Introduction to Bio-energy

Energy from Organic Waste

Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering
III Year I Part
Energy, Power and Technology

Course Instructor: Debendra Raut

1/19/2020 1
 Source: OECD/IEA 2007

• Biomass: Any organic matter (decomposing) derived from plants

or animals available on a renewable basis.
• Biomass is used as feeding materials to produce Biofuels which
includes biogas, solid biomass and liquid fuels (Bioethanol and
Biodiesel)
1/19/2020
2
 Source: OECD/IEA 2007

1/19/2020 3
 Biomass Conversion Process
Feedstock Harvesting and Conversion Utilization
Supply Handling Thermochemical Biopower
•Collection •Combustion •Process and Space Heating
• Residues •Power generation
•Processing •Pyrolysis
• Dedicated •Storage •Gasification Biofuels
Crops •Transportation •Carbonisation •Ethanol
•Biodiesel
•Methanol
Biochemical
•Pyrolisis liquids
•Anaerobic
•Biogas (methane + CO2) including
•Anaerobic Digestion digester and landfill gas
•Alcohol Fermentation •Synthesis gases (CO + H2)(for further
Thermochemical: Use of heat •Aerobic refinement to liquid/gaseous fuels)
•Composting •Hydrogen
to decompose biomass e.g. •Activated (oxygenated) •Charcoal
Bio-electricity waste treatment •Biomass solids
•Direct Hydrogen •Others
Biochemical: use of micro- Bioproducts
organisms e.g. biogas Physicochemical •Citric and other acids
•Oil extraction •Composite materials
Physiochemical: involves • Hydrocarbon extraction •Fertilizer
•Fibers
various physical processes •Lubricants
e.g. Bio-briquettes, oil •Others
•Pesticides
extraction •Structural materials
•Surfactants
1/19/2020 4
 Combustion
• Direct Combustion
– Burning of biomass in the presence of oxygen.
– Furnaces and boilers are used typically to produce steam for use in district
heating/cooling systems or to drive turbines to produce electricity.
– In a furnace, biomass burns in a combustion chamber converting the biomass into
heat. The heat is distributed in the form of hot air or water.
– In a boiler, the heat of combustion is converted into steam. Steam can be used to
produce electricity, mechanical energy, or heating and cooling.
• Co-firing
– Co-firing is the combustion of a fossil-fuel (such as coal or natural gas) with a biomass
feedstock.
– Near an agro-industrial or forestry product processing plant, large quantities of low
cost biomass residues are available to be burnt with a fossil-fuel feedstock.
– Co-fire biomass may be a cost-effective means at lower GHG emission than fossil-fuel
alone
Note: Biomass can also be used in co-generation, also called combined heat and power (CHP) which is the
simultaneous production of heat and electricity. All power plants produce heat as a by-product of electricity
production, and this heat is typically released to the environment through cooling towers (which release
heat to the atmosphere) or discharge into near-by bodies of water. However, in CHP processes, some of the
“waste heat” is recovered for use in district heating.
1/19/2020 5
 Pyrolysis
• Pyrolysis is a processes of
subjecting a biomass feedstock to
high temperatures (greater than
430 °C) under pressurized
environments and at low oxygen
levels.

• In Pyrolysis, biomass undergoes partial combustion, result in liquid

fuels and a solid residue called tars (gasses and liquids) and charcoal
which is rich in carbon.
• These energy products are more energy dense than the original
biomass
• In further process, the tars are burned off, leaving charcoal with a
high carbon content. This charcoal is integral for the reduction
process.
1/19/2020 6
 Gasification
• A biomass gasifier is any process unit that heats and
decomposes biomass into synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen,
carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, in a restricted oxygen
environment at high temperature about 800°C.
• The Syn Gas is use in boilers, engines and turbines to produce
heat and power (CHP).
• Biomass gasification provides a means of deriving more diverse
forms of energy from the thermochemical conversion of
biomass than conventional combustion.
• It takes place in 4 stages: Drying, Pyrolysis, Combustion &
Cracking and Reduction

1/19/2020 7
 Gasification

1/19/2020 8
 Gasification

1/19/2020 9
 Gasification
Drying
– All moisture must be removed from the biomass in order to
produce clean fuel.
– In an ideal gasifier, some of the heat produced during
combustion is used to completely dry the biomass.

Pyrolysis
It produce Charcoal and Tar.
Biomass, CH2O→ aCO+bCO2+cH2O+dH2+eCH4+fC(s) i.e mixture of
gases, solid carbon (soot), and water

1/19/2020 10
 Gasification…
Combustion
• Combustion is the exothermic combination of
hydrocarbons with oxygen.
• When Oxygen is added to mixture, the mixture reacts
further and produces carbon dioxide and hydrogen
gas, which will become reactants in the reduction
step
• Adequate mixing and high temperature flame is key,
since the lack of either could permit the tars to still
be present in the gas, which in turn could lead to
engine failure.
• combustion zone should reach a minimum of 1473 K
to ensure a clean burning fuel (FAO 72, 34).
1/19/2020 11
 Gasification…
Reduction
• Reduction reverts completely combusted
hydrocarbons into a form that can be
used as fuel.
• Reduction is the opposite of combustion -
it is the endothermic removal of oxygen
from hydrocarbons.
• The heated carbon removes the oxygen
from both the carbon dioxide and the
water vapor.

• Two reactions occur from the addition of carbon and heat:

1. Carbon dioxide is reduced to carbon monoxide and
2. Water vapor is reduced to diatomic hydrogen and carbon monoxide

• The FAO study found that the rate of reduction is only high enough to run a gasifier
at temperatures above about 973 K .

1/19/2020 12
 Types of Gasifier Updraft, Downdraft and Crossdraft
• Advantages: simplicity, high charcoal
burn-out and internal heat exchange
leading to low gas exit temperatures and
high equipment efficiency, as well as the
possibility of operation with many types
of feedstock (sawdust, cereal hulls, etc.) .
• Drawbacks:
 Possibility of "channelling" in the
equipment, which can lead to oxygen
break-through and dangerous
explosive situations and the necessity
to install automatic moving grates
 Problems associated with disposal of
the tar-containing condensates that
result from the gas cleaning
operations.

1/19/2020 13
Study More at http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0512e/T0512e0a.htm
 Types of Gasifier
• Downdraft
The main advantage of downdraught
gasifiers lies in the possibility of producing
a tar-free gas suitable for engine
applications.

A major drawback of downdraught

equipment lies in its inability to operate on
a number of unprocessed fuels. In
particular, fluffy, low density materials give
rise to flow problems and excessive
pressure drop, and the solid fuel must be
pelletized or briquetted before use.
Downdraught gasifiers also suffer from the
problems associated with high ash content
fuels (slagging) to a larger extent than
updraught gasifiers.
1/19/2020 14
 Types of Gasifier
• Crossdraft
Advantages of the system lie in the very
small scale at which it can be operated.
Installations below 10 kW (shaft power)
can under certain conditions be
economically feasible. The reason is the
very simple gas-cleaning train (only a
cyclone and a hot filter) which can be
employed when using this type of gasifier
in conjunction with small engines

A disadvantage of cross-draught gasifiers

is their minimal tar-converting capabilities
and the consequent need for high quality
(low volatile content) charcoal.

1/19/2020 15
 Syngas or Synthetic Gass
• Syngas is a mixture of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen which is
the product gasification of organic material such as biomass.
• Syngas can be used to produce organic molecules such as
synthetic natural gas (SNG-methane (CH4)) or liquid biofuel such
as synthetic diesel.
Applications of Syngas
• Syngas is used as an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of
hydrogen and ammonia.
• Syngas has 50% of the energy density of natural gas.
• It can be burnt and is used as a fuel source.
• Syngas is used as a fuel in power generation using Integrated
Gasification Combine Cycle (IGCC) power plant.

1/19/2020 16
 Biochemical Conversion Process
• The use of enzymes, bacteria or other microorganisms to break
down biomass into gaseous or liquid fuels, such as biogas or
bioethanol.
 Anaerobic Digestion (or biomethanation)
 Fermentation

Anaerobic Digestion
• Use of microorganisms in oxygen-free environments to break
down organic material.
• Widely used for the production of methane- and carbon-rich
biogas from crop residues, food scraps, and manure (human
and animal).
1/19/2020 17
 Anaerobic Digestion..

The calorific value of biogas (65% Methane) is about 28 MJ/m3, which corresponds to
11.06 kWh/ m3
1 kg of dry biodegradable waste (dry) produce ~ 400L of biogas

1/19/2020 18
 Anaerobic Digestion..
• Liquefaction: bacteria are used in
hydrolysis to break down
carbohydrates into forms digestible by
other bacteria.
• Gasification: The second set of
bacteria convert the resulting sugars
and amino acids into carbon dioxide,
hydrogen, ammonia and organic
acids.
• Finally, still other bacteria’s convert
these products into methane and
carbon dioxide.
• At adequate temperature ( ~25oC), the bacteria convert about 90% of the
biomass feedstock into biogas (containing about 55% methane), which is a
readily useable energy source.
• Solid remnants of the original biomass input are left over after the digestion
process. This by-product, or digestate, or slurry has potential uses as
organic fertilizer
1/19/2020 19
 Complex organic matter
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats
Hydrolysis
1

Soluble organic molecules

Sugars, amino acids, fatty acids
Acidogenesis
(Fermentation) 2

Volatile fatty
Acetogenesis acids
3
Acetic acid H2CO2

Methanogenesis
4 4

CH4 + CO2
 How Much Ch4 is produced per kg of feedstock?:-
Feedstock is expressed in the unit of dry solids (d.s.)
Example: 1% d.s. is equal to 10,000 mg/L of solids in water
 This means that 99% of the sample consists of water

Another example: 100% d.s. = 1,000,000 mg/L = 1 kg/L = no water in

the sample

So, If 1 kg of dry biodegradable waste (dry) produce ~ 400 L of

biogas
Then a fresh (wet) biodegradable waste produce ~ 40 L of biogas
(i.e. 10% d.s in the sample)
 The total dry solids (TS) consist of two parts:
volatile solids (VS) and inert solids (IS) or fixed
solids (FS)
Volatile solids (VS)
– Also called “organic solids”
– That fraction of the total solids
which can be burnt
(volatilised) in the muffle oven
at 520°C
– Only the volatile solids can be
broken down by anaerobic Total solids (TS)
digestion
– = (organic solids +
inorganic solids)
– Measured after
drying at 105°C
– “Dry solids” is
Inorganic or inert solids (FS)(e.g. grit, sand)
another word for
total solids
 Example

1/19/2020 23
 Fermentation
• Fermentation is an anaerobic process (occurs in the absence of oxygen) that
breaks down the glucose within organic materials. It is a series of chemical
reactions that convert sugars to ethanol
• The basic fermentation process involves the conversion of a plant’s glucose (or
carbohydrate) into an alcohol or acid.
• Yeast or bacteria are added to the biomass material, which feed on the sugars to
produce ethanol (an alcohol) and carbon dioxide
• The ethanol is distilled and dehydrated to obtain a higher concentration of
alcohol to achieve the required purity for the use as automotive fuel.
• The solid residue from the fermentation process can be used as cattle-feed and
in the case of sugar cane; the bagasse can be used as a fuel for boilers or for
subsequent gasification.
• The most common forms of biomass that are used in the production of bio-
ethanol are high in sugar and include sugarcane, corn and sweet potatoes.
• Other forms of biomass that are used in fermentation processes are starchy
materials such as wheat, barley, oat and rice along with lignocellulosic materials
1/19/2020 24
such as agricultural wastes and woody materials.
 Biogas in Nepal

Figure Typical Biogas Plant

Burns with a clean blue flame similar to LPG

Composition: Methane – 50 – 70%; Carbon dioxide – 30-40%
Other Gases-1-5%; H2- 0-1%; H2S- 0-3%; Ammonia and Water Vapor

1/19/2020 25
1/19/2020 26
1/19/2020 27
 Construction of Biogas

1/19/2020 28
 Biodigester types
Floating Drum Digester
- Experiments in India began in 1930’s
- In 1956 J.S. Patel developed the
model
- Also known as KVIC model

Fixed Dome Digester –Chinese Model

• Also called drumless digester –
experimented in China in mid 1930s
• Underground brick masonry (cement
mortar) compartment for the digestion
chamber
• A concrete dome on the top for gas
storage
1/19/2020 29
 Raw materials required
Forms of biomass listed below may be used along with
water.
• Animal dung
• Poultry wastes
• Plant wastes ( Husk, grass, weeds etc.)
• Human excreta
• Industrial wastes(Saw dust, wastes from food
processing industries)
• Domestic wastes (Vegetable peels, waste food
materials)

Principle
Biogas is produced as a result of anaerobic
decomposition of biomass in the presence of water.
Construction
The biogas plant is a brick and cement structure having the following
five sections:
• Mixing tank present above the ground level.
• Inlet chamber: The mixing tank opens underground into a sloping
inlet chamber.
• Digester: The inlet chamber opens from below into the digester
which is a huge tank with a dome like ceiling. The ceiling of the
digester has an outlet with a valve for the supply of biogas.
• Outlet chamber: The digester opens from below into an outlet
chamber.
• Overflow tank: The outlet chamber opens from the top into a small
over flow tank
 Working
 The various forms of biomass are mixed with an equal quantity of
water in the mixing tank. This forms the slurry.
 The slurry is fed into the digester through the inlet chamber.
 When the digester is partially filled with the slurry, the introduction
of slurry is stopped and the plant is left unused for about two
months.
 During these two months, anaerobic bacteria present in the slurry
decomposes or ferments the biomass in the presence of water.
 As a result of anaerobic decomposition, biogas is formed, which
starts collecting in the dome of the digester.
 As more and more biogas starts collecting, the pressure exerted by
the biogas forces the spent slurry into the outlet chamber.
 From the outlet chamber, the spent slurry overflows into the
overflow tank.
 The spent slurry is manually removed from the overflow tank and
used as manure for plants.
 The gas valve connected to a system of pipelines is opened when a
supply of biogas is required.
 Types of Biodigester..
Fixed Dome: GGC model
- Similar to the Chinese
fixed dome model but
simpler to construct – e.g.,
flat bottom, less curves
Fixed Dome Digester – Deenbandhu
Model
- Hindi translation, “friend of the
poor”
- Put forth in 1984 by the Action for
Food Production (AFPRO), New
Delhi.
- Concrete dome is replaced by brick
masonry
- 1/19/2020
Also has a concaved bottom 33
 Types of Biodigester..
Kitchen Waste Model
-Unconventional design
-200 lt. Capacity plant
-Kitchen waste only
-Input = 100 lt in digester
-Loading: 1 lt – 1.5 lt/day
-Retention time 120 days
-Municipal Solid Waste into energy, e.g.
Replace landfill
-Apply concept of 3 R  Recycling,
Reduce and Reuse.

Pre- digestion of fresh kitchen waste

1/19/2020 34
 Kitchen Waste Model
• Results
- 1kg fresh ktichen waste produces 30 lt – 40 lt biogas in summer
- Gas generation decreases in winter (by 1/2 to 1/3) . But even at
4oC temp some gas is produced
- When ambient temp = 10oC or higher gas, production
accelerates

Gas -Empty
Gas -Full

March 2005 35
 Design Parameters
S. N. Parameter Value
1 C/N Ratio 20 – 30
2 pH 6–7
3 Digestion Temperature 20 – 35
4 Retention time (HRT) 40 – 100
5 Biogas Energy Content 6 kWh/m3
6 One cow yield 9 – 15 kg dung/day
7 Gas Production per kg of cow dung 0.023 – 0.04 m3
8 Gas Production per kg of pig dung 0.04 – 0.059 m3
9 Gas Production per kg of chicken 0.065 – 0.116 m3
dung
10 Gas Production per kg of human 0.020 – 0.028 m3
excreta
11 Gas required for cooking 0.2 – 0.3 m3/person
12 Gas required for lighting one lamp 0.1 – 0.15 m3/hr
36
 C/N Ratio
• C/N Ratio: Ratio of carbon to nitrogen present
in the organic matter.
• Gas production optimum @ C/N ratio 20 - 30.
C/N ratio of cow/buffalo dung ~ 25 and hence
ideal for biogas production.
• C/N ratio can be brought within the optimum
range by mixing different inputs (in certain
ratios).

March 2005 37
 C/N Ratio
• C/N Ratio of some organic matter
S. N. Raw Materials C/N Ratio
1. Chicken dung 10
2. Human excreta 8
3. Goat dung 12
4. Pig dung 18
5. Sheep dung 19
6. Cow/ buffalo dung 24
7. Elephant dung 43
8. Water hyacinth 25
9. Straw (Maize, Rice, 60, 70, 90
wheat)

10. Saw dust Above 200

38
 pH
• pH: Is the measure of acidity/alkalinity of the
input.
- A pH of 7 is neutral; pH less than 7 is acidic
and higher than 7 is alkaline.
• Optimum gas production occurs when the pH
value of the input is 6 – 7.
• pH measured using pH meter, litmus paper

March 2005 39
 Digestion temperature
• Optimum gas production: 35oC. Below 20oC gas
production is significantly reduced. Hence, this
technology in its simple form is not viable in cold
climates.
• If the ambient temperature is 10oC or lower, gas
production stops. Even a sudden fall of temperature
by 2 to 3oC significantly reduces gas production.
• Insulation of the digester helps to increase gas
production in the cold climates.

March 2005 40
 Retention time
• Is a function of the type of input and the ambient
temperature. For cow/buffalo dung input BSP recommends a
retention time of 70 days in the hills and 55 days in the Terai
(warmer climate).
• Loading rates: 7.5 kg of cow dung per m3 plant size per day in
Terai and 6 kg in the hills. E.g. 4 m3 plant  loading rate = 24
kg/day dung input in hills & 30 kg/day in Terai
• Since human excreta contain more pathogens (disease
vectors) than most animal dung, 90 – 100 days retention time
is recommended

March 2005 41
 Consistency
• Consistency: dung-water ratio
- If too thick, it will settle at the bottom of digester
and be pushed out by gas pressure before being
completely digested.
- If is too thin, additional dead space in the
digester chamber is occupied by water.
• In case of cow/buffalo dung for a given volume of
fresh input an equal volume of water is added and
the slurry is well mixed i.e., 1:1 Ratio.

March 2005 42
 Toxicity
• Heavy metals & detergent inhibit growth of
methenogenic bacteria
- e.g. Use of detergent in biogas connected
toilets has negative impacts on gas production

March 2005 43
 Site selection factors for a Plant:
• Close to kitchen – less pipe work required
• Close to cowshed – less carrying distance
• Water source: 10 – 15 m to prevent contamination
• Safe from roots of trees & bamboo
• Ground water depth: construction easy if low
• Suitable foundation condition-eg. Bearing Pressure

March 2005 44
 Biogas Program in Nepal
• Historically, 1955 first biogas plant established in Nepal –
St. Xavier’s School, Godaveri – Fr. B. R. Saubolle
• Energy crisis in 1973 led HMGN to take up biogas in 1975.
1975/76 – 250 floating type biogas plants built
• Energy Research & Development Group (TU) undertook
initial activity which was followed by UMN
• Gobar Gas Company established in 1977. Till 1991 ~
11,000 plants were built.
• Biogas Support Programme (BSP) was established in
1992
• Till now (2016) more than 6 lakhs biogas plants are built
in Nepal

45
• Refer to the “ Biogas Design for Lecture 2018
DBR.xls” sheet

End of Lecture Biogas

1/19/2020 46
 Design a Biogas: Large Scale
• KTM metropolitan city produce 300 tons of wastes per day, out of the 20%
is organic fraction. Design:
• Biogas reactor and gas holder size ?
• How much biogas ca be produced per day?
• How much slurry can be produced per day?
• Electrical energy generation per day?
• Size of generator in kVA?
• How much GHG saved from this plant?
Assume,
Retention time= 50 days
Gas yield = 40 liter/kg feedstock
Produced biogas contents 65% methane
Heating value of Methane= 28MJ/m3
Generator efficiency= 30% and operates 7*24 hours

1/19/2020 47
1/19/2020 48
 • End of Biogas

1/19/2020 49