Energy from Biomass

1
 CONTENTS

• PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• BIOGAS
• FEED OF BIO-DIGESTER
• DESIGN OF BIO-DIGESTER
 INTRODUCTION

• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, some bacteria and some

protestants use the energy from sunlight to produce glucose from carbon
dioxide and water.

• This glucose can be converted into pyruvate which releases adenosine

triphosphate (ATP) by cellular respiration. Oxygen is also formed.

• The conversion of usable sunlight energy into chemical energy is associated

with the action of the green pigment chlorophyll.
REACTION OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
STAGES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• When chlorophyll absorbs light energy, an electron gains energy and is
'excited'. The excited electron is transferred to another molecule (called a
primary electron acceptor).

• The chlorophyll molecule is oxidized (loss of electron) and has a positive

charge.

• Photo activation of ‘Chlorophyll ’ results in the splitting of water molecules

and the transfer of energy to ATP and reduced nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide phosphate (NADP).

• The chemical reactions involved include:

• condensation reactions - responsible for water molecules splitting out,
including phosphorylation (the addition of a phosphate group to an
organic compound)
• oxidation/reduction (redox) reactions involving electron transfer
Photosynthesis is a two stage process.
• The Light dependent reactions, a light-dependent series of reactions which
occur in the grana, and require the direct energy of light to make energy-
carrier molecules that are used in the second process:
•light energy is trapped by chlorophyll to make ATP (photophosphorylation)
2H2O 4H+ + O2 + 4e- (photolysis)
•the electrons then react with a carrier molecule nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), changing it from its oxidized state (NADP+)
to its reduced state (NADPH): at the same time water is split into oxygen,
hydrogen ions and free electrons:
NADP+ + 2e- + 2H+ NADPH + H+

The light-independent reactions, a light-independent series of reactions which

occur in the stroma of the chloroplasts, when the products of the light reaction,
ATP and NADPH, are used to make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide
(reduction); initially glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (a 3-carbon atom molecule) is
formed.
Stages of photosynthesis
• Light from the sun is composed of wavelengths.

• The shorter the wavelength the higher the frequency, thus

the higher the energy.

• The longer the wavelength the lower the energy, thus the
lower the energy.
Sunlight
 Sunlight is actually white light made of all wavelength
colors
 Sunlight is visible light
 Different colors=different wavelengths of light

The Visible Spectrum

violet-indigo-blue-green-yellow-orange-red

380 nm 750 nm
Chlorophyll (the photosynthetic pigment)

• Chlorophyll is a green photosynthetic pigment found in

chloroplasts of plants
• There are two main types of chlorophyll(chlorophyll a and
chlorophyll b)
• Green is the least effective color for photosynthesis because it is
reflected
• What you see is reflected.
• Everything else is absorbed
• Thus, red and blue are most effective for photosynthesis.
Light energy and water

• In photosynthesis, light energy is used to split water molecules

• This process is called photolysis = when a chemical is broken down by photons
• Water is split into hydrogen ions, oxygen and electrons by photons
• ATP is also produced
• ATP and H ions will be used to fix CO2 to make organic molecules
• Photosynthesis relies on water and sunlight for its initial reaction
• Light independent reactions do not require light.
Light Dependent Reactions
A. Light absorption
• As chlorophyll absorbs light its electrons are raised to a higher energy level by
photons at certain wavelengths
• The electrons at higher energy levels are said to be excited electrons
• The excited electrons cause the chlorophyll to become photo-activated
• Photo-activation is the activation of a particular pigment’s electrons (It is
caused by absorbing energy from photons.)
 After photo-activation the electrons quickly return to their ground state
 When electrons return to their ground state they give off a photon (discreet
amount of energy)
 The photon (energy) is released in the form of heat
 This process explains the conversion of light energy into heat energy
B. Chlorophyll organization and light absorption
 Chlorophyll is found in the thylakoids which are found in chloroplasts
 Within the thylakoids chlorophyll is arranged into groups called photosystems
 There are two photosystems:
-Photosystem I – best at 700nm
-Photosystem II – best at 680 nm

 Both photosystems are identical chlorophyll a molecules, except that they interact
with different proteins of the thylakoids
 Excited electrons that have absorbed photons of light pass from molecule to
molecule until they reach the chlorophyll at the center of the photosystem
 The photosystem (the chlorophyll) will then pass the excited electrons to a chain of
electron carriers
C. Oxygen production
 Photosystem II absorbs light
 Its electrons become excited
 Photosystem II donates its electrons to an electron transport chain and the
flow of electrons will generate an ATP molecule
 Photosystem II has been oxidized (LEO)
 To get the electrons back (that were donated) an enzyme in the center of
photosystem II breaks a water molecule (photolysis)
 The water is split into hydrogen ions, oxygen and electrons
 Electrons are donated to PS II (GER)
 Oxygen and hydrogen ions are byproducts
 Oxygen is released to the atmosphere
 The production of oxygen in photosynthesis is done by photolysis and requires
sunlight.
 D. ATP Production

1. An excited electron from the center of PS II is donated and passed

along a chain of electron carriers
2. The energy for ATP is generated via a proton gradient that is created
as electrons move through an ETC (chemiosmosis)

**IMPORTANT.**
1. Chemiosmosis involves the pumping of H+ ions through the
membrane.
2. The protons go from the stroma to the thylakoid space.
3. This creates a proton gradient.
4. The protons later flow through ATP synthase (back to the stroma) and
their energy is captured in order to join a phosphate with ADP
5. This produces ATP.
Light-independent reactions
Calvin cycle-
1. takes place in the stroma
2. begins with a 5 carbon sugar called ribulose biphosphate
3. Ribulose biphosphate = RuBP
4. ATP and NADPH from the light dependent reactions drive the Calvin cycle
5. ATP provides the energy
6. NADPH provides reducing power
 Carbon is:
 -absorbed as carbon dioxide
 -released as sugar
 B. ATP=energy for reactions
 NADPH=reducing agent
 C. Net sugar production per turn (3 carbon dioxide and 3 RuBP) is 1 G3P.
Limiting Factors in Photosynthesis
 For photosynthesis to occur the following criteria must be met:
 -Suitable temperature
 -Presence of: chlorophyll
 light
 carbon dioxide
 water
 Changes to one limiting factor will change the rate of photosynthesis
 Limiting factors are those that are near their minimum or maximum level
 Limiting factors determine the rate-limiting step
 For example: If light intensity is the limiting factor, the light dependent reaction will
limit the rate of photosynthesis.
 The limiting-step will be the reduction reaction in the Calvin cycle (when the
products of the light dependent stage are needed)
E. Light as a limiting factor
1. At low light NADPH and ATP are not produced (b/c they are light-
dependent products)
2. If NADPH and ATP are not produced the Calvin cycle will stop at the
reduction and phosphorylation reactions

The effect of light intensity on photosynthesis

Rate of photosynthesis
Light intensity
F. Carbon dioxide as a limiting factor
1. If there is little or no carbon dioxide the Calvin cycle is limited at carbon
fixation

2. RuBP and NADPH will accumulate

**Carbon dioxide is often a limiting factor because it is never at a high
concentration in the atmosphere

Rate of photosynthesis

Carbon dioxide concentration

G. Temperature as a limiting factor

1. At low temperature the enzymes that catalyze the reactions work slowly
2. At high temperature rubisco is ineffective (it is denatured)
3. Carbon fixation becomes the rate-limiting step

The effect of temperature on photosynthesis

Rate of photosynthesis

*As temperature increases so does the rate of

photosynthesis
*After the optimum temperature is surpassed
the rate quickly falls

Temperature
BIOGAS
 Introduction

 Biogas typically refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the

breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.

 Microbially controlled production of biogas is an important part of the

global carbon cycle.

 It is a renewable energy source.

 The main source of raw material for production of biogas is Plant and
Animal biomass .
Biogas is primarily methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and may
have small amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), moisture and siloxanes.

.5
TYPICAL GAS PRODUCTION FROM DIFFERENT FEEDSTOCK
Sl. Typical Gas Typical Methane
Feedstock
No. Yield (liters/kg) Content (%)
1. Paper Waste 480 53
2. Bagasse 330 57
3. Spent Tea Waste 235 57
4. Food Waste 160 62
5. Bamboo Pulp 145 54
6. Dry Leaves 118 60
7. Green leaves & 100 65
twigs
8. Fruit waste 91 50
9. Bamboo dust 53 72
10. Distillery effluent 31 75
11. Black liquor 22 69
(Paper Mill)
12. Animal Excreta
- Cow/Bullock 36 60-65%
- Buffalo 36 “
- Pig 78 “
- Chicken 62 “
13. Human Excreta 70 “
Production
 Production
 Hydrolysis
In general, hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the breakdown of water occurs to form H+ cations
and OH- anions. Hydrolysis is often used to break down larger polymers, often in the presence of an acidic
catalyst.
𝐶12 𝐻22 𝑂11 → 𝐶6 𝐻12 𝑂6
 Acidogenesis
Acidogenesis is the next step of anaerobic digestion in which acidogenic microorganisms further break
down the Biomass products after hydrolysis. These fermentative bacteria produce an acidic environment in
the digestive tank while creating ammonia, H2, CO2, H2S, shorter volatile fatty acids, carbonic acids,
alcohols, as well as trace amounts of other byproducts.
𝐶6 𝐻12 𝑂6 → 2𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻 + H2 + CO2
 Production
 Acetogenesis
In general, acetogenesis is the creation of acetate, a derivative of acetic acid, from
carbon and energy sources by acetogens. These microorganisms catabolize many of the products
created in acidogenesis into acetic acid, CO2 and H2.
2𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻--> CH3COO- + H2 + CO2

 Methanogenesis
Methanogenesis constitutes the final stage of anaerobic digestion in which methanogens create methane
from the final products of acetogenesis as well as from some of the intermediate products from hydrolysis
and acidogenesis.
CO2 + 4 H2 → CH4 + 2H2O
CH3COOH → CH4 + CO2
Processing of Biogas

 The scrubbing of the biogas in order to remove impurities that are generated
during the digestion process such as CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and H2S (Hydrogen
Sulfide)
 Biogas go through a cleaning process, and becomes bio-methane.
 A simple method for Hydrogen Sulfide utilizing steel wool in a glass bottle
 For Carbon Dioxide removal, as well as additional Hydrogen Sulfide removal a
method of water spray crossflow can be used . In this method the Biogas enters
one end of a tube and experiences water streams flowing in the opposite
direction.
Benefits Of Biogas

 Alternate energy source

 Fertilizer
 Requires only locally and easily available material for construction
 Control pollution
 Little operational skills and maintenance required
 Rapid falls in disease
Advantage of biogas as a fuel

 High calorific value

 Renewable source of energy
 Non polluting
 Reduces landfills
 Economical Technology
Limitations of biogas

 Biogas can be explosive when mixed in the ratio of one part biogas
to 8-20 parts air.
 Biogas leaks smell like rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide)
 Not feasible
 Not Attractive on Large Scale
 Little technological advancement
 Contain Impurities
 Cannot be easily stored .
Applications

 Biogas gas-grid injection

 Biogas in transport

 Using of carbon dioxide and methane as

chemical products

"Biogaståget Amanda" ("The Biogas Train

Amanda") train near Linköping station,
Sweden
Indian scenario
• India has installed 4.75 million small
scale biogas plants.

• India has potential maximum number

of biogas plants has been estimated to
be 12-17 million .

• Mainly biogas is produced based on

dairy manure as feed stock and these
"gobar" gas plants .

• In the last 2-3 decades, research

organisations with a focus on rural
energy security have enhanced the
design of the systems resulting in newer
efficient low cost designs
34

• India have additionally commissioned 158 projects under its

biogas based grid power generation programme, with a total
installed capacity of 2 MW.

• National Biogas and manure management programme

{NBMMB} is implemented in our country since 1981-82 for
promotion of biogas plants based on cattle dung .

• To support above programme the governments providing 50%

subsidy for installation of biogas plant .
35
36

1.0 MW power project based on cattle

dung at Haebowal Dairy Complex
Ludhiana, Punjab

2 MW biogas power at Kanoria Chem,

Ankleshwar
37

3000 Cum bio-methanation project of

solid waste at slaughterhouse in Andra
Pradesh

Bio-methanation of Tapioca Processing

wastewater at Varalaxmi Starch, Salem
Global Scenario
Conclusion

 Although renewable energy power generation is a genuine clean

development success story, there are some problems that need to be
addressed to make the industry sustainable and self-supporting
 Biogas offers a vast set of benefits.
 Except India and china , in other developing country the proportion of
functioning biogas plants is less than 50% .
 Considerable government involvement is required for these support
network to be continued over time
 It is challenge to develop a new technology for biogas generation which
has low cost , high efficiency of production and proper functionality .
 FEED OF BIO-DIGESTER

40
 How to Feed Digesters

• Organic waste can be divided into two groups: carbon-rich such as

grass and crop stalks, and nitrogen-rich such as urine, human faeces,
and chicken manure.
• The carbon-rich waste contains a lot of carbon cellulose, which
promotes biogas production, and the nitrogen-rich waste provides
nutrients which promote the growth and reproduction of anaerobic
bacteria.
• Experiments have shown that biogas production can be increased if
the various organic wastes can be fed into the digester in correctly
balanced proportions.
How to Feed Digesters
 If the wastes are mixed before going into the digester, more gas and a
better fertilizer will be produced, because there will not be any
undigested lumps of manure going through the digester.
 The solids to liquids ratio can be kept closer to the ideal ratio of one to
ten. There will be less danger of overfeeding the digester with waste or
flooding it with water.
 One solution might be to have the drain pipes empty into a mixing basin
instead of doing directly into the digester
43
44 Carbon and Nitrogen

 The first requirement of the raw materials of biogas production is

that they must contain organic carbon and nitrogen in quantities
that have a certain relationship to each other.
 From a biological point of view, biogas digesters can be considered
as a community of very small animals called bacteria, feeding on
and changing organic matter into methane gas and carbon
dioxide.
 The element carbon (in the form of carbohydrates) is the bacteria's
rice and bread, and the element nitrogen (in the form of proteins) is
the bacteria's meat and fish.
 The bacteria use the carbon for energy and the nitrogen for
growing.
SLURRY MIXING MACHINE
 A WELL-BUFFERED DIGESTER

 A good way to find out what is happening inside a digester is to attach a strip of
litmus paper and a thermometer to a long stick.
 Put it down the digester inlet for five minutes, bring it out, read and record the
results, change the litmus paper and shake down the thermometer, and take a
second reading down the overflow pipe at the outlet end.
 Compare the two sets of readings. Because of the different types of biological
activity going on at the beginning and end of digesters, there may also be a
difference in readings between the two ends.
 Litmus paper is the easiest and cheapest way to measure pH levels, but it is not
the most accurate method. Litmus paper is useful for approximate, but not exact
readings.
 A WELL-BUFFERED DIGESTER
 It has been observed that a red or yellow biogas flame often means that the slurry is
slightly acid.
 Adding a little lime or ash to the slurry mix should help adjust the acidity and restore
normal gas production.
 Usually the answer is not to give the digester any medicine but rather to check and see
what it might be that you are doing wrong. If the bad practice can be stopped, the
digester will heal itself, usually.
 The problem may be overfeeding of slurry or it may be a wrong balance of types of
plants and manure.
 Using only sludge to feed the digester for a few days can help sometimes, but never
add any acid to a biogas digester that has become too base (alkaline).
 Adding acid will only increase the production of hydrogen sulphide, which is of no use
at all.
48 BIOGAS DIGESTER
PRECAUTIONS AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

 When the digester is built and ready to start.

 The safest way to start is to completely fill the digester and the gas storage
tank with water. The floating gas tank should be an inch shorter than the
water tank it will be floating in.
 It will be totally under water before biogas production begins. In this way
there will be as little oxygen as possible in the system.
 Oxygen kills the biogas bacteria and under certain conditions, the mixture
of oxygen and methane can be explosive.
 Come back 24 hours later, and if the water level has not dropped
anywhere in the system, there are no leaks that need repairing.
PRECAUTIONS AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES
 Make sure that all gas pipes going to gas storage tanks, engines, stoves,
etc., are connected but that only the gate valve going into the gas tank is
open and that the water level in the digester inlet and in the digester are
the same.
 Open the outlet valve until the water level has dropped about 5.0 cm (2.0
inches) below the level of the bottom of the digester roof. Permanently
mark this level on the side of the inlet pipe.
 In normal use, the level of the slurry should never be too far from this mark.
If it is often above the mark, the digester has been overfed or the sludge
under removed and the possibility of clogging the gas pipe with scum
becomes real.
 On the other extreme, the slurry level can drop too low. If the openings
from the inlet or the overflow pipe are exposed by the slurry level dropping
below their tops, biogas will escape and oxygen will get in.
51 PRECAUTIONS AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

 The percentage of solids in the slurry must be kept at approximately ten

percent.
 One other thing: add the slurry to the digester at the same time every day, or
better yet, divide the daily slurry volume into two or three equal parts and
add each part at the same time every day. This more gradual step-method
of adding slurry will result in a more stable digester, which will result in more
biogas.
ZONES IN DIGESTER
OPTIMUM CONDITIONS

 Thirty-five degrees centigrade is the digester temperature at

which the highest rate of biogas production occurs.
 It is also important that there be no wild swings in the
temperature of the slurry inside the digester.
 In addition to heating the digester, many heating systems also
heat the slurry (or the water that is to be mixed with the
organic matter) before the slurry goes into the digester.
 OPTIMUM CONDITIONS
 A very efficient source of heat for the slurry, inside or outside the
digester, is the excess engine heat from a stationary engine that is
fuelled by the biogas.
 Some systems use hot water from inexpensive solar heat collector
panels.
 Take a good look at several ideas before you choose one. If you want
5.0 cubic meters of biogas every day, the solution is to build a 5.0 or 6.0
cubic meter capacity digester, right?
 Maybe you should start a neighbourhood biogas cooperative and own
a 25 percent share in a 20 cubic meter system.
 Maybe you should invest in a biogas business and make enough money
to buy all the bottled gas you want.
 OPTIMUM CONDITIONS

 Logically, fresh sludge from a digester looks very watery; there will
be very little solid matter floating on top of the bucket and very little
left in the bucket when we use the sludge to dilute fresh waste
going into the digester.
 Everything is fine until a few months later when biogas production
drops off and nothing comes out of the outlet.
 What our logical eyes did not see was solid matter suspended,
floating in the sludge, not much (only about ten percent), but
enough to make a difference in time--if the solids are not filtered
out of the sludge before it is used to make fresh slurry.
56 WORLDWIDE MARKET OF BIOGAS
COMPARISON OF WORLD’S BIOGAS UTILISATION
 DESIGN OF BIO-DIGESTER

58
 How is biogas made ?
Biogas is made by fermenting organic waste in a biogas digester.

….to large commercial plants of

several thousand cubic metres
Digesters vary from small household systems…
What design should be used in building a biogas digester?

 There are dozens of variations on two basic kinds of

digesters batch feeding continuous feeding digesters.

 The motto is to choose one which is relatively easy to

build, operate, repair, and to make profit.

 The other determining factors include the size of bio

digester ,construction material and cost.
TYPES OF BIODIGESTER

 Small-Scale Digesters
 Fixed Dome Biogas Plants
Floating Drum Plants
Balloon(Polythene Bag) Plants
 Industrial Digester Types
 Batch plants
Continuous-feed plants
Batch digesters

 They are completely filled with

a mixture of organic waste and
water to make a slurry.
 The digester is then closed and
left to digest as long as a
sufficiently high level of biogas is
produced.
 When gas production has
slowed or stopped, the digester
is emptied and then refilled with
a new batch of slurry.
Advantages & Disadvantages Of Batch digesters
63

 Batch digesters have

advantages where the
availability of organic waste
is not continuous or is limited
to coarse plant waste.  They do require a great
 Batch digesters require little deal of work to empty and
daily attention. load.
 The gas and fertilizer
production is never
constant.
Continuous-fed Digesters
 In this the slurry is added at regular intervals, usually every morning, and an
equal volume of sludge is removed from an outlet opposite the inlet at the
same time.
 The rate of gas and fertilizer production from even one continuous-fed
digester is more or less constant.
65Vertical and Horizontal Continuous-fed Digester

Horizontal digester
Vertical digester
 Comparison between Vertical and horizontal
66

 In the vertical digester organic waste often escapes being "eaten" by the
bacteria. Slurry added one day can easily be withdrawn soon afterwards at the
nearby outlet, as incompletely digested waste.
 In horizontal digesters the slurry must pass an area of maximum digestion on its
way from inlet to outlet, with no part of the slurry spending less time in the
digester than any other part.
 From a practical point of view, above ground digesters are easier to get at to
repair and clean than underground digesters.
 The problem of large scum layers is less for horizontal digesters because they
have a larger slurry surface area than vertical digesters of the same size.
 Horizontal digesters do not usually have to be repaired or cleaned as often as
vertical digesters.
 Given equal size and other factors, horizontal digesters will produce more
biogas than vertical digesters
FIXED DOME DIGESTER
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Fixed dome plant design: 1.Mixing tank I
with inlet pipe and sand trap. I
67 2.Digester. 3.Compensation and I
removal tank. 4.Gasholder. 5.Gaspipe. I Basic function of a fixed-dome
6.Entry hatch, with gastight seal. I biogas plant: 1.Mixing pit,
7.Accumulation of thick sludge. I 2.Digester, 3.Gasholder,
8.Outlet pipe. 9.Reference level. I 4.Displacement pit, 5.Gas pipe
10.Supernatant scum, broken up by I
varying level. I
I
• A fixed-dome plant consists of a digester with a fixed, non-movable gas holder,
which sits on top of the digester.
• When gas production starts, the slurry is displaced into the compensation tank.
• Gas pressure increases with the volume of gas stored and the height difference
between the slurry level in the digester and the slurry level in the compensation
tank.
• The costs of a fixed-dome biogas plant are relatively low. It is simple as no moving
parts exist.
• There are also no rusting steel parts and hence a long life of the plant (20 years or
more) can be expected.
• The plant is constructed underground, protecting it from physical damage and
saving space.
• While the underground digester is protected from low temperatures at night and
during cold seasons, sunshine and warm seasons take longer to heat up the
digester.
• No day/night fluctuations of temperature in the digester positively influence the
bacteriological processes.
• The construction of fixed dome plants is labor-intensive, thus creating local
employment.
 FUNCTIONS

• A fixed-dome plant comprises of a closed, dome-shaped digester with an

immovable, rigid gas-holder and a displacement pit, also named 'compensation
tank'.

• The gas is stored in the upper part of the digester. When gas production
commences, the slurry is displaced into the compensating tank.

• Gas pressure increases with the volume of gas stored, i.e. with the height
difference between the two slurry levels. If there is little gas in the gas-holder, the
gas pressure is low.
70
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Low initial costs and long useful life- • Masonry gas-holders require
I
span. special sealants and high technical
I
• No moving or rusting parts involved. skills for gas-tight construction.
I
• Basic design is compact, saves • Gas leaks occur quite frequently;
I
space and is well insulated. fluctuating gas pressure complicates
I
• Construction creates local gas utilization; amount of gas
I
employment. produced is not immediately visible,
I
• Advantages are the relatively low plant operation not readily
I
construction costs, the absence of understandable.
I
moving parts and rusting steel • Fixed dome plants need exact
I
parts. If well constructed, fixed planning of levels.
I
dome plants have a long life span. • Excavation can be difficult and
I
The underground construction expensive in bedrock.
I
saves space and protects the • Disadvantages are mainly the
I
digester from temperature frequent problems with the gas-
I
changes. The construction provides tightness of the brickwork gas holder
I
opportunities for skilled local (a small crack in the upper brickwork
I
employment. can cause heavy losses of biogas).
FLOATING DRUM DIGESTER

Water-jacket plant with external

Floating drum plant guide frame: 1 Mixing pit, 11 Fill
pipe, 2 Digester, 3 Gasholder, 31
Guide frame, 4 Slurry store, 5 Gas
pipe
72
• On 1956, Jashu Bhai J Patel from India designed the first floating drum biogas
plant, popularly called Gobar gas plant.
• Floating-drum plants consist of an underground digester (cylindrical or dome-
shaped) and a moving gas-holder.
• The gas-holder floats either directly on the fermentation slurry or in a water jacket
of its own.
• The gas is collected in the gas drum, which rises or moves down, according to
the amount of gas stored.
• The gas drum is prevented from tilting by a guiding frame. When biogas is
produced, the drum moves up adn when it is consumed, the drum goes down.
• If the drum floats in a water jacket, it cannot get stuck, even in substrate with
high solid content.
• After the introduction of cheap Fixed-dome Chinese model, the floating drum
plants became obsolete as they have high investment and maintenance cost
along with other design weakness
73
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
I
• In the past, floating-drum plants I • The steel drum is relatively
were mainly built in India. I expensive and maintenance-
• They are chiefly used for I intensive.
digesting animal and human I • Removing rust and painting has to
feces on a continuous-feed I be carried out regularly.
mode of operation, i.e. with I • The life-time of the drum is short
daily input. I (up to 15 years; in tropical coastal
• They are used most frequently I regions about five years).
by small to middle-sized farms I • If fibrous substrates are used, the
(digester size: 5-15m3) or in I gas-holder shows a tendency to
institutions and larger agro- I get "stuck" in the resultant floating
industrial estates (digester size: I scum.
20-100m3). I
I
I
I
 Low-Cost Polyethylene Tube Digester

• FIG: Scheme of Low-cost Polyethylene Tube Digester.

• In the case of the Low-Cost Polyethylene Tube Digester model which is applied
in Bolivia (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Centro America and Mexico), the tubular polyethylene
film (two coats of 300 microns) is bended at each end around a 6 inch PVC drainpipe and is
wound with rubber strap of recycled tire-tubes. With this system a hermetic isolated tank is
obtained.
75 BALLOON TYPE DIGESTER
76
• A balloon plant consists of a heat-sealed plastic or rubber bag (balloon), combining
digester and gas-holder.

• The gas is stored in the upper part of the balloon. The inlet and outlet are attached directly
to the skin of the balloon.

• Gas pressure can be increased by placing weights on the balloon.

• If the gas pressure exceeds a limit that the balloon can withstand, it may damage the skin.

• Therefore, safety valves are required. If higher gas pressures are needed, a gas pump is
required.

• Since the material has to be weather- and UV resistant, specially stabilized, reinforced
plastic or synthetic caoutchouc is given preference.

• Other materials which have been used successfully include RMP (red mud
plastic), Trevira and butyl. The useful life-span does usually not exceed 2-5 years.
 ADVANTAGES
• Standardized prefabrication at
low cost.
• Low construction sophistication.
• Ease of transportation.
• Shallow installation suitable for
use in areas with a high
groundwater table.
• High temperature digesters in
warm climates.
• Uncomplicated cleaning.
• Emptying and maintenance.
• Difficult substrates like water
hyacinths can be used
DISADVANTAGES
I
I • Low gas pressure may require gas
I pumps.
I • Scum cannot be removed during
I operation.
I • The plastic balloon has a relatively
I short useful life-span and is
I susceptible to mechanical
I damage and usually not available
I locally.
I • In addition, local craftsmen are
I rarely in a position to repair a
I damaged balloon. There is only
I little scope for the creation of local
I employment and, therefore,
I limited self-help potential.
I
Other designs of bio-digesters
 Should the digester be underground ?
 Biogas digesters should be built above ground for several reasons. (At most, only a few
inches of the digester should be underground).
 The closer the temperature of the slurry (the mixture of organic waste and water) inside the
digester is to 35 degrees centigrade/95 degrees Fahrenheit, the better it will be for the
biogas producing bacteria.
 Underground digesters in hot climates will always be cooler than above ground digesters in
the same areas, which means underground digesters will, everything else being equal,
produce less gas.
 In climates with cold weather, the extra expense of heating digesters will prove more
profitable in the long run than avoiding some of the cold by building underground.
 The main advantage to building underground is that the dirt will help support the digester
walls.
 The walls do not have to be as strong or expensive as the walls of above ground digesters.
 But if an above ground digester is made well, the increased construction costs can be
rewarded with increased biogas production and a higher quality fertilizer.
Advantages and Disadvantages
to all possible construction materials
 Concrete (using the ferro-cement method) may be the cheapest method, but
concrete digesters cannot be moved.
 Concrete digesters have to be very carefully made if they are to be watertight and
airtight.
 Concrete will stay warmer at night longer than metal or plastic, and that means
more gas.
 Metal can rust; the welding and painting must be done perfectly.
 The zinc in galvanized iron can kill biogas producing bacteria, so the inside walls of
metal digesters must be painted.
 Once made, plastic and metal digesters are less likely to leak. When empty, plastic
bag digesters can be moved. e Plastic and concrete will not rust.
Important points to consider during design
 If a digester is too long and thin, the fresh slurry will not mix properly with the active
bacteria and the digestion process will be slow in starting.
 Fresh slurry should come into contact with the slurry of previous days, which in turn,
should be in the active stages of decomposition leading to the final stage of methane
production.
 If a digester is too short or too wide, the physical and biological steps will not be spread
out enough.
 Square and round digesters produce less gas and a less sanitary fertilizer than long
digesters.
 Today's fresh slurry is mixed at random with previous slurry, some will be taken out before
it has been completely digested, and some will stay in the digester long after it has
been completely digested.
 The proportions of diameter to length of a digester is not very critical. A ratio of five in
length to one in diameter is best. Ratios between 8/1 and 3/1 length to diameter are
the outside extremes of digester proportions.
How to make more profits?

1. Include fish ponds and/or other uses for the fertilizer that is produced.
2. Be large enough to benefit from the addition of a stationary engine to
the system, fueled by the biogas, and heating the digester with the
excess engine heat.
3. Consider making financial payments to the investors in the business or
cooperative as an alternative to using the fuel and fertilizer as payments.
4. Consider trading for or buying organic wastes for the digester
5. Consider building central piggeries, chicken coops, and cattle stalls
animals owned by cooperative members or business partners in order to
collect as much organic waste as possible.
 Comparison of Different designs
Plastic
Factors Fixed dome Floating drum Tubular design
containers
Gas storage Internal Gas Internal Gas Internal Internal Gas
storage up to storage drum eventually storage drum
20 m³ (large) size (small) external sizes (small)
plastic bags
Gas pressure Between 60 Upto 20 mbar Low, around 2 Low around
and 120 mbar mbar 2mbar
Skills of High; masonry, High; masonry, Medium; Low; plumbing
contractor plumbing plumbing, plumbing
welding
Durability Very high >20 High; drum is Medium; Medium
years weakness Depending on
chosen liner
Agitation Self agitated Manual Not possible; Evtl Manual
by Biogas steering plug flow type steering
pressure
Methane High Medium Low Medium
emission
84

Thank you