Status of Biogas in India,

Government schemes and Biogas

Enrichment & Bottling for Automobile
By

Dr. Virendra K. Vijay

Centre for Rural Development & Technology
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India

E-mail: vkvijay@rdat.iitd.ernet.in

Introduction
Biogas is an important renewable energy resource for rural areas in
India.
It is produced by anaerobic digestion of biological wastes.
It is an environment friendly, clean, cheap and versatile fuel.
Biogas generally comprise of 55-65 % methane, 35-45 % carbon
dioxide, 0.5-1.0 % hydrogen sulfide and traces of water vapour.
Average calorific value of biogas is 20 MJ/m3 (4713 kcal/ m3).

 Biogas like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cannot be liquefied

under normal temperature and pressure.
Critical temperature required for liquefaction of methane is
-82.1oC at 4.71MPa pressure, therefore use of biogas is limited
nearby the biogas plant.
An estimate indicates that India has a potential of generating 6.38
X 1010 m3 of biogas from 980 million tones of cattle dung
produced annually.
The heat value of this gas amounts to 1.3 X 1012 MJ. In addition,
350 million tones of manure would also produce along with
biogas.

Biogas Technology Status

India has been pioneering country in developing simple and
easy to operate biogas plants.
The government of India has been running National Biogas
and Manure Management Program (NBMMP) for the welfare
of the weaker section of the society.
100% Biogas engines are in operation in the country.
95% methane to make it suitable to be used as a transport fuel
and for blending with natural gas where the gas grid is
available.
High density polyethylene (HDPE) based complete and
portable family size biogas plants suitable for rural and semi
urban area.

 Other urban waste projects include a 1 MW

project based on cattle dung at Haebowal,
Ludhiana; a 0.50 MW project for generation of
power from biogas at sewage treatment plant at
Surat, Gujarat; and a 150 kW pant for vegetable
market and slaughter house waste and
Vijaywada.

Another 300 kW project based on vegetable

market waste in under commissioning at Chennai.
Besides, about 25 waste-to-energy projects with
an aggregate capacity of about 30 MW from a
variety of industrial wastes also been setup in the
country.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Bio-energy Technology Development Group
Biogas Programmes:
National Biogas and Manure Management Programme
(NBMMP).
Biogas Based Distributed/Grid Power Generation
Programme.
Demonstration of Integrated Technology Package on
Biogas-Fertilizer Plants (BGFP) for Generation,
Purification/ Enrichment, Bottling and Piped Distribution
of Biogas.
Establishment of Business Model for Demonstration of an
Integrated Technology Package for creation of smokeless
villages using biogas/ bio-energy systems and meeting Lifeline Energy envisaged in Integrated Energy Policy

Biogas- Fertilizer Plants: Most Potent tool to

Handle Methane- a Green house gas
Methane (Green house gas) released from
three Landfills of Delhi during 2008: 74,000 tonnes
(Indian Express 29.01.2010)

Effect of methane is higher than

from CO2 by:
Percentage of methane in harmful
green house gas:
Annual CO2 Emission Reduction
from 1.5 lakh biogas plants:
Expected Annual CER from 1.50
lakh biogas plants:
09/16/15

21 times
18%(approx.)
70.5375 tonne
Rs.75 lakh

Provisions in Integrated Policy

Report of Planning Commission
Section 8.3 of Chapter on Household Energy Security:
Electricity and Clean Fuels for All recommends to:
Provide lifeline entitlement of 30 units of electricity and 6 kg of
LPG or equivalent amount of Kerosene for one or both lifeline
energy needs through a system of smart/ debit cards with
varying levels of direct cash support to targeted house
holds..
Provision of 6 kg of LPG may require about 138 million kg of
LPG per month for 23 million BPL families.
Biogas plant are one of the most suitable option for rural areas
for supplying lifeline energy for cooking and lighting.
1.5 to 2m3 capacity biogas plant per family can provide the
recommended lifeline energy to BPL families.
8

Biogas Programmes
New Initiative for Technology Demonstration:

Demonstration of Integrated Technology Package on

Biogas-Fertilizer Plants (BGFP) for Generation,
Purification/ Enrichment, Bottling and Piped
Distribution of Biogas.

Establishment of Business Model for Demonstration

of an Integrated Technology Package for creation of
smokeless villages using biogas/ bio-energy systems
and meeting Life-line Energy envisaged in
Integrated Energy Policy
9

National Biogas and Manure Management

Programme (NBMMP)
NPBD/ NBMMP Launched in 1981.
Estimated potential of biogas plants:

120 lakh Nos.

Cumulative Biogas plants installed: 41.7 lakh(34%)

Envisaged Target for 11th Plan: 6.47 lakh plant
(14 lakh m3)
Installation in first two and half
years of the 11th Plan: 2.44 lakh plant (4.9 lakh m3)
10

Approved CFA (in Rs.) under

NBMMP for 11th Plan
Category
1. NER States

CFA (2-4 m3
Plant) (Rs.)
14,700/-

2. Notified hilly
areas, J&K and Plain
areas of Assam

10,000/-

3. All other States

8,000/-

CFA (1 m3 Plant)
(Rs.)
14,700/9,000/-

4. Support for
Training courses

2000 67,500/-

5. Turn key Job-fee

Rs.1500/-

4,000/-

11

Biogas based Distributed/ Grid Power

Generation Programme (BDPGP).
Launched in January, 2006.
Projects completed:

20 Nos.(567.50 kW)

Projects under Installation:

68 Nos. (549 kW)

Total no. of projects sanctioned: 88 Nos.

Total/ Aggregated capacity:

About 1.16 MW
12

Biogas based Distributed/ Grid Power

Generation Programme: Central Financial
Assistance
Power generating
capacity

Biogas plant
capacity

CFA/subsidy limited to the

following ceiling or 40% of the
cost of the system whichever
is less.

25 cu. m to 85 cu.m

Rs.40,000 per kW

>20 kW to 100 kW

Any combination of
above plants or
alternate
capacity /design

Rs.35,000 per kW

>100 kW to 250 kW

Any combination of
above plants or
alternate capacity /
design

Rs.30,000 per kW

3 -20 kW

09/16/15

13

Biogas based Distributed/ Grid Power

Generation Programme
Biogas Plant Capacity:
25 - 3000 cum/ day
Power Generation Capacity: 3 -250 KW
Estimated Power Generation
from 25 cum Plant:
30KWhr per day (3KW)
Estimated Power Generation
from 100 cum Plant: 120 KWhr per day (12 KW)
Estimated No. of hours for meeting
Power Requirement from 25 cum Plant: 10 hrs.

14

Biogas-fertilizer Plant Potential in

India
1. Cattle Dung based biogas and bio-fertilizer
Potential:
Cattle population:
Over 289 million
Dung collected:
1445 million ton/day
(@ 5kg per cattle per day)
Estimated Biogas Generation: 57.8 million m3/day
Estimated LPG equivalent:
25 million kg/ day
Bio-fertilizer:
1083.75 million ton/ day
15

Biogas-fertilizer Plant Potential in

India
2. Surplus crop residue/ biomass based potential:
Surplus crop residue/ biomass: 38.52 million ton/yr

3.

Estimated biogas generation: 3.852 million m3/yr.

Estimated LPG equivalent:
1.67 million kg/ yr.
Bio-fertilizer:
De-oiled cake based biogas potential:
(4,00,000 ha of Jatropha plantation)
Estimated biogas generation: 0.263 million m3/yr.
Estimated LPG equivalent: 0.114 million kg/ yr.

Contd.
16

Biogas-fertilizer Plant Potential in

India
4. Poultry Litter based potential:
Total Poultry population (1997): 347 million
Estimated bird litter production
(@200g/ bird/ day):
25 million tons/ yr.
Estimated Biogas production: 2983 million m3/yr.
(@116 ltr/ kg):
Estimated LPG equivalent: 1277.39 million kg/ yr.
5. Kitchen waste based potential: considerable.
17

Biogas-Fertilizer Plant Demonstration

Projects: Objectives
To harness near total potential of loose and leafy biomass
waste, cattle dung and waste from kitchens and gardens in
rural areas for installation of medium and large size biogasfertilizer plants.
Purification/ enrichment of bottling of biogas to replace
PNG/ CNG/ LPG.
To produce, upgrade and package high quality bio-fertilizer
through vermi-composting and other technologies from
digested slurry of BGFP
To establish self-sustainable entrepreneurial model for
installation of such plants in villages, gaushalas, dairies,
eating joints, restaurants, hostels and institutions.

BGFP Technology Demonstration

Projects
Proposed No. of Technology demonstration projects: 100 Nos.
Capacity of BGFP: Multiples of 200, 500 and 1000 m3.
Minimum economically sustainable plant size/ capacity:
About 400 m3.
Estimated cost of an Integrated 200-1000 m3 BGFP Project
(cost will vary on plant size taken up): Rs. 40-160 lakh.
Support technology demonstration.
Better to follow commercio-cooperative approach for
ensuring biomass feed material supply from beneficiaries.

Institutional arrangements for

implementation of BGFP Technology
Demonstration Projects
It is proposed to implement the proposed BGFP
demonstration projects through private and public
sector companies, and leasing companies, rural
entrepreneurs, cooperatives through IREDA, Banks
and other financial institutions.
To make Biogas-fertilizer plant based Energy
Infrastructure Initiative more economical, it would
be useful for corporate bodies and entrepreneurs to
bunch BGFPs in group of villages/ areas to avail of
CDM benefits.

Financial Support for BGFP Projects

Proposed financial support:
Organization
MNRE support:
IREDA/ Bank Loan:
Promoter/ user agency
contribution:

Percentage of
Project Cost
50%
30%
20%

HDPE biogas plants by two private sector

manufacturers
installed
under
a
demonstration project

Biogas Production Potential from different

Wastes

A KVIC Type Biogas Plant

Biogas Plant

20 m3/day Capacity KVIC Biogas Plant installed at IIT Delhi

Need for the Biogas Enrichment and

Bottling
Potential of biogas is
commercialized so far.

not

fully

utilized

and

For commercialization, its area of application may

widen; from cooking fuel to vehicle fuel.
For use as a vehicle fuel, it should be bottled like
CNG.
Before bottling, it should enriched in methane
content from 55 % to 95 %; similar to CNG.

CO2 & H2S Removal Processes from Biogas:

S.
No.

Method

Advantages

Disadvantages

Absorption in
Water

One of the easiest and cheapest

methods for CO2 removal.
Recommended for rural application.

Water pumping load is high.

CO2 can not be recovered

2.

Absorption by
Chemicals

The chemical absorbents are more

efficient in low pressure and can
remove CO2 to low partial pressures
in treated gas.

Regeneration of the solvent requires a

relatively high energy input. Disposal of
by-product formed due to chemical
reactions is a problem.

3.

Pressure
Swing
Adsorption

By proper choice of the adsorbent,

this process can remove CO2, H2S,
moisture and other impurities.

Adsorption is accomplished at high

temperature and pressure. Regeneration is
carried out by vacuum. It is a costly
process.

4.

Membrane
Separation

Modular in nature and separate CO2

and CH4 effectively.

High pressure requirement. The

processing cost is also high.

5.

Cryogenic
Separation

Allows recovery of pure component

in the form of liquid, which can be
transported conveniently

High cost involved makes it impractical

for Biogas applications.

6.

Chemical
Conversion

Extremely high purity in the product

gas.

Process is extremely expensive and is not

warranted in most Biogas applications.

1.

 Among various methods of enrichment i.e.

Chemical
absorption,
PSA,
membrane
separation; Water scrubbing is found to be a
suitable method for biogas enrichment in
rural areas.
It is simple, continuous and cheap process
compared to other processes and also absorb
H2S.
Enriched biogas can further compress up to
20 MPa pressure for optimum gas storage in
cylinders.

Refining and Compression of Biogas

Purification is carried out to enrich
biogas by
scrubbing off the unwanted components i.e. carbon
dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
It is essential to have more energy per unit volume of
compressed biogas and to get rid of the corrosive
effect of H2S.
Various purification processes include absorption into
water, absorption by chemical, pressure swing
adsorption and membrane separation.
One of the easiest, simplest and cheapest method is
the use of pressurized water as an absorbent liquid.

 For economic viability of biogas bottling,

availability should be in large quantity.

its

Plants linked with Dairy / Goshala (350 cattle or

more), sewage treatment plants are suitable for this
work.
Biogas bottling may start new business venture in
villages. Thus, open up new era of employment and
income generation for village people.
Biogas manure enhances the organic content of soil,
thereby increases water holding capacity of soil.

Design of Water Scrubbing System

Water scrubbing method is found most
suitable for biogas enrichment in rural
areas.
Water is good solvent for CO2.
The solubility of CO2 in water is governed
by
variation
in
pressures
and
temperatures.

System Operation
Raw biogas is compressed up to 1.0 MPa pressure
to enhance solubility of CO2 in water.
Pressurized biogas is sent into bottom section of
the scrubber.
Packing material is used to enhance the contact
time (interfacial area) between gas and water.
Pressurized water is sprayed from top to absorb the
CO2 from pressurized biogas.

Process flow chart of biogas enrichment and compression system

Biogas Digester
Moisture Removal

Biogas (CH4 CO2)

Single Stage
Compressor

Gas Storage
Pressure Vessel

Water Tank

Water
Pump

Flow Meter

Biogas
Scrubber

Dissolved
CO2 in Water
Enriched Biogas

Gas Storage
Pressure Vessel
Moisture Filters

Pressure Reducers

Three Stage Gas

Compressor

High Pressure Cylinders for

Storage of Enriched Gas

Biogas Enrichment and Bottling System

1-Biogas plant
2-Ball valve
3-Water remover
4-Receiver mounted compressor
5-Pressure gauge
6-Gas Storage Vessel
7-Rotameter
8-Supporting stand
9-Reshching rings
10-Scrubber

11-Safety valve
12-Water sprayer
13-Flange
14-View glass
15-Water outlet
16-Water pump
17-Gas filter
18-Pressure reducer
19-Three stage gas compressor
20-CNG Cylinder

NOT TO SCALE
11

12

13

14

10

20
9

17
8

5
2

19
16
4

15

Fig.1: Experimental setup for biogas purification and bottling

18

Biogas Enrichment and Bottling plant at

Durgapura Jaipur

Automotive Car and three wheeler Running on

Enriched Biogas

Further R&D Work Required for Biogas Development

Biogas production using easily available local
waste material preferably agricultural wastes.
Development of new and low cost improved
designs of biogas plants for large sizes.
Development of low cost technology for
separation of methane, CO2 and sulfur
compounds from biogas for easy bottling of pure
methane and to reduce the damages caused by
S-compounds on machines using the biogas.

 The effect of bio-wash (liquid from digested slurry)

on vegetables and crops.
Design of
restaurants

kitchen

waste

biogas

plant

for

Testing of oil seed cake based biogas plant slurry

for nutrient value and its effect on crop production

Conclusions
India has second largest biogas programme in the
world at rural and as well as urban levels.
Many technologies/models have been successfully
developed in India for biogas programme.
There is need to develop a sustainable renewable
energy programme on biogas for replacing petroleum
products by utilization of biogas in the country.
This will help in green energy technology and
reducing green house gases emissions.

 Biogas is a potential renewable energy source for rural India and

other developing countries.
Biogas generation and subsequent bottling will cater the energy
needs of villages, supply enriched manure and maintain village
sanitation.
The bottling system will work as a decentralize source of power
with uninterrupted supply using local resources, generate ample
opportunities for employment and income of the rural people.

Biogas flame

THANK YOU