Advantages & Uses of Biogas
In 2011, India started a new initiative with the aim to demonstrate medium size mixed feed biogas-fertiliser pilot plants. This technology aims for generation, purification/enrichment, bottling and piped distribution of biogas. India approved 21 of these projects with aggregate capacity of 37,016 cubic metre per day, of which 2 projects have been successfully commissioned by December 2011.
This Programme aims to install small scale biogas plants for meeting the cooking energy needs in rural areas of India. During 2011, some 45000 small scale biogas plants were installed. Cumulatively, India has installed 4.44 million small scale biogas plants.
India has additionally commissioned 158 projects under its Biogas based Distributed/Grid Power Generation programme, with a total installed capacity of about 2 MW. India is rich in biomass and has a potential of:
India has additionally commissioned 158 projects under its Biogas based Distributed/Grid Power Generation programme, with a total installed capacity of about 2 MW. India is rich in biomass and has a potential of:
- 16,881MW (agro-residues and plantations),
- 5000MW (bagasse cogeneration) and
- 2700MW (energy recovery from waste).
Biomass power generation in India is an industry that attracts investments of over INR 6 billion every year, generating more than 5000 million units of electricity and yearly employment of more than 10 million man-days in the rural areas.
As of 2010, India burnt over 200 million tonnes of coal-replacement worth of traditional biomass fuel every year to meet its energy need for cooking and other domestic use. This traditional biomass fuel – fuel wood, crop waste and animal dung – is a potential raw material for the application of biomass technologies for the recovery of cleaner fuel, fertilisers and electricity with significantly lower pollution.
As of 2010, India burnt over 200 million tonnes of coal-replacement worth of traditional biomass fuel every year to meet its energy need for cooking and other domestic use. This traditional biomass fuel – fuel wood, crop waste and animal dung – is a potential raw material for the application of biomass technologies for the recovery of cleaner fuel, fertilisers and electricity with significantly lower pollution.
Biomass available in India can and has been playing an important role as fuel for sugar mills, textiles, paper mills, and small and medium enterprises (SME). In particular there is a significant potential in breweries, textile mills, fertiliser plants, the paper and pulp industry, solvent extraction units, rice mills, petrochemical plants and other industries to harness biomass power.
Benefits Of Biogas:
- Availability of power at affordable rates has the following benefits:
- Reduces pollution
- Reduces time wastage while collecting firewood
- Reduces reliance on fossil fuels
- Lowers fuel import bill
- Saves on the environment (Reduces deforestation)
- Improves living standards in rural areas.
- Reduces global warming
- Produces good quality enriched manure to improve soil fertility.
- Effective and convenient way for sanitary disposal of organic wastes,
- Improving the hygienic conditions.
Cooking with firewood is a common health hazard for millions of women around the world!
As a smokeless domestic fuel it reduces the incidence of eye and lung diseases. Due to its lower density than CNG this is less lethal than CNG. LPG has liquid like properties and when leakage occurs the gas flows down in a liquid like manner and stays down for a very long time. This is very dangerous in residential properties. While Biogas disperses into the air quickly as it is lighter than air and is much safer in homes than CNG or LPG.
BioGas is far far far safer than LPG.
Utilization of Bio Gas
Biogas is a fuel that can be a complete replacement for Petrol and CNG. It can be used in various methods to benefit mankind. It can be used in the following ways:
Cooking: A biogas plant of 2 cubic meters is sufficient for providing cooking fuel needs of a family of about five persons. A variety of biogas stoves are available for use. Ordinary burners for LPG stoves may be used, with the aperture enlarged to meet the lower pressure of biogas from biodigesters.
Biogas is a fuel that can be a complete replacement for Petrol and CNG. It can be used in various methods to benefit mankind. It can be used in the following ways:
Cooking: A biogas plant of 2 cubic meters is sufficient for providing cooking fuel needs of a family of about five persons. A variety of biogas stoves are available for use. Ordinary burners for LPG stoves may be used, with the aperture enlarged to meet the lower pressure of biogas from biodigesters.
Stop using LPG at all cost. Not only is LPG 20 times expensive but also 3 times more dangerous.
Lighting: Biogas is used in silk mantle lamps for lighting purposes. The requirement of gas for powering a 100 candle lamp (60 W) is 0.13 cubic meter per hour. The biogas lamp directly uses biogas produced in a biogas digester, and is an invaluable component of the biogas industry, especially in villages. However, this valuable product is not commercially produced in India .
To obtain domestic lighting from biogas, operators have to use expensive, inefficient and complicated diesel gensets to convert the biogas energy into electricity first, before being used—again highly inefficiently—in incandescent lights (as the more efficient CFL lamps are prohibitively expensive for poor villagers).
The most important reason that villagers want electricity in their homes is for their children to study at night. Use of electricity for all other domestic use comes second.
If Biogas has to be used in gensets to convert to electricity then it is better to use LED lamps for lighting can be used.
To obtain domestic lighting from biogas, operators have to use expensive, inefficient and complicated diesel gensets to convert the biogas energy into electricity first, before being used—again highly inefficiently—in incandescent lights (as the more efficient CFL lamps are prohibitively expensive for poor villagers).
The most important reason that villagers want electricity in their homes is for their children to study at night. Use of electricity for all other domestic use comes second.
If Biogas has to be used in gensets to convert to electricity then it is better to use LED lamps for lighting can be used.
Use Biogas to produce electricity... and run your Air-conditioners !
Power Generation: Biogas can be used to operate a dual fuel engine to replace up to 80 % of diesel-oil. Diesel engines have been modified to run 100 per cent on biogas. Petrol and CNG engines can also be modified easily to use biogas. A special adapter can be fitted to LPG gensets to enable operation with biogas. Importing a small biogas genset directly from Bangladesh may be the cheaper alternative, until a suitable product is developed in India.
CNG car cylinder shown above can be easily swapped with Biogas (gobar gas) because both are the same thing - METHANE. Biogas is more safer than CNG and 3 times more safer than LPG Cylinder. NEVER USE LPG CYLINDER. LPG IS VERY DANGEROUS AS LPG BEHAVES LIKE LIQUID YET ACTS LIKE GAS!
Transport Fuel: After removal of CO2, H2S and water vapor, biogas can be converted to natural gas quality for use in vehicles.
Biogas is the Cheapest and never ending multipurpose fuel!
Biogas is the Cheapest and never ending multipurpose fuel!