THERMODYNAMICS-II LAB OEL

Submitted To:

Sir Hafiz Zahid Nabi

Submitted By:
2020-ME-178
2020-ME-179
2020-ME-180
2020-ME181
2020-ME-182
Section D
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
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 BIOGAS
1 INTRODUCTION
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide,
produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant
material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a renewable energy source.

2 REWNEWABLE ENERGY FROM BIOGAS

In order to conserve the dwindling reserves of fossil-based energy sources and to halt climate change, it is
necessary to switch to renewable energies step by step over the next decades.
Thus the German Government has set itself the goal of ensuring a modern, environment friendly, sustainable
and safe supply of energy by means of expanding renewable en-ergies. This goal is integrated into the energy
and climate policies of the European Union. The EU has set the following goals for 2020:
 To lower emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 20 %,
 To reduce energy consumption by 20 % by means of better energy efficiency and
 To cover 20 % of our energy needs by renewable energies.

3 MULTIPLE OPTIONS FOR USE

3.1 ELECTRICITY AND HEAT

At present, the bulk of the biogas produced in Germany is converted into electricity in close proximity of
the biogas production facility. Thanks to the remuneration for feeding biogas-sourced electricity into the power
grid, according to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), production of electricity and heat (combined
heat and power production – CHP) in CHP units currently takes first place among the uses of biogas.

COMBINED HEAT AND POWER PLANT

ELECTRICITY

HEAT

GAS CONDITIONING

BIOGAS

ELECTRICITY/HEAT

NATURAL GAS GRID

HEAT

GAS STORAGE

BIOFUEL

Figure 1 Biogas usage

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3.3 BIO METHANE AND FUEL
In recent years, upgrading biogas and feeding it into the natural gas grid has become an established
practice. To be able to use biogas as a substitute for natural gas, it is purified of unwanted constituent
elements, the CO2 is separated to a large degree and thus the methane content is raised. The upgraded
biogas, now also called bio methane or also bio natural gas, is then transported via the infrastructure
of the natural gas grid. This enables it to be used at any location with a high demand for heat all year

round.

3.4 PROCESS BIOLOGY

Biogas is a product of the microbial de- composition of organic matter in a moist environment that
excludes air (an anaerobic medium). In principle, the anaerobic digestion process involves four steps
(hydrolysis, acidification, acetic acid formation, and methane formation), each respectively involving different
groups of microorganism.
The gas mixture formed in this way predominantly consists of the following:
 50–75 % methane (CH4),
 25–45 % carbon dioxide (CH2),
Figure 2

 2–7 % water vapor (H2O),

 < 2 % oxygen (O2),
 < 2 % nitrogen (N2),
 < 1 % ammonia (O3),
 < 1 % hydrogen sulphide (H2S)

4 STAGES IN BIOGAS PRODUCTION

Biogas is produced using well-established technology in a process involving several stages:
 Bio waste is crushed into smaller pieces and slurrified to prepare it for the
anaerobic digestion process.
 Microbes need warm conditions, so the bio waste is heated to around 37 °C.
 The actual biogas production takes place through anaerobic digestion in large tanks for about
three weeks.
 In the final stage, the gas is purified (upgraded) by removing impurities and carbon dioxide.
The whole biogas-process can be divided into three steps:
  Hydrolysis
 Acidification

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  methane
formation
   

Figure 3 Stages in biogas production

4.1 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

3 Substrates

Fats, proteins, carbohydrates (long-chain polymers)

1st phase: Liquefaction (hydrolysis)

Fatty acids, amino acids, sugar (short-chain monomers and dimers)

2nd phase: Acidification

Short-chain organic acids (e. g. propionic acid), alcohols

3rd phase: Acetic acid formation

inter alia acetic acid (CH3COOH), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2)

4th phase: Methane formation

Biogas

Figure 4 Schematic diagram of production of biogas

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5 COMBUSTION OF BIOGAS
The main compositions of biogas are methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as a small
amount of water (H2O), nitrogen (N2), and hydrogen (H2).
 

Figure 5 Combustion of biogas

While combustion of biogas, like natural gas, produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, the

carbon in biogas comes from plant matter that fixed this carbon from atmospheric CO2. Thus,
biogas production is carbon-neutral and does not add to greenhouse gas emissions.

5.1 COMBUSTION CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOGAS

The constituents of biogas are mainly methane and carbon dioxide, with smaller amounts of
hydrogen sulfide, moisture and siloxanes. The molar fraction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is high, which
ranges from 40% to 60% depending on the source of biogas, so biogas is a low-calorific-value fuel.

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 Figure 6 Combustion Characteristics of Biogas

6 CALCULATIONS:
6.1 Determining Gas Demand for Domestic Use:
The gas demand can be defined on the basis of energy consumed previously. For example, 1 kg
firewood then corresponds to 200 l biogas, 1 kg dried cow dung corresponds to 100 l biogas and 1 kg
charcoal corresponds to 500 l biogas.
The gas demand can also be defined using the daily cooking times. The gas consumption per person
and meal lies between 150 and 300 liter biogas. For one liter water to be cooked 30-40 l biogas, for
1/2 kg rice 120-140 l and for 1/2 kg legumes 160-190 l are required.
Compared to other gases, biogas needs less air for combustion. Therefore, conventional gas
appliances need larger gas jets when they are used for biogas combustion. About 5.7 liters of air are
required for the complete combustion of one liter of biogas, while for butane 30.9 liters and for
propane 23.8 liters are required.

6.2 Sizing the Digester:

The size of the digester, i.e. the digester volume Vd, is determined on the basis of the chosen
retention time RT and the daily substrate input quantity Sd.

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[ m3 = m3/day × number of days]

The retention time, in turn, is determined by the chosen/given digesting temperature. For an unheated
biogas plant, the temperature prevailing in the digester can be assumed as 1-2 Kelvin above the soil
temperature. Seasonal variation must be given due consideration, however, i.e. the digester must be
sized for the least favorable season of the year. For a plant of simple design, the retention time
should amount to at least 40 days. Practical experience shows that retention times of 60-80 days, or
even 100 days or more, are no rarity when there is a shortage of substrate. On the other hand, extra-
long retention times can increase the gas yield by as much as 40%. The substrate input depends on
how much water has to be added to the substrate in order to arrive at a solids content of 4-8%.

Substrate input (Sd) = biomass (B) + water (W) [m3/d]

In most agricultural biogas plants, the mixing ratio for dung (cattle and / or pigs) and water (B: W)
amounts to between 1:3 and 2:1.

6.3 Calculating the Daily Gas Production G:

The amount of biogas generated each day G [m3 gas/d], is calculated on the basis of the specific gas
yield Gy of the substrate and the daily substrate input Sd.
The calculation can be based on:

The volatile solids content VS

G = VS × Gy (solids) [ m3/d = kg × m3/(d×kg) ]

The weight of the moist mass B

G = B × Gy (moist mass) [ m3/d = kg × m3/(d×kg) ]

Standard gas-yield values per livestock unit LSU

G = number of LSU × Gy(species) [ m3/d = number× m3/(d×number) ]

The temperature dependency is given by:

Gy(T,RT) = mGy × f(T,RT)

Where,

Gy(T,RT) = gas yield as a function of digester temperature and retention time

mGy = average specific gas yield, e.g. l/kg volatile solids content
f(T,RT) = multiplier for the gas yield as a function of digester temperature T and retention time RT

As a rule, it is advisable to calculate according to several different methods, since the available basic
data are usually very imprecise, so that a higher degree of sizing certainty can be achieved by
comparing and averaging the results.

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6.4 Establishing the Plant Parameters:
The degree of safe-sizing certainty can be increased by defining a number of plant parameters:

6.4.1 Specific gas production Gp:

i.e. the daily gas generation rate per m3 digester volume Vd, is calculated according to the following
equation

Gp = G ÷ Vd [ (m3/d) / m3 ]

6.4.2 Digester loading Ld:

The digester loading Ld is calculated from the daily total solids input TS/d or the daily volatile
solids input VS/d and the digester volume Vd:

TS /d
Ld T [kg/(m3 d) ]
Vd
VS /d
Ld V [kg/(m3 d) ]
Vd

Then, a calculated parameter should be checked against data from comparable plants in the region or
from pertinent literature.

6.4.3 Sizing the Gasholder :

The size of the gasholder, i.e. the gasholder volume Vg, depends on the relative rates of gas
generation and gas consumption. The gasholder must be designed to:

 cover the peak consumption rate gcmax (->Vg1) and

 hold the gas produced during the longest zero-consumption period tzmax (->Vg2)

Vg1 = gcmax × tcmax = vcmax Vg2 = Gh × tzmax

With,

gcmax = maximum hourly gas consumption [m3/h] tcmax = time of maximum consumption [h] vcmax =
maximum gas consumption [m3] Gh = hourly gas production [m3/h] = G ÷ 24 h/d tzmax = maximum
zero-consumption time [h]

The larger Vg-value (Vg1 or Vg2) determines the size of the gasholder. A safety margin of 10-20%
should be added:

Vg = 1.15 (±0.5) × max(Vg1,Vg2)

Practical experience shows that 40-60% of the daily gas production normally has to be stored.

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The ratio Vd ÷ Vg (digester volume ÷ gasholder volume) is a major factor with regard to the basic
design of the biogas plant. For a typical agricultural biogas plant, the Vd/Vg-ratio amounts to
somewhere between 3:1 and 10:1, with 5:1 - 6:1 occuring most frequently.

Figure 7 Calculating the Biogas Production

7 GAS ANALYSIS IN BIOGAS PLANTS
A biogas plant must be continuously monitored with respect to gas composition, temperature, dwell
time in the fermenter and the addition of substrate to ensure optimum operation of the biological
process and to achieve as high a methane yield as possible. It is particularly important to check the
concentration of hydrogen sulfide as this residual gas is toxic and corrosive and can also disrupt the
biological process above a specific concentration level. Plant monitoring is carried out by analyzing
the composition of the raw biogas downstream of the fermenter with the following significance for
the process:
 The methane concentration is used to control the addition of material. A fluctuating methane
content in the fermenter would considerably disrupt the fermentation process.
 The oxygen concentration is extremely important to ensure an optimum fermentation process
since the formation of explosive gas mixtures can then be detected early and prevented.
 Measuring hydrogen sulfide levels makes it possible to keep the concentration of this toxic
and corrosive gas as low as possible by taking appropriate action. Besides the risk to people
resulting from its toxicity, this gas can adversely affect both the generation of biogas and
downstream processes.

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 8 DESIGN CONSIDERATION
 household burners: 200-450 L/h
 industrial burners: 1,000-3,000 L/h
 refrigerator (100 L) depending on outside temperature: 30-75 L/h
 gas lamp, equivalent to a 60 W bulb: 120-150 L/h
 biogas/diesel engine per bhp: 420 L/h
 generation of 1 kWh of electricity with biogas/diesel mixture: 700 L/h
 plastics moulding press (15 g, 100 units) with biogas/ diesel mixture: 140 L/h

Figure 8 Design Consideration

9 Improvement of Production
 The energy demand, which is expected to increase more worldwide, has sparked the interest
of researchers to find sustainable and inexpensive sources of energy.
 The total production volume of biogas is still relatively low.
 Not much Governmental Resource input into its production.

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  A biogas plant is the name often given to an anaerobic digester that treats farm wastes or
energy crops.
 These plants can be fed with energy crops such as maize silage or biodegradable
wastes including sewage sludge and food waste.
 Higher quantities of biogas can be produced when the wastewater is co-digested with other
residuals from the dairy industry, sugar industry, or brewery industry.
 For example, while mixing 90% of wastewater from beer factory with 10% cow whey, the
production of biogas was increased by 2.5 times compared to the biogas produced by
wastewater from the brewery only.

9.1 Mesophilic and Thermophilic  digestion :
 Mesophilic (At Moderate Temperatures i.e. 20-45 deg. C)
 Thermophilic (At Extreme Temperatures i.e. 41-221 deg. C)
 Produce 70-80% more biogas than other digestions 

9.2 BIOGAS UPGRADING
 Raw Biogas produce from digestion is roughly 60% Methane and 39% CO2 with trace
elements of H ₂S.
 The process of separation of methane from carbon dioxide and other gases from Biogas.
 This arrangement could deliver 98% methane with manufacturers guaranteeing maximum 2%
methane loss in the system.
  It takes roughly between 3% and 6% of the total energy output in gas to run a biogas
upgrading system.

10 ADVANTAGES OF BIO GAS

10.1 Biogas is Eco-Friendly
Biogas is a renewable, as well as a clean, source of energy. Gas generated through biodigestion is
Biogas is a renewable, as well as a clean, source of energy. Gas generated through biodigestion is
non-polluting; it actually reduces greenhouse emissions (i.e. reduces the greenhouse effect). No
combustion takes place in the process, meaning there is zero emission of greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere; therefore, using gas from waste as a form of energy is a great way to combat global
warming.

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 Figure 9 Biogas : Renewable Eco Friendly Energy

10.2 Reduces Soil and Water Pollution

Overflowing landfills don’t only spread foul smells- they also allow toxic liquids to drain into
underground water sources. Subsequently, another advantage of biogas is that biogas generation may
improve water quality. Moreover, anaerobic digestion deactivates pathogens and parasites; thus, it’s
also quite effective in reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases. Similarly, waste collection and
management significantly improve in areas with biogas plants. This in turn, leads to improvements in
the environment, sanitation, and hygiene.

10.3 Organic Fertilizer

The by-product of the biogas generation process is enriched organic digestate, which is a perfect
supplement to, or substitute for, chemical fertilizers. The fertilizer discharge from the digester can
accelerate plant growth and resilience to diseases, whereas commercial fertilizers contain chemicals
that have toxic effects and can cause
food poisoning, among other things.

Figure 10 Biogas produces Organic Fertilizer

10.4 Low Cost Technology

The technology used to produce biogas is quite cheap. It is easy to set up and needs little investment
when used on a small scale. Small biodigesters can be used right at home, utilizing kitchen waste and
animal manure. A household system pays for itself after a while and the materials used for
generation are absolutely free. The gas produced can be used directly for cooking and generation of
electricity. This is what allows the cost of biogas production to be relatively low. Farms can make
use of biogas plants and waste products produced by their livestock every day. The waste products of
one cow can provide enough energy to power a lightbulb for an entire day. In large plants, biogas can
also be compressed to achieve the quality of natural gas and utilized to power automobiles. Building
such plants requires relatively low capital investment and creates green jobs. For instance, in India,
10 million jobs were created, mostly in rural areas, in plants and in organic waste collection.

10.5 Healthy Cooking

Biogas generators save women and children from the daunting task of firewood collection. As a
result, more time is left for cooking and cleaning. More importantly, cooking on a gas stove, instead
of over an open fire, prevents the family from being exposed to smoke in the kitchen. This helps

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prevent deadly respiratory diseases. Sadly, 4.3 million people a year die prematurely from illnesses
attributed to the household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels for cooking.

11 Discussion
Biogas is a clean and renewable energy sources. It can be used in different end-use applications such
as transport fuel, electricity generation, heating, and cooking. It is produced from the anaerobic
digestion of organic matter/waste. Biogas needs to be upgraded into biomethane for its use as a
transport fuel and injection into the natural gas grid. In this chapter, the state-of-the-art of the biogas
upgrading technologies, especially biological ones implemented in large-scale biogas plants, are
analyzed and discussed. This includes different process parameters and conditions for the
downstream upgrading of biogas into biomethane. Biogas upgrading into biomethane and its
utilization could help in decarbonizing the transport sector. Similarly, the injection of biomethane
into the gas grid might enhance energy security, reduce fossil energy consumption, and contribute to
economic development.

12 Reference
 https://www.google.com/search?
q=biogas+is+ecofriendly&source=lmns&bih=656&biw=1396&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKE
wib0dr45vP3AhVG4BoKHQWNA4AQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/biogas
 https://www.britannica.com/technology/biogas
 https://www.homebiogas.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biogas/
 https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?
q=combustion+characteristics+of+biogas&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

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