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Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the

Degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering


A Project Report On Designing of a Biogas Plant

Department of Mechanical Engineering | Semester – VIII


Vaugh Institute of Agriculture Engineering &Technology
Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology &
Sciences

Made By Submitted To
Mohammad Jafar Jilani Dr. A.K. Rai
ID – 16BTMECH024
Introduction
Biomass is defined as matter originating from living plants, including tree
stems, branches, leaves as well as residues from agricultural harvesting and
processing of seeds or fruits and is a renewable source of energy.

 Biomass is plant or animal material used for energy production


(electricity or heat), or in various industrial processes as raw substance
for a range of products.
 It can be purposely grown energy crops (e.g. miscanthus, switchgrass),
wood or forest residues, waste from food crops (wheat straw, bagasse),
horticulture (yard waste), food processing (corn cobs), animal farming
(manure, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus), or human waste from sewage
plants.
 Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's
energy in a process called photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the
chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. Biomass can be burned
directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can be burned as
fuels.
 Biomass is a solar energy stored in organic matter. As trees and plants
grow, the process of photosynthesis uses energy from the sun to convert
the CO2 of the atmosphere into carbohydrates (sugar, starch and
cellulose). The process of photosynthesis can be expressed as: 6CO2
(gas) + 6H2O (liquid) + Light C6H12O6 (solid) + 6O2 (gas).
 Carbohydrates are the original compounds that make up biomass. When
plants die, the process of decay converts the organic matter into fossil
fuels like coal gas and oil. Nowadays, we are using fossil fuels for our
energy requirements. The consumption of fossil fuels results in emissions
of CO2 back to atmosphere. In this way, one full cycle of CO2 is
completed.
 Through photosynthesis process, biomass helps in balancing the CO2 in
the atmosphere, provided that the balance between production and
consumption of biomass is maintained.
 It is estimated that biomass contributes to about 14% of the world’s total
energy requirements. In many developing countries, the contribution to
total energy requirement is high as 90%.
 Sources of Biomass are forestry crops and residues (like wood),
agricultural crops and residues, animal residues, industrial residues,
municipal solid waste and sewage.
 Biogas utilization is mainly for cooking, lightening and pumping at
individual levels as well as for electricity, heat, power generation and fuel
for vehicles at industrial levels. Biogas technology is reviewed as a
promising sustainable solution for village households and industries both.
Biogas also solves major environmental problems such as soil
degradation, deforestation, desertification, CO2 emission, indoor air
pollution, organic pollution and social problems such as women
occupation etc.
Types of Biomass
 Woody Biomass -

Wood wastes of all types make excellent biomass fuels and can be used in a
wide variety of biomass technologies. Combustion of woody fuels to generate
steam or electricity is a proven technology and is the most common biomass-to-
energy process. Different types of woody fuels can typically be mixed together
as a common fuel, although differing moisture content and chemical makeup
can affect the overall conversion rate or efficiency of a biomass project

Uses: Making for making furniture, shelters, agricultural tools, supplying


energy needs. Fuel wood is used for cooking purposes in rural areas while
charcoal is used for cooking purposes in urban areas.

 Animal Wastes -

Animal wastes include manures, renderings, and other wastes from livestock
finishing operations. Although animal wastes contain energy, the primary
motivation for biomass processing of animal wastes is mitigation of a disposal
issue rather than generation of energy. This is especially true for animal
manures. Animal manures are typically disposed of through land application to
farmlands. Biomass technologies present attractive options for mitigating many
of the environmental challenges of manure wastes. The most common biomass
technologies for animal manures are combustion, anaerobic digestion, and
composting.

Uses: Acts as a good source of nutrients and is used as fertilizers, used for
cooking directly by burning or by converting it into biogas which is then burned
to cook food.

 Crop Residues -

This includes plants and crops residues produced in the field. For example:
husk, bagasse, cereal straw, nut shells etc.

Uses: Livestock feeding as manure together with animal dung acts as a nutrient
for the soil
Energy Content of Biomass
Energy Content of a Biomass is measured in Calorific Value, which is a
measure of the amount of heat available in the fuel. The presence of carbon in
the biomass is the main source of heat energy in the biomass moisture and ash
content do not contribute to any energy High moisture and ash content means
lower ash content,

Typical woody biomass has low ash content (about 1%) which the crop residues
have as contents in the range of 5 to 20%.

Conversion of Biomass

Types of conversion process:

1. Thermal conversion:

Thermal conversion processes use heat as the dominant mechanism to upgrade


biomass into a better and more practical fuel. The basic alternatives are Torre
faction, pyrolysis, and gasification, these are separated principally by the extent
to which the chemical reactions involved are allowed to proceed (mainly
controlled by the availability of oxygen and conversion temperature).

There are other less common, more experimental or proprietary thermal


processes that may offer benefits, such as hydrothermal upgrading. Some have
been developed for use on high moisture content biomass, including aqueous
slurries, and allow them to be converted into more convenient forms.

2. Chemical conversion:

A range of chemical processes may be used to convert biomass into other forms,
such as to produce a fuel that is more practical to store, transport and use, or to
exploit some property of the process itself. Many of these processes are based in
large part on similar coal-based processes, such as the Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis. Biomass can be converted into multiple commodity chemicals.

3. Biochemical conversion:
As biomass is a natural material, many highly efficient biochemical processes
have developed in nature to break down the molecules of which biomass is
composed, and many of these bio chemical conversion processes can be
harnessed. In most cases, microorganisms are used to perform the conversion
process: anaerobic digestion, fermentation, and composting.

Glycoside hydrolases are the enzymes involved in the degradation of the major
fraction of biomass, such as polysaccharides present in starch and
lignocellulose. Thermostable variants are gaining increasing roles as catalysts in
bio refining applications, since recalcitrant biomass often needs thermal
treatment for more efficient degradation.

4. Electrochemical conversion:

Biomass can be directly converted to electrical energy via electrochemical


(electro catalytic) oxidation of the material. This can be performed directly in a
direct carbon fuel cell, direct liquid fuel cells such as direct ethanol fuel cell, a
direct methanol fuel cell, a direct formic acid fuel cell, a L-ascorbic Acid Fuel
Cell (vitamin C fuel cell), and a microbial fuel cell. The fuel can also be
consumed indirectly via a fuel cell system containing a reformer which converts
the biomass into a mixture of CO and H2 before it is consumed in the fuel cell.
Biomass Based Fuels
 Biogas production

- Biogas is mainly composed of methane and CO2

- Biogas typically has 60% methane and 35% CO2

- There is also some percentage of H2, N2, O2, ammonia and moisture, etc.

- Biogas production is obtained by anaerobic decomposition (absence of


Oxygen) of biomass in presence of bacteria.

- The bacterial decomposition of biomass takes place in 3 phases, namely


Hydrolysis phase, Acid phase and Methane phase. In the hydrolysis phase,
heavier hydrocarbons are broken into smaller molecules, which are then
converted to organic acids by acid forming bacteria. In the methane phase,
formation of acids, hydrogen and CO2 produces methane.

 Hydrolysis phase: (C5H10O5)n + H2O n(C5H12O6)


 Acid phase: n(C5H12O6) CH3CH(OH)COOH
 Methane phase: 4H2 + CO2 2H2O + CH4

CH3 CH (OH) COOH + H2O + CO2 CH3COOH + CH4

 All the 3 phases run parallel in a biogas unit.


 The pH value of the slurry in the digester tank should be 6.8 to 7.2.

 Digester- this is a fermentation tank and is built partially or fully


underground. It is generally cylindrical in shape and made up of bricks
and cement. It holds the slurry within it for the period of digestion for
which it is designed.
 Gas Holder- after release of methane from digester, it is collected in a
tank called gas holder. It may be floating drum (drum floats on slurry in
digester) or a fixed dome. The floating drum is made up of steel or iron
while the fixed dome is made up of cement and concrete. The gas
connection is taken from the top of the gas holder through the gas pipes to
the burners.
 Slurry mixing (inlet)- dung is mixed with water and fed into the digester
from the inlet.
 Slurry bit (outlet)- an outlet from the digester, from where slurry is taken
out in a field.
 The retention of biomass inside a biogas chamber varies between 20 and
50 days,

For cow dung – retention period is 50 days

night soil – retention period is 30 days

pig dung – retention period is 20 days

 Also, Calorific value of Biogas is 21-23 MJ/m3 at 60% methane.


 Feedstock (mainly dung) is mixed with water, called slurry and is fed into
the tank.
 After biogas production, the slurry comes out of the tank is rich in
nutrients and can be used as fertilizers.
 Biogas produced, is stored in a gas holder.
 On the basis of gas holder, the present biogas plants are classified into
two groups named fixed dome type and floating drum type. Both the type
of plants has the following figure as shown in figure 1.
Design of Biogas Plant
 The estimation of total gas required.
 Amount of feed stock (or dunk) required.
 Number of animals required to have feed stock of a given animal.

Assumptions Made for The Design

 About 350-450 liters of biogas required per day per person for cooking.
 Average production of dung per animal per day –
 1000 litres of gas is required to 1m³ of gas.
 Average gas production from dung is about 40 litres per kg of fresh dung.
 Retention period of dung slung in digester is 50 days.

• Cow 10 kg/day

• Bullock 14 kg/day

• Buffalo 15 kg/day

Step – 1
 Find out amount of gas required per day –

Since 400 litres of gas is required for 1 person.

So, for 10 person – 400*10 = 4000 litres = 2.4 m³ gas per day

Step 2 –

 Number of animals required to Fulfilled daily gas requirement.


 40 litres of gas is produced from 1 kg of fresh dunk.
 4000 litres of gas is produced from 4000/40 = 100 kg of per day.
 10 kg of dung is produced from 1 cow.
 1000 kg of dung is produced from 10 cows or 7 buffalo.

Step – 3

 Design of digester and gas holder


 Water is added to equal amount of dung to make slurry.
 Total mass of slurry = Dung + Water = 100 + 100 = 200 kg
 Volume of slurry per day = mass of slurry/Specific Gravity

= 200/1080= 0.19 m³

 Retention period of slurry = 50 days


 Total volume of digester = 0.19*50 = 9.5 m³

As a thumb rule digester volume should be about 2.75 times the volume of gas
required per day.

Dimensions of the Digester

 Depth of diameter ratio should be between 1 and 1.3.


 Gas holder tank dimensions – The volume of the gas holder tank should
be about 60% of the per day gas volume…
 Note – Temperature of the slurry in the plays an important role in the
amount of gas production. Production yield is maximum between 45 ͦ C &
55 ͦ C.

Savings Due to Biogas Plant

 Assumption – Biogas is replacing the use of LPG in a house hold.


 Amount of LPG required per person per month = 2 kg
 Total LPG required = 20 kg per 10 person per month
 Cost of LPG = 53 Rs.
 Total cost of LPG = 10*53 = 530/- Per Month
 Total Yearly Cost = 530*12 = 6360/- per year
 Therefore, simple payback period = Total cost of biogas
 Plant per year Saving = 19250/6360 = 3.03 years

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