Uses of Biogas

Biogas
Biogas, obtained from organic waste, is
the metabolic product of anaerobic
digestion - a mixture of methane and
carbon dioxide with small quantities of
other gases such as hydrogen sulfide.
Methane, the desired component of
biogas, is a colorless, blue burning gas
used for cooking, heating, and lighting.
In anaerobic digestion, organic
materials are degraded by bacteria, in
the absence of oxygen, converting it
into a methane and carbon dioxide
mixture. The slurry from the digester is
rich in ammonium and other nutrients
used as an organic fertilizer

Biomass Mechanism
Hydrolysis
Severalmicrobes secrete different enzymes,
which cleave the complex macromolecules
into simpler forms. Bacterial groups:
Bacteriodes,Clostridium, andAcetivibrio.
Acidogenesis
Most of the microbes involved in hydrolysis
step are also involved in fermentation.
Along with them, microbes belonging to the
genera
likeEnterobacterium,Acetobacteriumand
Eubacteriumalso carry out the process of
fermentation Through various fermentation
reactions, the products from hydrolysis are
converted mainly into various organic acids
(acetic, propionic acid, butyric acid,

Chemical Processes in Biogas (2)

Acetogenesis
In this step, the fermented products are oxidized into simpler forms. this
step in the AD process requires close co-operation between the microbes
that carry out oxidation and the methanogens that are active in the next
stage (which actually produce methane).
Methanogenesis (final step inside AD) is the methane production pathway
which methanogens follow to obtain energy. This process involves the
fermentation of various organic compounds with methane gas as the major
end product along with carbon dioxide, hydrogen and traces of other gases.
Methanogenesis has six major pathways, each converting a different
substrate into methane gas. The six major substrates used are carbon
dioxide, formic acid, acetic acid, methanol, methylamine, and dimethyl
sulfate. The most common pathway converts carbon dioxide into methane
through the reduction of H2/CO2

Biogas Components
Biogas contains 60% to 70% of CH4, 0.5 % of H2 and up
to 45% of CO2. After being cleaned of carbon dioxide,
this gas becomes a fairly homogeneous fuel containing
up to 80% of methane with the calorific capacity of over
25 MJ/m3 .
The most important component of biogas, from the
calorific point of view is CH4. The other components are
not involved in combustion process, and rather absorb
energy from combustion of CH4 as they leave the
process at higher temperature than the one they had
before the process

Biogas Digester
The main part of a biogas system is a
large tank, or digester. Inside this
tank, bacteria convert organic waste
into methane gas through the
process of anaerobic digestion.
Each day, the operator of a biogas
system feeds the digester with
household by-products such as
market waste, kitchen waste, and
manure from livestock.
The methane gas produced inside
biogas systems may be used for
cooking, lighting, and other energy
needs. Waste (slurry) that has been

The Mechanics of Biogas Digester

The captured gas is stored in the upper part of the digester tank (gas storage
area), which is constructed in an arc shape. The generation of biogas will gradually
increase the pressure in the stored area. When the volume of the captured gas is
larger than the amount consumed, the pressure in the gas storage will increase
and slurry will be pushed into the outlet chamber. If the amount of gas consumed
exceeds gas availability, the slurry level drops and the fermented slurry flows back
into fermentation chamber.
The placement of the digester tank (underground fermentation) keeps the
temperature in the tank relatively stable ensuring that the slurry can be fermented
at adequate temperatures throughout the year without requiring additional
heating.
The bottom of the digester inclines from the material-feeding inlet to the materialoutlet, allowing free flow of the slurry.
The digester has been designed to allow the effluent to be removed without
breaking the gas seal, taking the effluent liquid out through the outlet chamber.

Applications of Biogas: Cooking and

Heating
The amount of biogas used for
cooking purposes usually varies
between 30 and 45 m3 per month.
This number can be compared with
other commonly used fuels such as
kerosene where the consumption is
between 15 and 20 L, and Liquefied
Petroleum Gas (LPG) between 11
and 15 kg per month, respectively.
The energy equivalent was around
300, 200, and 150 kWh for biogas,
kerosene, and LPG, respectively. The
surplus biogas in the domestic
digester could be used for water
and space heating.

Applications of Biogas: Biogas

stoves
Biogas burning is not possible
in commercial butane and
propane burners because of its
physiochemical properties.
However, it is possible to use
these burners after some
modifications.
Burners are changed in the
gas injector, its cross-section,
and mixing chambers. The
biogas burners are designed to
meet a mixture of bio-gas and
air in the ratio of 1:10

Applications of Biogas: Fertilizer

The digestate left over from
the digester is rich in
nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium, and can be used
as a fertilizer.
Digestate increased the
potato cultivation by 27.5%
and forage by 1.5% compared
to no added fertilizer. Due to
the anaerobic digestion of
organic matter, these nutrient
concentrations were easily
taken up by plants.

Applications of Biogas: Lighting and Power

Generation
Biogas lamps are more efficient than the
kerosene powered lamps, but the
efficiency is quite low compared to
electric-powered lamps. However, the
light intensity of the biogas lamp
compared to a kerosene lamp or an
electric light bulb, is between 2575 W.
One cubic meter of biogas is equal to
lighting 60100 watt bulb for 6 h, or
cooking three meals a day for 56
persons. In contrast, 0.7 kg of petrol can
run 1 hp motor for 2 h or generate 1.25
kW for electricity. To provide electricity
for a home with a family of five, about

Energy Produced - Example

A startup from Israel has developed a
home-sized biogas unit that can take
organic waste and convert it into enough
gas for 2-4 hours of cooking, as well as 5 to
8 liters of organic liquid fertilizer, every
single day.
The device takes in up to 6 liters per day of
any food waste (including both meat and
dairy, which are often not recommended for
home composting) or up to 15 liters per day
of animal manure (including pet waste,
which is also considered a no-no in home
composting), and turn that into enough fuel
to cook several meals per day, while also
producing a rich organic fertilizer that can
boost soil fertility and garden yields.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

Potential for Biomass (Source: World

Bioenergy Association)

Domestic Biogas in Different

Countries
China and India: 2.8 million respectively 150 000 biogas plants in 2011
SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) supports biogas programs.
The countries supported by SNV have installed a total of more than
475,000 plants by the first half of 2012.
The U.S. has over 2,200 sites producing biogas, Europe has 10 000.
Germany: Europes biggest biogas producer and the market leader in
biogas technology. In 2012, the number of biogas plants reached 7470,
including 80 units producing biomethane. The total electric output
produced by biogas in 2012 was 20 TWh, equating to the supply of 5.7
million houses with electricity. Biogas already provides more than 3% of
the whole of Germanys electricity consumption, as well as significant
amounts of industrial heat, transport fuels, and volume injected into the
natural gas grid.

Domestic Biogas in Different

Countries
Sweden is a world leader in upgrading and use of
biomethane for transport, and has many biogas
vehicles, including private cars, buses, and even a
biogas train and a biogas-powered touring car team.
As of 2013, China has nearly 42 million small biogas
digesters in operation, producing biogas for households,
for cooking, and a further 60,000 small, medium and
large scale installations producing biogas for industrial
purposes.

Benefits of Biogas

Biogas in the World

Conclusion
Biogas helps the sustainable development of poor countries,
providing access to cheap energy for the household while being
environment friendly. Biogas slurry can also be used as a
fertilizer in small family scale crops
In rural areas in countries such as India, Vietnam, biogas is
helping families become energy self - sufficient

Thank you for your attention!