CONVERTING FOOD WASTE TO BIO GAS

----------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT------------------------------------------------------

Biogas is a renewable source of natural gas.Biogas is produced by bacteria through the bio-degradation
of organic material under anaerobic conditions. The process is called anaerobic digestion. Project was to
Create an Organic Processing Facility to create biogas which will be more cost effective, eco-friendly,
cut down on landfill waste, generate a high-quality renewable fuel, and reduce carbon dioxide & methane
emissions. While organic material may be a feedstock for anaerobic digestion, waste organic matter
represents an immense potential for sustainable energy production. Food waste, in particular, is a
relatively an undeveloped resource. Large amounts of food waste are produced at campus dining halls
and other food service facilities. The waste was analyzed for organic matter content and potential biogas
yield. Food waste was digested in a small-scale anaerobic digester. Anaerobic digestion is a microbial
process for production of biogas, which consist of Primarily methane (CH4) & carbon dioxide (CO2).
Further, energy use and carbon emissions associated with current disposal methods would be reduced,
and valuable nutrients in the food waste would be recycled for use as organic fertilizer.

KEYWORDS: Biogas, organic waste, anaerobic, aerobic, organic fertilizer

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. INTRODUCTION
Due to scarcity of petroleum and coal it threatens supply of fuel throughout the world as they are
non-renewable source of energy.These fuels are combustible and produce harmful gases,which leds to
research in different corners to get access the new sources of energy, like renewable energy resources.
Solar energy, wind energy, different thermal and hydro sources of energy, biogas are all renewable energy
resources. But, biogas is distinct from other renewable energies because of its characterstics of
using,controlling and collecting organic wastes and at the same time producing fertilizer and water for use
in agricultural irrigation. Biogas does not have any geographical limitations nor does it requires advanced
technology for producing energy, also it is very simple to use and apply. Biogas is mainly composed of
50 to 70 percent methane (CH4), 30 to 40 percent carbon dioxide (CO2) and low amount of other gases.
Biogas is about 20 % lighter than air and has an ignition temperature in the range of 6500C to 7500C. It is
odourless and colourless gas that burns with clear blue flame similar to that of liquid petroleum (LPG)
gas. Its caloric value is 20 Mega Joules (MJ) /m3 and burns with 60 %efficiency in a conventional biogas
stove. Biogas refers to a gas made from anaerobic digestion of agricultural and animal waste. The biogas
can be collected and combusted for cooking,heating, or to produce electricity.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising method to treat the kitchen wastes. There are many factors
affecting the design and performance of anaerobic digestion. Some are related to feedstock
characteristics, design of reactors and operation conditions in real time. Physical and chemical
characteristics of the organic wastes are important for designing and operating digesters, because they
affect the biogas production and process stability during anaerobic digestion. They include, moisture
content, volatile solids, nutrient 10 contents, particle size, & biodegradability. The biodegradability of a
feed is indicated by biogas production or methane yield and percentage of solids (total solids or total
volatile solids) that are destroyed in the anaerobic digestion. The biogas or methane yield is measured by
the amount of biogas or methane that can be produced per unit of volatile solids contained in the
feedstock after subjecting it to anaerobic digestion for a sufficient amount of time.
1.1 Objectives of the study-

The main objective of this study is to design a biogas digester utilizing kitchen waste. To achieve this, the
following specific research objectives would have to be met:

[1] To analyze the systems and methods used to dispose kitchen waste.

[2] To establish how kitchen waste could be converted to biogas.

[3] To determine the benefits of kitchen wastes biogas plant over conventional biogas plant.

[4] To determine how improper kitchen waste disposal affects the environment.

Significance of the Study-

The study was to provide information to adapt the use of an anaerobic biogas system to replace the
expensive LPG and wood fuel sources. The study was also to provide the institute with a basic
explanation of the mechanics of a small, continuous flow anaerobic digester which could adopt for use.
This would reduce waste disposal and fuel costs by converting food waste into feedstock for the
biodigester which would be used for cooking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. RELATED WORK

Organic substances exist in wide variety from living beings to dead organisms . Organic matters are
composed of Carbon (C), combined with elements such as Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N),
Sulphur (S) to form variety of organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins & lipids. In nature
MOs (microorganisms), through digestion process breaks the complex carbon into smaller substances.
There are 2 types of digestion process :

 Aerobic digestion.
 Anaerobic digestion

The digestion process occurring in presence of Oxygen is called Aerobic digestion and produces mixtures
of gases having carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main “green houses” responsible for global warming.

The digestion process occurring without (absence) oxygen is called Anaerobic digestion which generates
mixtures of gases. The gas produced which is mainly methane produces 5200-5800 KJ/m3 which when
burned at normal room temperature and presents a viable environmentally friendly energy source to
replace fossil fuels (non-renewable).

Anaerobic digestion-

Anaerobic digestion is a series of biological processes in which microorganisms break down

biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. One of the end products is biogas, which is combusted
to generate electricity and heat, or can be processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels.
A range of anaerobic digestion technologies are converting livestock manure, municipal wastewater
solids, food waste, high strength industrial wastewater and residuals, fats, oils and grease (FOG), and
various other organic waste streams into biogas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Separated digested solids
can be composted, utilized for dairy bedding, directly applied to cropland or converted into other
products. Nutrients in the liquid stream are used in agriculture as fertilizer.
The Biological Process

The digestion process begins with bacterial hydrolysis of the input materials in order to break down
insoluble organic polymers such as carbohydrates and make them available for other bacteria. Acidogenic
bacteria then convert the sugars and amino acids into carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, and organic
acids. Acetogenic bacteria then convert these resulting organic acids into acetic acid, along with
additional ammonia, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Finally, methanogens convert these products to
methane and carbon di oxide.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials A biogas production system consists of the following features:

a) Substrate inlet
This consists of a container for the raw fresh organic waste and pipe of at least 10 cm diameter
leading to the digester. The connection between the inlet pipe and the digester must be air tight.

b) Digester
This is the reservoir of organic wastes in which the substrate is acted on by anaerobic micro
organisms to produce biogas.

c) Gas Storage /Reservoir

Depending on the proposed design, this may be simply an empty but enclosed space above the slurry
in the digester, an inverted floating drum whose diameter is just slightly smaller than that of the
cylindrical digester or an air tight polythene tube with an inlet –outlet outfit.

d) Gas Burner-
This may be a special lighting lamp or a modified burner for cooking.

e) Exhaust outlet
This consists of a pipe of similar size to the inlet pipe connected to the digester at a slightly lower
level than the inlet pipe to facilitate outflow of exhausted slurry as shown in Figure 1.

To
kitchen

Reservoir Gas pipe

Water

trap

Outlet
Digester Inlet
 Fig.1: Biogas Production System

Methods
Biogas can be obtained from any organic material after anaerobic fermentation by three main steps.
The fermentation of organic wastes under anaerobic conditions to produce biogas occurs in the
following three stages as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3:
Conversion Of Kitchen Waste...

1. First Stage

Complex organic compounds are attacked by hydrolytic and fermentative bacteria, the enzymes are
secrete and hydrolyzed ferment compounds into acetate and hydrogen .A small amount of the carbon
converted will end up as volatile fatty acids, primarily propionic and butyric acids.

Hydrolyze and ferments organic substance

Cellulose Protein decomposing Fat decomposing bacteria

decomposing bacteria
bacteria

Saccharides Amino acids Fatty acids

Volatile acids H2 and CO2

Fig. 2: Fermentative Bacteria

2. Second Stage
The hydrogen produce acetogenic bacteria continue decomposing by converting the volatile fatty acids
into acetate .

Decompose the substances Acetic acid,H2 and CO2

produced in the first stage

Fig.3: Decomposition of Fatty Acids

3. Third Stage
It produces the bacteria which convert the hydrogen and acetate into methane .There is a certain amount
of specialization in that different bacteria act on different substrates .In order for these bacteria to work
properly and achieve the desired end products, the following conditions have to be well balanced .The
dilution of the substrate i.e. amount of water to dilute the animal waste. The optimum temperature which
should be 350C Type of substrate due to their suitable carbon to Nitrogen (C: N) ratio.Rate of feeding the
digester (overfeeding can lead to accumulation of volatile fatty acids).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The proposed biogas plant is of fixed dome type of digester constructed in cylindrical shape. The relevant
dimensions for the flat bottom digester are shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 3: Diagrammatic sketch of digester with flat bottom (Source: Niangua, 2006)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

V. CONCLUSIONS
Production of energy.

 Transformation of organic wastes to very high quality fertilizer

. Improvement of hygienic conditions through reduction of pathogens.

 Environmental advantages through protection of soil, water, air etc

. Micro-economical benefits by energy and fertilizer substitutes

. Macro-economical benefits through decentralizes energy generation and environmental protection.