wt. %
Total glycerin D 6584 0.240 wt. %
Phosphorus D 4951 0.0010 wt. %
Vacuum distillation end
point
D 1160
360 C max, at 90%
distilled
C
Storage stability TBD TBD TBD
Deliverables
1. A safe production facility capable of producing a 40-gallon batch of
biodiesel in under two hours
2. Documentation that describes each step required to produce biodiesel
(including all safety steps) so that anyone who joins the team will be able to
fully continue the work within one semester of becoming a team member
3. Documentation of the current processing system so that future students will
be able to produce an appropriate design for future implementation of
several processing units in the DRC
4. Data showing the similarities and differences of palm oil compared with
waste vegetable oil after transesterification
5. Documentation explaining the additional steps required to convert crude
palm oil into biodiesel (these additional steps should be developed from the
perspective of implementation in the DRC and must not increase the cost of
biodiesel beyond economic sustainability)
6. Management of all waste and side-streams which derive from both any
refining process required as well as the transesterification process
7. Design of a processing unit using appropriate technology for Kinshasa, DRC
8. Two to three beta sites, under the supervision of Murray Nickel
Activity time line
{{{Activity time line}}}
Resources
Personnel and facilities
Team Members 2007-2008
Jay Bennett (Team Advisor)
David Hostetter (Team Leader, Senior)
Steve Frank (Group Advisor)
Carl Erikson (Senior Project Advisor)
Luke Witmer (Group Leader, Senior)
Tim Jones (Senior)
Jake Munson (IPC Project 1)
Andy Derr
Julie Longenecker
Eric Schleusner
Trailer
Currently the biodiesel trailer parked behind Frey Hall meets most of the biodiesel
teams spatial needs. The trailer contains the processing unit used for our biodiesel
production. The current arrangement in the trailer is tight yet organized. The trailer
is kept locked with a combination lock at all times unless team members are
working at the trailer. All team members have access to the trailer. Use of the
trailer includes but is not limited to the weekly Collaboratory work time from 4-
5:30pm every Monday, the weekly IPC project time from 1:20-4:00pm every
Thursday, and as a showcase at any opportunities that arise, particularly MEB
Scholarship Day.
Vehicles
Also we have a 1983 VW Jetta Rabbit that is taking up an additional parking space
behind Frey. Keys to the Rabbit are kept in the Trailer. Use of the vehicle is
restricted to members of the team and faculty of Messiah College affiliated with
the biodiesel project. The biodiesel project manager, energy group leader, or any
affiliated advisor must approve all other use.
Storage
All team materials are stored in Frey 068 in two cabinets at the far side of the
room. One cabinet is a flammables cabinet while the other is for storage of non-
hazardous materials. Materials in these storage facilities include all chemicals for
biodiesel production (except methanol which is purchased on an as needed basis,
and oil which is collected outside of Lottie Nelson dining hall until needed),
various vehicle components and vehicle maintenance products for the Rabbit, some
glass and some HDPE jars for bench scale biodiesel batches and testing (with
secondary spill containment), a 5L container of crude palm oil from the DR Congo,
and assorted other team materials. The flammables cabinet is shared with the
Transportation Group for their various projects. These cabinets may be locked, but
are not required to be locked since the room containing the cabinets is locked every
night by campus public safety. Keys to the cabinets are kept in the Trailer. These
storage facilities will be used continuously throughout the year.
Frey Hall
Testing
For all bench scale tests (including both small (~500mL) batches of biodiesel
production as well as specific ASTM tests selected by the 2005-2006 senior project
team) the biodiesel team uses the fume hood in the Thermal-Fluids lab in Frey 045.
This facility meets all safety standards required. The Engineering Laboratories and
Student Machine Shop are available for use throughout the year if scheduled with
the shop supervisor, John Meyer.
Design and Fabrication
Design and modeling of system components will probably be performed using
CAD. For any computer work, Frey 254 is available and contains computers that
are loaded with several different CAD and engineering programs including
AutoCAD, SolidWorks, TK-Solver, and I-DEAS. For fabrication of system
components, the Student Machine Shop is available for use throughout the year if
individuals are checked out annually for safety and competence in machine use.
This can be scheduled with the shop supervisor, John Meyer.
Off-campus Facilities
Professor Carl Erikson, Engineering Department Chair and Biodiesel Senior
Project Advisor, is renting to the biodiesel team (free of charge) significant space
in his barn. His farm is located approximately 1.5 miles south of Messiah
College: google directions. This facility is used currently for storage of some
previous senior project materials. Over the course of the next year, this facility will
be used to meet two additional team needs: housing the team's methanol recovery
system and housing the trailer during the winter for potential full-scale winter
production. This facility is available for biodiesel team use at any time provided
that Professor Erikson is notified and permission to do so is granted.
Budget
Expenses
2007-2008 Senior Project Budget
Item Category Cost
Plumbing fixtures Materials $60.00
720 GPH Pump Materials $45.00
Steel brackets and angle iron (new
additions)
Materials $40.00
Methanol Recovery Components Materials $150.00
In-Line Heater Materials $200.00
60gal HDPE Mixing Tank Materials $260.00
Common supplies from Lowes Materials $46.00
Methanol (50gal) @ $2.30/gal Chemicals $115.00
Commercial biodiesel (1gal) @ $2.60/gal Chemicals $2.60
Commercial diesel (9gal) @ $2.60/gal Chemicals $23.40
Kerosene (10 gal) @ $2.30/gal Chemicals $23.00
---- ---- ----

Subtotal: $965.00
Large Assets
Item Date Received Cost
2005 Haulmark Trailer
[1]
Spring 2005 $2,245.00
1983 VW Jetta Rabbit
[2]
Spring 2006 $3,000.00
New 5.5kW Diesel Generator Summer 2007 $690.00
---- ---- ----

Subtotal: $5,935.00
Trips
Item Category Cost
Beta site processor components in DRC
[3]
Materials $1,000.00
Training and team building

$1,000.00
---- ---- ----

Subtotal: $2,000.00


TOTAL: $8,900.00

Funding

Source Status Amount
Kenneth Brown Received $3,000.00
Department of Engineering
[4]
Received $3,435.00
CIDA Grant
[3]
Anticipated $2,000.00
Energy Group
[6]
Anticipated $2,465.00


TOTAL: $10,900.00

Footnotes
1. The trailer was purchased by Dr. Pratt, perhaps in the name of the
Engineering Department. Further investigation of the matter is under way
concerning the origin of the funding for the trailer.
2. The Rabbit was donated by Mr. Kenneth Brown.
3. This is enough funding for two processing units, estimated at $500 each.
Further cost analysis of appropriate technology processing units will be
performed at a later time. Funding will scale if this value increases or
decreases. The source of this funding is still in the making via a grant
proposal submitted by Murray Nickel to the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA).
4. The Messiah College Department of Engineering has donated significantly
towards this project. The $3,435 donated breaks down as follows: (1) $500 -
07-08 Senior Project (2) $690 - 5.5 kW Diesel Generator (3) $2,245 -
Trailer.
5. Trip support is estimated based on each team member contributing 50
individual names and one church name. Each additional team member will
add $2,500 additional cost and $2,250 additional support using these
parameters, resulting in an increase of needed general donor contributions of
$250 per additional team member.
6. The Energy Group is planning to use the advertising space on the sides of
the biodiesel trailer as well as potentially the Rabbit to attract funding from
external sources (local corporations). As this plan develops, and costs for
the project continue to accumulate, the Energy Group is requesting funding
from the Collaboratory (via the Keck grant, or whatever other source is
deemed appropriate) to tide the group over until this goal has been met

Project Proposal: Biogas Generator

Full description of problem/need
In Pabal, there are multiple power cuts during a day. Businesses
that rely on electricity become less efficient and lose profits as a
result of power losses. The government has no short-term plans
to address the electricity problem in rural India so an alternative
power solution is needed to alleviate the problems caused by
power cuts.

Biogas is a reliable, cheap and sustainable alternative to, or
creator of electricity. About fifteen years ago, there was a
government-level biogas drive, but the government only made
generators available at a cheap rate and did not provide proper
advice and maintenance, without which the generators were
misused. The generators relied on cow dung, which presented an
extra problem in Pabal, Maharastra. Due to the severity of the dry
season (January - May), the local farmers must transport the
cows to a nearby village, which has a wetter climate. This meant
that there was no cow dung available for the generators for four
months of the year. As the generators require 21 days start up
time (where the bacteria in the dung can build up to a sufficient
level), the generators became hard work to use. The generators
would be non-functional for about 5 months in a year. Any
farmers that did try the generators ended up stopping their
usage. Another factor was that farmers also wanted to use cow
dung as free fertiliser for their crops. Because of this cow dung is
not a viable main fuel source for a biogas generator.
A small-scale biogas generator needs to be developed, so that it
can run on different forms of biomass and serve a household in a
localised situation. A small generator would be the most
sustainable solution, as less power and energy would be wasted
than if a community-based, larger generator was designed. The
localised small biogas generator would limit any losses from
electricity and/or biogas distribution.
How will the local community use the proposed solution?
The community can use biogas generators to convert organic
biomass into biogas. The NGO located near to Pabal, Vigyan
Ashram, has experimented in the past with biogas generators.
They concluded that large-scale community generators (which are
bigger than 20 m3) are not practical, as providing service to the
whole community creates extra costs and requires the use of
more materials. This is because the biogas or electricity produced
by the community biogas generator must then be supplied to the
community via gas lines, electricity cables or a compressor and
canisters.
A sustainable design would therefore be small enough for a
farmer to use permanently as a generator and back-up for power
cuts. A design has been developed that uses half a kilogram of
spoilt flour. The flour grains can be black and this is a good
example of an appropriate solution. The design of a sustainable
generator should take size into account: the biogas generator
should be designed to cater for a typical Indian household of 6-10
people. Such a generator would allow families to use the biogas
plant for their own individual needs and they would be able to
create biogas in a small rear garden or even a kitchen if the
design is small enough.
Estimate of the economic benefit anticipated and plans for
training of the local community? What are the major impacts on
such a project?
An implemented project would bring constant electrical power to
the community. With the power cuts that are present throughout
the vast majority of rural India, a design for a cheap biogas
generator (providing power for a family/business) would provide
a reliable power source for much of the population. The power
cuts lead to a loss of trade for many businesses and slow down
the technological growth of the community, causing much of the
rural population to want to migrate into cities. A back-up power
supply would be really useful in bringing direct economic benefit
to many businesses in Pabal.
If a cheap design is proposed it could be implemented in many
places. This would require a large amount of biomass, involving
the use of 'oil cake' (see below) or crops directly from the fields.
There would be encouraged demand in the manufacture of oil
cake and/or farming, either way potentially increasing jobs within
the area and/or profit for those community sectors. If a truly
effective design were to be reached, it could benefit the
community to completely replace its connection to the electrical
grid with power generation from the community's own biogas
generator. If such a solution can be reached then the pay back
time on the initial investment should be deduced, as an offer for
the local community.
Other economic benefits are also present. Large-scale biogas
generators have the capacity to produce ethanol. If a small-scale
biogas generator is designed and can collect a supply of ethanol,
it may have the following benefits:
- It could be used as a fuel for gas powered cookers or in addition
to the biogas in the generator.
- It could possibly be mixed with used cooking oil and a form of
biodiesel can be created and then used.
- It could be then made into a fertiliser (with the appropriate
technology) and would be very useful to the rural population of
Pabal, where the soil has very little organic content with in it.
The building of trial and then commercial biogas generator can be
done at Vigyan Ashram using local materials and skills. The
construction of such generators can be incorporated into the
curriculum, taught to the students. The NGO could then teach the
local community how to maintain the generators and how to
optimise them. As they are a non-profit organisation, this would
all be done at low or no cost.
The major impacts of implementing a biogas generator solution to
Pabal would concern safety primarily. The generators would need
to be safe, easy to use and easy to teach about, as any major
accidents attributed to the generator failure would be
unacceptable. The generators would have to have a long working
life, as such a generator would be a large investment for most
family in Pabal. Another impact of using biomass could be that
the price of crops and 'oil cake' would increase. This could
possibly make it harder for the community to buy food. The 'oil
cake' is currently used as cattle feed and an impact of using it in
biogas would be that farmers would have to find another cheap
source of cattle feed.
Full description of the local situation (e.g. social, economic,
geographical, political)
Vigyan Ashram has experimented with the use of other organic,
cheap material in the biogas generator. Paper (Rs. 1 /kg) was
tried, but was found to be too slow to work when shredded and
when treated with enzymes to break down the paper. 'Oil cake', a
waste product from the peanut oil milling industry (see
Optimisation of Pabal Peanut Oil Mill Project Proposal), (Rs. 11 -
13) was found to work well in their generator. There are many
seeds and starch-based plants grown in the area. For a biogas
generator to be sustainable and practical, the organic substance
used needs to be grown within a season, otherwise the
farmer/owner of the generator would have to wait a long time
(maybe even years) before he can use the generator.
The floating head generator has also caused problems, as there
the gas is produced at atmospheric pressure. This means that the
supply of the gas often fluctuates (often a person has to stand on
the floating head to get gas out). Therefore, for a generator to be
really useful this design flaw would have to be optimised by
operating the generator at a higher pressure or by another
method, which would give a constant production and collection of
gas that may be used when required, i.e. when the power cuts
occur.
The NGO's generator is 1 m3 in size and has a 'floating dome' top
to it (as opposed to a 'fixed dome'). This means the gas can
expand and occupy extra space in the roof. Vigyan Ashram has
also commissioned the building of a biogas generator in a nearby
village. This is a larger scale generator (15 m3). A similar
generator has been built on a local farm and serves a number of
farms which are clustered together. This solution works, but an
optimised solution could be created on a smaller scale to provide
for single-family households, which are more common.

Biogas Generator Used at Vigyan Ashram
In a nearby village to Pabal, a biogas generator has used human
excrement as a power source. This option could be researched as
the design feature of such a generator would have to be modified.
This could be linked to the human waste disposal project
proposal.

Biogas
Generator used in a local farm
Full description of relevant infrastructure available locally and/or
internationally
Materials:
Concrete
Sheet Steel
Used Petrol Oil Barrels
Peanut Oil Cake: Rs. 11 - 13 /kg
Pipes
Generator engines
Seeds in Oil mill, their Marathi names and English (given when
known).
Odid
Toor
Bajri
Gawu
Kaddhanya
Methi
Carla
Maka
Rajma (kidney beans)
Black Rajma (black kidney beans)
Jawari
Chauli (black eyed peas)
Soya beans
Mohri
Puri
Howri
Herberra
Watana (peas)
Natni
Rice
Urda dal
Peanuts
Sugar
Chintsa-tam-arind





Project Proposal: Human Waste Disposal

Full description of problem/need
Since 1965 Indian farmers have increasingly used high-yielding, imported seed varieties.
They have also increasingly relied upon chemical fertilizers and intensive irrigation; this
phenomenon is known as the 'Green Revolution'. The Green Revolution has allowed the
Indian economy to develop and for India to break free from the previous cycle of regular
famines. However in recent years people have increasingly recognised that this
'development' has come at a tremendous cost to the environment and that this system is
ultimately unsustainable.
Since the Green Revolution farmers have reduced the number of cows that they keep.
Cows have always been valued for their milk and in the past were also valued for their
dung. Once fertilizers were adopted less dung was necessary , so fewer cows were
needed. Since the Green Revolution farmers have noticed that dung 'strengthens' the soil
and plants (even making them more resistant to pests), while chemical fertilizers do not
(soil quality diminishes and pesticides must be used). Unfortunately farmers no longer
have enough cows to produce enough dung to fertilize their fields.
The Indian government very strongly encourages the use of toilets with plumbing.
Villagers are given a relatively large grant if they build an outhouse on their land. Local
government is given extra funding in proportion to the percentage of houses within their
area that have a plumbed-in toilet. Teachers do not get paid unless they have a plumbed-
in toilet in their house and encourage their students' families to do the same.
Some villagers will build an outhouse, receive the grant and then continue to defecate in
the open, while they use the outhouse as a storeroom. The reason for this is that in the
past the population level was low enough for this practice to cause no noticeable ill effects.
Although defecation in the open has become increasingly unacceptable in Pabal, the
shortage of water means that people cannot afford to waste water in flushing their toilet
and so some people consider it better not to use their toilet at all.
Another factor that discourages people from using a plumbed-in toilet is the rockiness of
the soil in and around Pabal, which makes it difficult and expensive to dig latrines or to put
in drains.
All of these issues may be solved in one system.
How will the local community use the proposed solution?
Vigyan Ashram is interested in experimenting with a system that converts human waste
into useable compost and/or biogas. A system may be designed to produce biogas year-
round and produce compost at the appropriate time for farmers to use it in their fields,
reducing the need for NPK fertilizers.

Vigyan Ashram will use the compost toilet as part of their guest accommodation building.
They may use an already existing compost toilet design or may be persuaded to use the
solution that will be developed. Their main interest is in performing a trial of this "new"
technology so that they can identify any problems that need to be solved before the
system is implemented throughout the region.
Estimate of the economic benefit anticipated and plans for
training of the local community? What are the major impacts
on such a project?
The economic benefit of this project is almost impossible to quantify; most of the benefit is
to the environment and is in terms of sustainability. Fertilizer costs only Rs. 52 for 50kg,
so it will be difficult for a solution to compete in terms of cost of fertilizer. Organic fertilizer
production is an aim of the solution from the western perspective, but it may be seen as of
secondary importance by locals. Water must be shipped in for 8 months of the year, costs
Rs. 2 per 15 litres, and is sometimes difficult to obtain. So people will probably value the
fact that a compost toilet conserves water. Gas costs Rs. 320 per 14.5kg and so access to
a cheaper source of biogas may be another product that will make people value a
composting toilet.
Full description of the local situation (e.g. social, economic,
geographical, political)
There is a dam and water tank system being completed in the next 3 years to solve
Pabal's water shortage problems, but once water is more easily available, people may
increase their consumption and so there may always be a moderate shortage, even if
water no longer must be brought into Pabal by tanker.
A local farmer who grows tomatoes and chilli peppers uses between 100kg and 150kg of
NPK (20:10:10, 95% pure) fertilizer on his 1 acre of land each harvest (he seems to only
have one harvest per year). He says that vegetables and grains only need one treatment,
but if he were to grow beans he would need to use twice as much fertilizer.
He starts his annual farming cycle at the first sight of clouds or at the first rain (June or
July). First he levels his field and then he goes into Pabal (his farm is on the outskirts of
the village) to buy some high-yielding seeds. He plants seed in rows that are just over one
ft apart and each plant is just under a foot away from those in its row. As soon as his
plants are around half a foot tall he digs irrigation ditches and pumps water into his field.
Once the water has soaked in he adds fertilizer and dung. (He tries to avoid adding
fertilizer if it is likely to rain since he recognises that it will wash the fertilizer away into his
well, wasting fertilizer and contaminating the water.) He brings in his harvest in August
and claims that each chilli plant will produce 5kg of chillis and that each tomato plant will
produce 100kg of tomatoes.
The Indian government launched the "Gobergas" project in the 1980'S. This project
provided every rural farmer with a biogas generator like the one below if they owned
several cowes and less than five acres of land.

A local teacher's biogas generator - this generator has been used for the last 18 to 20
years. It requires 25kg of dung per day and produces enough biogas to cook for 3 hours.
At a village near Pabal human faeces is used for biogas generation. The village has a
communal toilet and the biogas is distributed to villagers for cooking. A household biogas
tank is available in Pune for Rs. 3000.
Although some people are aware that compost can be made from human faeces (it is
called "sownkhat") the team did not see any evidence of human faeces being composted.
A local doctor, who told the team about "sownkhat" thought that the concept of a compost
toilet would be a very good idea. Presumably composting human faeces is a practice that
has been lost to the past.
Full description of relevant infrastructure available locally
and/or internationally
Poorer families often share a plumbed-in toilet with three or four other families.
Some people have latrines that encourage the faeces to rot away and be absorbed into the
soil, while others (including Vigyan Ashram) use soak-away latrines. A soak-away latrine
(similar in principle to slow-sand filtration) passes faeces through a chamber filled with
stones and gravel which collect bacteria allowing the organic material and water to pass
harmlessly into the soil

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED TO AICTE
Emission Reduction analysis in CI Enginewith modifiedExhaust
manifold using Biodiesel
PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO DST
Characterisation and ageing studies on Coconut fibre reinforced polymer
matrix composites
Proposals submitted to DRDO
Development and analysis of metal foam filled impact energy
absorbers

Development & Field Testing of Diesel Vegetable oil Fuel blends in
commercial transport vehicle