Ashden Awards Case Study | BIOTECH India | Summary

Case study summary

BIOTECH, India

BIOTECH is a consultancy working on the management of

organic waste and the production of energy from it.

2007 Ashden Award

India statistics 2004/5

(UNDP)

GDP: US$736/year per person

CO2 emission: 1.2 tonnes/year per person
80% of people live on less than US$2/day

Kerala is a prosperous state in South India with a growing demand for the clean and
hygienic disposal of waste from homes, institutions and municipalities. BIOTECHs 2007
Ashden Award recognised its achievement in developing technologies to manage domestic
and municipal organic waste at source, and produce biogas for cooking and electricity
generation.
Digesters prefabricated from ferro-cement and gas collectors from Fibreglass Reinforced
Plastic (FRP) for quick and easy installation on site.
Biogas produced from decomposition of organic waste in anaerobic conditions.
In households and institutions, plants handle waste food and sometimes have toilets
connected. Biogas is used for cooking, displacing about 50% of LPG use.
Larger systems used at markets and municipal sites, where biogas is cleaned and then
used to generate electricity for lighting.
1 m3 household plants cost about US$220, with government subsidy available of up to
60%.
Average family can pay back contribution to the cost of the plant in about three years
through savings in LPG use.
Between 2004 and 2007, 12,000 domestic plants (serving about 48,000 people), 200
institutional plants and 19 energy-from-waste projects were installed.
Plants save about 3,700 tonnes/year of CO2 in avoided LPG and diesel use.
For domestic users, food waste can be disposed of easily and hygienically, with 50% LPG
savings.
Biogas plant effluent makes a useful fertiliser, resulting in higher food production.
For markets and councils, removal of food waste reduces health risks associated with
disposal onto streets.

44% of people lack grid electricity

Location

Indian
Asia
Subcontinent
Before I had the plant, I had to walk
for half an hour to put my waste in the
corporation bin. Before, one bottle of
LPG lasted 40 days, now it lasts 70.
Domestic plant user

Update
BIOTECH set up a roadshow, funded by the Ashden Award, which travelled around
southern India, demonstrating benefits of biogas plants to a wide audience. Significant
interest generated. .
Further technical development, including an engine to run on 100% biogas, a dehumidifier, and heat recovery system for larger plants.
Several new products launched a portable domestic plant, a pre-treatment unit and a
modular plant.
By 2009, 16,000 biogas plants installed: 15,700 domestic, 253 institutional and 47
municipal plants.
BIOTECH was established in 1994, and provides efficient stoves and solar lighting systems
as well as biogas plants. It has grown rapidly since its 2007 Award, with turnover increased
from US$168,000 (2005/06) to US$565,000 (2008/09); full time staff from 42 to 140, and
piece-work technicians and volunteers from 180 to 600.

info@ashdenawards.org
www.ashdenawards.org/winners/biotech
Document last updated December 2009

A BIOTECH domestic biogas plant

Contact
BIOTECH India
Mr A Saji Das
biotechindia@eth.net
www.biotech-india.org
www.biotechin.org

Ashden Awards Case Study | BIOTECH, India

Case study
BIOTECH, India

Background
Kerala is a prosperous state in South India, with a growing middle-class population. Many
family members spend part of their working lives overseas. Kerala also has a thriving tourist
industry with numerous beach resorts.
Leaving out waste food for animals, which works relatively well in rural areas, is simply not
acceptable in this suburban environment, and there is a demand for the clean and hygienic
disposal of waste for homes, institutions and municipalities. Many local panchayats
(councils) operate door to door waste collection services, but animals tear open rubbish
sacks to get to food waste, and create more litter. The biogas digesters developed by
BIOTECH manage organic waste and wastewater at source, and produce significant
amounts of clean gas for cooking and other purposes.

The organisation
BIOTECH was founded as a consultancy in 1994 by Mr A Saji Das, to research, develop and
install renewable energy systems, in particular systems producing energy from waste. In
addition to the biogas work, BIOTECH supplies improved smokeless ovens and stoves, solar
lanterns and home lighting systems. BIOTECH has grown rapidly since its 2007 Ashden
Award. Turnover has increased from US$168,000 (Rs 7.2 million) in 2005/06 to
US$565,000 (Rs 26 million) in 2008/09. Full time staff have increased from 42 to 140, and
piece-work technicians and volunteers from 180 to 600.
The technology
How does it work?
Biogas systems take organic material into an airtight vessel, where bacteria break down the
material and release biogas a mixture of mainly methane with some carbon dioxide. The
biogas can be burned as a fuel and the solid residue can be used as organic compost.
The biogas plants made and supplied by BIOTECH are designed to dispose of organic
household and municipal waste and toilet waste. BIOTECH has developed standard plants
in different sizes to serve three different market sectors: domestic (individual households),
institutions (schools, hostels, hospitals, hotels) and municipal (local councils).
BIOTECHs use of pre-fabricated components simplifies the construction of the plants.
On-site construction takes only about four hours (instead of four days) and semi-skilled or
unskilled masons can install the units easily.
How much does it cost and how do users pay?
US$1 = Rs 43 (Indian Rupees) [March 2007]
A domestic biogas plant costs about US$220 (Rs 9,500). The national Ministry of Nonconventional Energy Sources (MNES) offers a subsidy of US$60 (Rs 2,700) for each domestic
plant up to 10 m3 capacity, and the local and district panchayats provide further subsidies
- typically US$60 (Rs 2,700) in urban areas and US$80 (Rs 3,500) in rural areas. The
purchasers pay the remainder directly. The MNES subsidy is paid to the beneficiary through
BIOTECH after a government official has inspected the plant.
A typical family normally uses about 168 kg of LPG a year. Biogas replaces about 50% of this
use, or about 84 kg per year, saving the family about US$53 (Rs 2,280) per year. This means
that the family can pay back their contribution to the cost of the plant in about three years,
and more quickly if they collect extra food waste from shops to increase their biogas
production.

The technology in more detail

Most domestic plants have a volume of
1 m3 and produce about 1 m3 of biogas
per day, with a maximum input of 5kg
solids and 20 litres organic waste
water per day. The digester vessel
consists of a gas holder drum, floating
over a pre-cast digester tank. The
digester tank is usually prefabricated
from ferro-cement and sunk into the
ground. The gas holder is constructed
from Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic
(FRP), weighed down with concrete to
increase the gas pressure. The
pre-cast construction makes it
possible for two technicians to
construct a plant in about four hours,
so that two to three plants can be
constructed in a day. A water seal is
used in some domestic models and in
all larger systems, to prevent gas
leakage. BIOTECH also makes portable
digesters that stand on the surface, to
allow construction where excavation is
impossible or undesirable - for
instance where the water table is too
high.
The main feedstock for the plants is
food waste, but cow dung needs to be
used initially to provide a culture of
suitable bacteria to get the digestion
process started. Food waste is simply
mixed with organic waste-water from
the kitchen in a bucket and poured
into the plant inlet, and no additional
water is needed. Some plants have
toilets connected as well. Biogas
gradually collects in the gas holder as
the waste decomposes, and a pipe is
used to take it to a special biogas stove
in the kitchen. A valve is used to open
and shut the flow, and a regulator
varies the flame. The effluent from the
plants is virtually odourless and has a
high content of nitrogen, phosphorous
and potassium, so it can be used as a
garden fertiliser.

Ashden Awards Case Study | BIOTECH, India

The integrated waste management plant cost US$71,000 (Rs 3,000,000), of which US$2790
(Rs 120,000) came from MNES and some from the local and district panchayats. BIOTECH
provides some capital, and charges an annual operating fee to run the plant.
How is it manufactured, promoted and maintained?
BIOTECH manufactures all the plants in its own workshops to a high standard. The details
of all plants are recorded so that BIOTECH is eligible for the subsidy from MNES. BIOTECH
staff visit each new customer every three months for two years in order to ensure that the
plant is running smoothly.
The oldest plant in use is over ten years old (2007). There have been occasional minor
problems with gas pipes blocked (or chewed through by rats), water condensing in pipes,
and broken tap fittings but these have been fixed quickly by BIOTECH staff.
Benefits
The total capacity installed by BIOTECH between 2004 and 2007 was 16,000 m3, split 81%
for domestic users, 16% for institutional users, and 3% for energy-from-waste schemes.
Nearly 12,000 domestic plants were installed (serving about 48,000 people), about 200
institutional plants and 19 energy-from-waste projects (with 12 further plants under
construction in 2007).
Environmental benefits
The total rate of biogas production from all installed plants in 2007 was estimated to be
about 16,000 m3/day, which replaces the equivalent of about 1,400 tonnes/year of LPG and
diesel. The plants therefore directly avoid the emission of about 3,700 tonnes/year of CO2,
with further savings from the reduction in methane production from the uncontrolled
decomposition of waste, and from the transport of LPG.
Social benefits
For most domestic users, the main benefit of a BIOTECH plant is the easy, hygienic disposal
of food waste and the savings made in LPG use. Operators of institutional plants are
pleased with the absence of odour, which was unpleasant for both them and their
neighbours. For the markets and councils, the removal of food waste and the associated
public health risks is a great advantage.
This is a very convenient way of disposing of waste without any headache. No smell, no
mess, we are very very happy with it and we just hope that more people would go about
installing this because it keeps the environment clean, and it gives us gas as well as
fertiliser. Jayasri Sahadevan
In homes and institutions, cooking is always started on the biogas stove. Typically, this can
be used for two hours using the gas produced during the previous day, and the pot is
simply moved to the LPG stove when the biogas runs out. Biogas replaces about 50% of LPG
use in an average family. Institutional plants with latrines attached replace between 50
and 75% of their LPG use, because of the additional biogas production from the sewage
waste. Biogas is safer than LPG for cooking, because it cannot be lit accidentally by a spark.
Economic and employment benefits
The effluent or residue in the biogas plant makes good fertiliser which results in higher food
production.
The manufacture, installation and maintenance of the biogas plants has generated a
significant amount of employment: this is estimated at 13 days for each domestic plant, 55
days for each institutional plant and 80 days for each waste to energy plant.

The technology in more detail continued

Biogas plants for schools and hostels
range in capacity from about 10 m3 to
25 m3 and each serve an average of
200 people. On a larger scale, energyfrom-waste plants are installed for
local councils or fish markets, and are
made from one or two 25 m3 biogas
digesters. In these the organic waste is
broken down to a uniform size with a
mechanical chopper before it is put
into the digester, to speed up the
digestion process. If required, water
separated from the output slurry can
be recycled, by mixing it with the feed
material. The biogas is used in a 3 kW
engine to generate electricity for
lighting the market, and where
possible two generators are installed
to provide backup for maintenance or
repair. It is essential to remove
hydrogen sulphide and particulates by
scrubbing and filtering the gas before
it goes into the engine, to prevent
corrosion. Because these plants are
used in public places the generators
and electrical connections must be
securely housed in locked cages,
accessible only to operators.
BIOTECH has also installed an
integrated energy from waste plant in
Kadakkal Grama Panchayat, which
processes nearly three tonnes of
municipal solid waste per day. The
waste is sorted by hand into wet
waste, dry bio-degradable waste,
glass, plastics and metal. The wet
waste goes into a biogas plants and
other materials are sold for recycling.
Blood and wash water from a local
abattoir is also taken to the plant, but
uses a separate digester so that the
bacteria become optimised for the
specific waste type. Some of the
biogas produced runs an incinerator
for the dry bio waste, in addition to
generating electricity for lighting.

Ashden Awards Case Study | BIOTECH, India

Potential for growth and replication

BIOTECH plants are in demand. A pre-fabricated domestic plant can be installed within
two to three days, provided that finance is available.
The technology could be used in many other countries. In rapidly growing urban areas, the
safe disposal of organic waste at source is important for hygiene and cleanliness, and the
value of the gas produced is significant for households and institutions. However, the
greater potential is possibly at the municipal level, where there are serious public health
risks from large volumes of organic waste, including pollution of water supplies. To work
effectively the plants need an average ambient temperature above 30C throughout the year
but it is in countries with these high temperatures that the health problems from
unmanaged waste are the most serious.
Update: what happened next?
Since its 2007 Ashden Award, BIOTECH actively promoted its biogas plants. In 2008 it used
part of the Ashden Award prize fund to organise a roadshow which travelled around
southern India, demonstrating the benefits of biogas plants to a wide audience. Many
people have come forward for installation of plants as a result of the publicity, and because
of the rising cost of alternatives.

A BIOTECH plant at a school in Trivandrum, South India.

I collect from the shop, I get some

food waste or vegetable waste. I fill
the drum and by morning I have half a
drum of gas and it lasts for four hours.
P. Narayanan Potti:

BIOTECH has also invested time and money in improving technology. It has developed an
engine for its energy-from-waste plants, which can run on 100% biogas rather than 80%
biogas and 20% diesel; a dehumidifier for drying the biogas before it goes into the engine;
and a system for heat recovery from larger plants. Recent innovations include a portable
domestic plant made from fibreglass (100 installed); an anaerobic pre-digester for waste
which decomposes very slowly (eight installed); and a modular biogas plant (four installed).
Although the cost of domestic plants has increased from about US$220 (Rs 9,500) to
US$350 (Rs 16,000), demand is still growing. By the end of 2009, a total of 15,700 domestic
plants and 253 institutional plants had been installed. The major growth has been in
municipal energy-from-waste plants, where 47 are now in operation compared with 19 at
the time of the 2007 Award. In total, BIOTECH has provided 16,000 biogas plants,
benefitting more than 200,000 people.
One of BIOTECHs portable domestic plants.

Contact details
Mr A Saji Das
BIOTECH
PB No 520
MP Appan Road
Vazhuthacadu
Thycaud PO
Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala
South India 695 014
biotechindia@eth.net
www.biotech-India.org
www.biotechin.org

Biogas digester tamks are pre-fabricated from ferrocement.

This report is based on information provided to the Ashden Awards judges by IDEI, and findings from visits by members of
the judging team to see its work in India.
The Ashden Awards have taken all reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in this report is full and
accurate. However, no warranty or representation is given by The Ashden Awards that the information contained in this
report is free from errors or inaccuracies. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, The Ashden Awards accept no liability
for any direct, indirect or consequential damages however caused resulting from reliance on the information contained in
this report.

Written: June 2007

Update: October 2009