H N Chanakya,

CST, IISc, Bangalore

Biogas plants augment Agriculture by recycling agro-residues through cattle or

directly by new generation biogas plants – allows recycling and sustainability
 Understanding history to predict future
-Deenabandhu, -Multiple end-uses -Commercial plants
Popularizing Janatha & local -Commercial uses -USW /sewage BGPs
Indian BGPs designs of BGPs and large plants -Multi-use BGPs
Pull by -Popularizing -IISc design -Mixed feed, -Remediation BGPs
-Biogas BGPs -VAPs /uses -Pollution abatement
-Compost - Acceptance

-Cost reduction - USW, multi-feed, -

-New designs Cheaper rugged designs,
-Alt. Feeds, Big plants, - Waste water BGPs
-Alt. feed stocks -Pollution mgmt.
Indian design New - efficient -R&D initiated Resource use efficiency, -
R&D contd. Demos, 1990- -Co-digest toxicant
biogas plants designs, IISc -Better conv.
2000 2000-10
1960-70 1970-80 1980-90

-Envi. friendly tech.

-Enviro. Clean-up
-Low crop yield -Energy crises -Energy crisis -2nd -Energy crisis -Commercialization
-Efficient nutrient -Alternative fuels consciousness - GEF /GHG etc. -New laws, -CDM, C-
management -(cooking fuel) -NRE goals - RE promo. policy trade, -Profitability
-Basic needs of MNES set up -Revitalized MNES
lighting, pumping

Trajectory of AD/BG in India from 1950-2010, Chanakya & Sreesha, 2012

 Biomethantion and Anaerobic Digestion

Goal: to develop designs using leaf biomass, agro-residues and

municipal solid waste: build livelihoods around BGP
Technologies: Optimized biogas plant designs-cost reduction
• Solid-phase and plug flow reactors; leaf biomass and MSW
• Coffee effluent treatment plants
Spread and Impact: Multi-feed and high rate bioreactors: 80 modules
• MSW plant – 3, Canteen plants – 5, Community biogas plants: 17
 Lifeline Energy
Drinking water lifting, Domestic
illumination,
Grain milling
Grid Power not used so no
Coal Burnt for Power

Pura ASTRA-IEI experiment

- 10 year operation (contd)
95% revenue collection, participatory
management.
Revenue enough only for O&M.
Dung borrowed, return as cake - equity.
Fermented dung premium manure
Better quality nursery material. No weeds
 A 2m3 biogas balloon is easily
carried by a housewife or an
adolescent to the nearest gas
collection centre within the
village. Surplus gas is an
essential output providing daily
or weekly cash incomes to the
operator – usually the housewife.
When biogas is produced from
agro-wastes and other soft
biomass, it is possible to create
this output that will firstly reduce
pressure on trees being cut for
fuelwood, second could liberate
villages from fossil fuels.
These are also commercially
viable at the rural level

What can we dream?

The cup is half-full - Facilitate methane
collection system from grass-roots like milk
collection systems.
•It will encourage grass-root
level biomass use efficiency,
•HH fermentors
• methane collection without
transport of wood ash,
nutrients etc.
• HH level collection, Village
level purification and
compression, tanker based.
•Collection – vehicles also
run on methane!

• 50M HHÆ1m3/HH =4.2Bn Euro/yr upto 30Bn cap.

• Recommend
• 1.Setting milk collection type infrastructure on trial basis and franchise.
• 2.Evolve policy cover
• 3.Gather technologies for above option franchise to local enterprises.
 What biomass feed stocks
occur at
1.Village level?
2.Across India?
1. Agro-residues in villages inadequately deployed today
2. Agro-industry residues (liquid and solid)
3. Urban solid wastes
4. Making biomass plants viable
5. Emerging and newer biomass feedstocks
EXISTING USE PATTERN ACTIVITY ALTERNATIVE Biomass Technologies
Fuel Source Annual Annual biomass Modern option and
power requirement requirement total requirement
(Total) tons, kWh, L tons, (tons, total)
================================================================================
Wood and 400 cooking 785 dung BIOGAS
crop 137 green biomass (210 m3/d)
residue (dry basis) ----------------------------------------.
(609 t) 97 heating water 47 fuelwood EFFICIENT WOOD
40 restaurants 23 fuelwood BURNING DEVICES
44 jaggery making 33 residue (113 t)
20 brick making 10 fuelwood ----------------------------------------.
. 5570 Agro- 20.8 fuelwood PRODUCER GAS
Grid Processing (16,000 kWh) ELECTRICITY .
Electri- 27079 Irrigation 190 fuelwood (Total .
city (146,160 kWh) 192,992 kWh).
(53,064) 10891 Grain milling 10.7 fuelwood (251 t) .
(kWh) 9524 lighting (8,213 kWh) ------------------------------------------
27.0 fuelwood BASE-LOAD USES
Kerosene 6283L lighting (20,696 kWh) biogas or producer
gas depending upon
Human NA Drinking 2.5 fuelwood resource available
(1,923 kWh) ----------------------------------------.
Petrol/diesel NA mobile shaft power NA Biodiesel Mod. veg. Oils(MVO)
Total = 785t dung, 137t herbaceous biomass, 405t wood (all existing) (Bottled methane)

Bioenergy Fantasy – Low carbon path (>25 yrs)

Biomass supply potential exists
Endogenous energy security + Export
External technology dependency /inadequacy
 Methane farming – sweet sorghum +
biomethanation = 500%>energy than ethanol
– closed cycle, high sustainability potential
Outputs from a typical methane farm (per acre basis): 4.6m3/hr, 27kWthermal, 10kWelec
power, steam, CNG, CDM, refrigeration, bio-compost, peripherals,
cooking gas, etc.
Sample potential projection by a Maharashtra biomethanation company for cane belt

Biogas potential,

Biogas Potential,

revenue @ 1500/t

Revenue thru'

Revenue from
Yield, Ton per

Total benefits
CNG @20/m3
Biocompost
Feedstoks

m3/acre/yr

Rs/acre
CDM
m3/t
acre

Sweetsorghum 188 150 28125 43500 22617 56250 122367

DOC 3 600 1800 3845 7500 1800 29345
 2

1 3

PFR allows many soft biomass residues to be fermented to biogas

To ferment these soft biomass residues such as terrestrial weeds, agro-
residues, aquatic residues, agro-processing wastes, food wastes, etc.
require different Fermenter designs
– because their properties differ and cannot become slurries
A three zone fermentation could be done in simple plug-flow
reactors with separate gas storage. These new biogas plant can
now reach every one in India, All rural families can build such
plants. Not a single tree has to be cut for fire-wood

3-zone, PFR for multi-feeds

A 4 m3/day biogas plant built for a farm to use
Various biomass residues requires only 12kg dry material per day = 1.2t DM/family/year
Gas to be used by two families.
USW /food waste plant in Sri Lanka
(CST-astra, IISc design, 2009)
How does the biology differ?
BMP and Decomposition properties
CST, IISc, Bengaluru, India

Centre for Sustainable Technologies, IISc, Bangalore

 Complex
Organics

76%,NA, NA

20%, NA, NA 4%, NA, NA

Higher Organic Acids

52%, NA, NA 24%, NA, NA

Acetic Acid Hydrogen

72%, 50%, 10% 28%, 50%, 90%

Cattle dung,
food wastes
Methane and biomass
 Complex
Organics

76%,NA, NA

20%, NA, NA 4%, NA, NA

Higher Organic Acids

52%, NA, NA 24%, NA, NA

Acetic Acid Hydrogen

Cow dung, thermophilic, CSTR Food waste, thermophilic, CSTR

Plant biomass, thermophilic, CSTR
72%, 50%, 10% 28%, 50%, 90%
Pseudomonas pertucinogena, Lactobacillus parabrevis,
Parabacteroides
Pseudomonas halodenitrificans Butyrivibrio sp.
distasonis ATCC 8503

Methane
Anaerobaculum mobile, Clostridium thermocellum
Bacillus thermoterrestris
Lactobacillus hammesii ATCC 27405

Clostridium sp. FCB90-3 Syntrophomonas wolfei

Sporanaerobacter acetigenes,
Syntrophococcus sucromutans,
Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus

Methanoculleus thermophilicus Methanoculleus marisnigri JR1

Methanosarcina thermophila

Methanobrevibacter sp.,
Methanoculleus bourgensis
Municipal Solid Wastes
This resembles segregated MSW collection
“dry-waste” collection centres’ run for profit
Segregated for market within 24h after receipt
Stocking designed for minimum quantity for lifting
This resembles segregated MSW collection
“dry-waste” collection centres’ run for profit
Segregated for market within 24h after receipt
Stocking designed for minimum quantity for lifting
Compost odour is “offensive” to residents and needs
lots of leaves so change to “biomethanation”

Even this is economically viable - Evolution Î 2 next

page

Make it more “economically attractive Æ people

should fight for /over garbage rights!!
 Solid Wastes !! are a solid waste
Conventional methods becoming increasingly expensive, untenable and unsustainable
GenerationÆCollectionÆtransportÆprocessingÆDisposal

Economic Sustainability is itself poor as it stands today

Collection Costs Rs1500-3500/t,

Transport Rs550-1800/t,
Treatment Rs 300-500/t
Disposal Rs 300-600/t (assuming free landfill site)

Need to offset these costs Æ can we think of making this

profitable? extracting energy, by-products, recycling, re-
using, infrastructural inputs
 Sector-wise USW composition

Source Quantity Fraction %

(t/d) (by weight)
Domestic 780 55
Markets 210 15
Hotels and eatery 290 20
Trade and commercial 85 6
Slums 20 1
Street sweeping and parks 40 3
Source: Chanakya and Sharatchandra, 2005
Although USW Generation today is about 3600t/d, the relative composition is still similar
waste

Data Source – KSPCB,2008; Chanakya and Sharatchandra, 2008

BITS-Goa Campus
Kitchen /Garden wastes
1tpd Æ gas for cooking
Small Apartment Biogas Plant
.
10kg/d, 600L/d, Rs.12-15,000 (2011)
FRP with internal reinforcements.

Balcony Biogas Plant (2kg/d,

Rs 12-15,000 (2012), 120L/d)
Mild Steel, Epoxy Coated
Rs.6-9000/- FRP versions
 The Treatment and
Recycling system
Currently just about break
even costs or about
profitable at ideal
conditions. NEW AVENUES
FOR VALUE ADDITION
REQUIRED TO SHOW
SENSIBLE PROFITS
 Treatment and Recycling potential (1tpd) system, 2014
Quantity Recove Rate, Rs/kg Rs/ton
ry (%) or gross
INPUT Capital cost/d (investment) 1200 Rs 1200
O, M&D/d 450 Rs 450
Total input 1650
OUTPUT Biogas commercial 50kg/d 100 50/kg 2500
Paper 116 kg 75 15 1305
Cloth, rubber, PVC, leather 10.1 kg 50 12 60
Glass 14.3 kg 75 3 32
Polythene /plastics 62.3 kg 75 12 561
Metals 10 kg 90 25 225
Total output (net gain Rs @100% recovery) 3033 4683
Output net gain Rs.@75% recovery) 2487 3033
 The Treatment and
Recycling system
Currently just about break
even costs or marginally
profitable at ideal
conditions. NEW AVENUES
FOR VALUE ADDITION
REQUIRED TO SHOW
SENSIBLE PROFITS
 Making Biogas economic

Value Added (by)Products

Mushroom,
Fibers (fabric, paper, ropes, etc)
Vermi-compost
Pest repellent, MA Storage
 30% fermentables for biogas
(1.4t/ha*400m3/t=640m3 =Rs5600)

Process & Economics ARECA

Fresh husk
(9t / ha)
30d SRT

CST-IISc Technology
Fiber (50%) =2.4t
(Rs40/kg=Rs96,000)

Areca yield =
6t fruit + 9t husk /ha/yr
Nuts value Rs.100,000 :
husk fibre value Rs.96,000 Compost
(no process available today) (0.93t/ha*3000=Rs2790)
CST Areca Biogas Plants recover
40% as fibre, 40% fermentables as biogas
and 20% as compost
 Anaerobic digestion of
Banana leaf for fiber, biogas
and compost
CST-IISc Technology
•Decomposing banana leaf in CST biogas
plant , 20% of TS is recovered as fiber, 75% as
biogas and 5% as compost in 27days of
fermentation
•The pattern of banana leaf decomposition
was followed by staining the digesting leaf at
various intervals of fermentation and viewing

under microscope- suggesting only

cementing walls of vascular bundles being
broken down and getting vascular bundles as
intact fibers
Broken
Cementing channel
Vascular
channel
bundles
(fibre)

a b c
 Areca Husk
CST-IISc Technology

Banana leaf
CST-IISc Technology

Decomposition pattern with respect to fermentation time of banana leaf 5b. Areca husk

Problems, Challenges and New Tasks, etc.

Feasible on large scale and small scale, sustainable mode of operation
with zero energy input, Different agro-residues show different
fermentation pattern in the same reactor conditions and needs to be
standardized, Value added product like biogas and compost with zero
emissions and no pollution
 Small scale fiber extraction - value addition at family level (Banana Leaf)

Biogas Fibre
Non fiber matter 4kg/day
120Rs/day
Banana leaf Plug flow type Digested leaf Raspador
(100kg/day) biogas plant

Compost
Pest repellent
Profit and financial viability assessments
Cost of fiber= 30 per Kg
Cost of Biogas plant= 75,000
Annual fiber production=1460 Kg
Cost of Rapador= 50,000
Total returns= 43800
Annual Labor=5400
Pay back period with interest: 4yrs
Annual power= 2160
Total investment per year=132560

Separating Fibers-economics
 Extent of Kill and
residual air in MA
storage of grains
• 1-2 fillings required and can
make and excellent
livelihood option with just a
small balloon and pipe.

• Pests Tried
• Sitophilus oryzae
• Tribolium castaneum
• Rhyzopertha dominica
 Offset high costs

Pest repellant uses

Æ outcomes

Liquid in the digester has pest

repellant properties that needs
to be tested locally. Best way
to use needs to bd determined
locally
 Mushroom cultivation on
digested biomass

Mushroom cultivation is best done when there is a large content

of leaf litter and agro wastes. Digested residue (top left) is
mixed with a bulking agent like rice straw (bottom left) and kept
for mushroom production – typically oyster mushroom
(Pleurotes spp). Within 20-45d about 2-3kg mushroom /kg of dry
mixture is produced whose value is about Rs.120.
Other Pleurotes varieties to be tested, other mushrooms to be
tested, household technology /device to evolved.
R
CST, IISc, Bengaluru, India

Spawning

Fruiting body

Centre for Sustainable Technologies, IISc, Bangalore

1st flush
 Leachate

Mushroom

Pre-packed mushroom bags purchased from

Biogas

Digester liquid spraying

Astra-CST PFR

IIHR-Bangalore
Digester residue

-- CURRENT PROCESS --
With only biogas and compost-
LOW ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Spraying digester liquid to mushroom
increases economic sustainability
 Multi-Feed Biogas Plants
Agro-processing wastewater
coffee Industry Wastewater

Seasonal outputs
Multi-feed capability needed
Solid to liquid switching in 10d!!
Independent operation
 Biogas plants for mixed
Agro-processing waste-water
and soft biomass
Mixed solid–liquid feed,
no gas drum

A 4X60m3 plug-flow based coffee bioreactor

/biomass based biogas plant at Mallandur (below)
and a 6X60m3 coffee bioreactor near Balehonnur,
Chikkamagalur, Karnataka. Gas production is large

and collected in gas bags (right)

Each module Rs.4 Lakhs = 30m3 gas /d

Î40RsX15LX350d=210,000/yr
Gas given to Labour Lines = Trees saved
Fossil fuel substituted
Pollution prevented
 Biogas from
Emerging Biomass
by-products

Micro-algal production
Biodiesel rejects – non-edibledeoiled cake, /
glycerol+methanol
 Sustainable Cultivation of Algae for Biofuel is 
possible at four locations in India
• Paddy fields as a multi‐tier crop (16.49Mha) 
• Saline brackish region of Kachch (Gujarat; 3.0Mha)
• Urban domestic wastewater  (40billion L/d)
• Fishery deficient seashores (3Mha).
(Chanakya et al., 2012b)

(Chanakya et al., 2012b)
 Mixed Consortia and Wastewater
Kill three birds with one stone
Algal-biofuel, COD/ BOD removal and Nutrient recycling
Bellandur tank can provide 30,000L biofuel + 30,000m3 biogas daily
 150 Million BGPs potential exists

How to make the program ‘profitable’?

Rapidity /critical mass

 Biomethanation Technologies /byproducts
Agro-residues, Grain Disinfestation, Auto-Fuel,
Weeds, Straws Pico-power, CO2, Direct Fuel Cell
Leaf Litter, MSW
(no dung needed)
Biogas
Pest Repellant, Algae-
Pisciculture, Fertigation

Digester
liquid
Mushroom, Fiber (fabric-
paper), Rooting Medium,
Digested Inoculant Carrier, BioFilm
Residue Support, Vermi-compost
(derivatives),

Rural Enterprises will market these for local and

urban markets Æ Rapid pay back.
ADD CDM BENEFITS, Highly “Enterprisable”!!!!
 Pico-power (0.2-2kW) Mushrooms
Vermi-compost
Direct Fuel Cells, 10-200W

AutoGas (clean /compress) Fiber for cloth

Biogas Plants
(keystone technology
CA storage /Fumigation approach) Compost

Rooting medium
Mushroom growth promoter
Microbial Inoculant Carrier
Aqua-culture
Lignin formaldehyde
Algal culture /N harvest
Biofilm Support
Pest repellant Fiber ÆPaper, upholstery, etc.
Compost is “offensive” to residents
and needs lots of leaves so change
to “biomethanation”

Even this is economically viable -

Evolution Î 2 next page

Make it more “economically

attractive Æ people should fight
for /over garbage rights!!
The cup is half-full - Facilitate methane
collection system from grass-roots like milk
collection systems.
•It will encourage grass-root
level biomass use efficiency,
•HH fermentors
• methane collection without
transport of wood ash,
nutrients etc.
• HH level collection, Village
level purification and
compression, tanker based.
•Collection – vehicles also
run on methane!

• 50M HHÆ1m3/HH =4.2Bn Euro/yr upto 30Bn cap.

• Recommend
• 1.Setting milk collection type infrastructure on trial basis and franchise.
• 2.Evolve policy cover
• 3.Gather technologies for above option franchise to local enterprises.