Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi

Name and Number of Course: Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Energy Systems (RDL735)
Name of Exam: Major - Online
Date: 11th May 2021 (10:00 AM–12:00 PM)
[Question paper is being provided at MS Team Platform at 09:55 AM on 11-05-2021 and answers script
file shall be submitted only at MS Team Platform]
Time: 2.0 h Maximum Marks: 40.0

Q1. Describe the process of anaerobic digestion. How first stage of the process is highly important 5.0
in case of varied nature of biomass?

Q2. An anaerobic digester is operating on cattle dung in daily feeding mode and is having a
working volume of 1000 L. The total solids (TS) and volatile solids (VS) contents in the
substrate is 10%, and 8%, respectively. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the biogas plant 5.0
is 30 days. Calculate the following parameters; (1) Daily feeding rate, (2) Daily mass of input
total solids, volatile solids, and amount of water which is being fed to the digester, (3) How
much biogas production is expected from the above said reactor based biogas plant?

Q3. The biogas production process is anaerobic. What is happening with the oxygen available in
4.0
water used in the process and elemental oxygen available in the biomass itself?

Q4. Describe the anaerobic digestion of paddy straw (the case of Fazilka, Punjab) and electricity
4.0
generation.

Q5. Discuss the role of pH on efficient operation of anaerobic digester? 4.0

Q6. What would be the impact on anaerobic digestion process, if the biomass material is having
3.0
less amount of nitrogen?

Q7. A biogas plant is running on poultry litter (500 kg containing of 20% TS and 80% VS of TS,
and 20% Ash) and is producing 400 m3 of biogas per day with a methane and carbon dioxide
contents of 55% and 45%, respectively. Calculate the following parameters; (1) Mass of
methane and carbon dioxide which is being produced on daily basis; (2) Density of biogas
(kg/m3), (3) Calorific values of biogas, (4) Wobbe Index of biogas, (5) Specific biogas and 10.0
methane productions on TS and VS basis. If the biogas is upgraded to a methane content of
90% and 10% carbon dioxide level. What will be the (6) Density of upgraded biogas (kg/m3),
(7) Calorific values of upgraded biogas, (8) Wobbe Index of upgraded biogas.? Assume the
approximate density of methane and carbon dioxide.

Q8. A CNG cylinder having 60 L of water holding volume. Calculate the volume of upgraded
biogas (95% methane) which is filled in the same cylinder at 180 bar pressure. What would be 5.0
mass of total gas and methane in the filled cylinder?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~