Biogas Generation

A Study
By :
Madhav Mohan
BSc. Physics (Hons.) IInd Year
Roll Number : 1815052

An introduction : What is biogas?

Biogas refers to a mixture of different gases produced
by the decomposition of organic waste by bacteria, in
the absence of oxygen, through a process called
anaerobic digestion.
Composition wise, biogas essentially consists of
Methane (CH4) [Major component, ~65% of biogas]
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Hydrogen (H2)
Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S)

Biogas : Waste to Fuel

The raw material needed to create biogas can be found almost
everywhere organic waste.
Organic waste consists of
Leftover food and waste (fruit peels, stems, fish remains) from
houses, shops, restaurants or factories i.e. food waste.
Manure from animals such as cows, buffalos, sheep
Sewage, at sewage treatment plants
Organic waste is biodegradable that is, it can be broken down
into methane, carbon dioxide, water and other simple organic
molecules.

Organic Waste

Food Waste

Animal manure

Biogas : Uses

The gases methane and hydrogen are combustible, and thus

biogas is a prominent alternative energy source.
It is used for electricity production in a combined heat and
power (CHP) gas engine, which is a heat engine that converts
heat into electrical energy.
As a fuel, biogas is used for heating and cooking. In rural
India, the government has promoted gobar gas plants, which
we shall discuss in detail later. Gobar means animal dung,
and gobar gas plants are essentially small scale anaerobic
digestors, the biogas from which can be directly accessed via
a pipe that leads out from the plant.

Uses (contd.)
Biogas is injected into the methane grid (also called the natural
gas grid). Thus, it is used by gas consumers at home for
heating, cooking and other such purposes.

Uses (contd.)
Concentrated and compressed biogas is used widely in vehicle
transportation, in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. A biogaspowered train has been in service in Sweden since 2005.

Advantages of using biogas

1. It is a renewable energy source, and exerts a very low carbon
footprint. Biogas is similar to natural gas composition wise, and
natural gas (consisting mostly of methane) is the cleanest
burning fossil fuel. Burning biogas produces less than half as
much carbon dioxide per unit of energy as coal.

Advantages of using biogas

2. Biodegradable waste (in the form of vegetable peels, animal
remains) in urban cities is increasing almost exponentially with
population. In addition to being foul-smelling, waste heaps harbor
diseases, and provide breeding grounds for vectors such as
mosquitoes. Using this waste for biogas generation solves the
waste management problem in urban cities, to an extent.

Generating biogas the principle

Anaerobic digestion (digestion in the lack of oxygen) of
biodegradable waste by bacteria in a closed system produces
combustible methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This mixture
of gases is termed as biogas.
Anaerobic digestion takes place in two stages
1. Acid producing bacteria break the complex organic molecules
into simpler sugars, alcohol, glycerol and peptides.
2. A second group of bacteria convert the simpler molecules into
methane, with hydrogen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide
as the by products.

Generating biogas the process

Generating biogas the process

The use of anaerobic digesters (commonly called biogas plants) to
generate biogas is prevalent.
The process is, at its essence, simple biodegradable waste is fed
into an airtight pit or tank (called the digester) through a pipe that
leads in. Commercially, these tanks range from 100 cubic foot
(~3,000L) to 9000 cubic foot (~2,50,000L) in volume.
The waste is allowed to stay in the tank for a few weeks (complete
anaerobic digestion of cow manure, for example, can take up to
fifty days). During this period, it is digested anaerobically by
bacteria, as explained.

Generating biogas the process

Once a certain amount of biogas has been built up in the tank, it
can be accessed via another pipe, that leads out.
The organic waste residue left behind in the tank is rich in
nitrogen content and makes for excellent fertilizer.
In home use cases (such as rural India, in the form of gobar gas
plants) this gas is directly accessed and used for cooking and
heating rural homes.
The biogas sourced from the digester is not of high enough quality
to be used for commercial purposes (such as fuel gas for
machinery, or for grid supply). For such purposes, it needs to be
purified such that almost pure methane (98% methane, called
biomethane) is obtained.

Biogas in India A Case Study

Population pressure has practically eliminated Indias forests,
causing massive fuel shortages. As a result, up to threequarters of the countys annual billion tons of manure is
burned for cooking or heating.
This creates enormous medical problems the drying dung is
a dangerous breeding place for flies and the smoke is
responsible for eye diseases. Also, the smoke emitted during
burning causes respiratory issues.
Burning manure is an inefficient way of using it for energy.
This also deprives the countrys soil of vital organic nutrients
contained in the manure.

Case Study (contd.)

The solution to this crisis lies in biogas generation. It solves all the
problems associated with burning manure cakes directly it takes
place in an airtight tank thus eliminating health problems, and is a
lot more efficient. It burns cleanly, without smoke.
The gobar gas plant is essentially a small scale anaerobic
digester that is fed with cow dung, or gobar. It is suited for rural
India, where owning cows is not uncommon.
Over the past 2-3 decades, it has seen widespread adoption in
rural India, with around 2 million households having gobar gas
plants installed.

Biogas : Landfill gas?

Biogas is also known as landfill gas, because it can be produced by
the wet organic waste decomposing under anaerobic conditions in
a landfill.
The decaying waste is covered and mechanically compressed by
the weight of the waste deposited above, thus providing a lack of
oxygen.
Biogas actually poses a environmental concern here because
methane (which is a major part of the gas) is 20 times more potent
a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Uncontrolled release of biogas from landfills is the cause of 20% of
Indias methane emissions.

Conclusion
Biogas is a crucial energy resource, often so in rural areas. It is
renewable, environment friendly, and burns cleanly. Biogas
plants can run on household waste and animal manure, and are
even finding adoption in sewage treatment. It can be burned
directly for heat, or used to generate electricity.
At the same time, we need to comprehend the issue that is
unregulated organic waste, such as in landfills. Biogas
generated in landfills is actually harmful to the environment. If
harnessed properly, biogas can play an important part in both
waste management and the energy crisis.