4.

4 Biogas a way to solve sanitation

problems
Anaerobic
fermentation
is a natural
and
unavoidable
process

How m
u
excret ch biogas c
a and
a
bioma n be produ
ced fr
ss?
How s
om
af

e is th

e pr oc

e ss a n

d its s

ludge?
?

Learning objectives: to know about the

fundamental processes in biogas production,
and get an overview of biogas generation in
the world
Jam-Olof Drangert, Linkping university, Sweden

Spying on Nature
What can we learn from cows?

Inlet

Outlet

Biogas digester

Cows convert biodegradable plants and water to

milk, cow dung and urine and gases
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

A new look at the cow and bull

The Biogas Plant
Outlet
Inlet

Biogas digester

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

A biogas plant operates though

anaerobic digestion of organic material
The Biogas Plant
Biogas
Inlet

Outlet
Biogas digester

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Integrating biogas in agriculture

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Some examples of biogas plants

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Where is biogas technology applied?

Approximate numbers of biogas units in selected countries:
Country

No of units Volume >100 m3

China

12,000,000

x0

India (in 2004)

3,600,000

Nepal (in 2007)

200,000

Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania,

Bangladesh, Burundi, Brazil
Kenya, Mexico, Cuba, Guyana
Morocco, Ghana, Zimbabwe,
Nicaragua, Jamaica, Bolivia

x,000
x00
x0

3,400 (2006)
in Germany
?
DK, NL, S,
Thailand,

99% of all systems do not use pumps, agitator, and heating

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Available human excreta in India compared

to the need of fertiliser
Excreta viewed
as waste:
or
as a
resource

Faeces
Urine

Dry org. matter (DS)

Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P2O5)
Potassium (K2O)

250,000 tons/day
1,000,000 m3/day
90,000 t/day
15,000 t/day
5,000 t/day

3,000 t/day
Carbon (C) 35,000 t/day
Calcium (CaO)
5,000 t/day
Potential biogas 50 mil m3 day

N-P-K:
X
Y
Z

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Slurry application in agriculture

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Energy balance for composting and digestion

Aerobic conversion (composting):
C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 6 CO2 +6 H2 O
E= -3,880 kJ/mol
Anaerobic conversion (digestion):
C6 H 12 O6 + 2H2 O 3 CO2 + 3CH4 + 2H 2O
E= - 405 kJ/mol
Burning of biogas:
2CH4+ 6O2 CO2 + 6 H2 O
E = -3,475 kJ/mol
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Biogas appliances

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Biochemical process of anaerobic

fermentation/digestion
Step 1:
Hydrolysis + Acidogenesis

Step 2:
Acetogenesis

Organic waste
Carbohydrates
Fats
Protein
Water

Bacterial
mass

Fermentative
bacteria

Methanogenesis
Bacterial
mass

H2 , CO2,
acetic acid
Propionic acid
Butyric acid
Alcohols,
Other
components

Step 3:

Bacterial
mass

Methan
+ CO2

H2 , CO2
acetic acid

Acetogenic
bacteria

Methanogenic
bacteria
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

What parameters affect anaerobic digestion?

The most important determinants of good living
conditions for anaerobic bacteria and therefore efficient
gas production, are :
Temperature

Retention Time

pH-level

Carbon/Nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio)

Proportion of dry matter in substrate = suitable viscosity

Agitation (mixing) of the substrate

If any one of these determinants is outside acceptable

range, the digestion may be inhibited
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Substrate temperature in the digester

Anaerobic fermentation can work in an ambient
temperature between 3oC and 70oC and, if colder,
the reactor has to be insulated and/or heated.

Common temperature ranges for bacteria:

Psychrophillic bacteria
below 20oC
Mesophillic bacteria
20 40oC
Thermophillic bacteria
above 40oC
Methane production is very sensitive to changes in
temperature
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Biogas production with continuous feeding

Litres of
biogas
per litre
of slurry
30

20

10

50

100

150

Hydraulic retention time in days

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

pH value is crucial for a good result

pH is a central parameter for controlling the anaerobic process

Optimal production when pH 7.0 7.2

Inhibition (due to acids) if
pH < 6.2
Inhibition (due to ammonia) if pH > 7.6
Deviation from the optimum range results in:

Lower gas yield

Inferior gas quality

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

C/N ratio is important

Microorganisms need N (nitrogen) and
C (carbon) for their metabolism
Methanogenic organisms prefer a
C/N ratio of between 10:1 and 20:1
N must not be too low, or else
shortage of nutrient

Recommendation:
Mix different substrates
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Nitrogen inhibition
If N concentration is too high (>1,700 mg/l of NH4-N)
and pH is high, then
growth of bacteria is inhibited due to
toxicity caused by high levels of (uncharged) ammonia

Methanogens, however, are able of adapt to

5,000 - 7,000 mg/l of NH4-N given the pre-requisite
that the uncharged ammonia (NH3 controlled by pH)
level does not exceed 200-300 mg/l
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Changes in dry matter (DM) concentration

inside the digester

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Behaviour of the substrate inside the digester

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Stirring the substrate

Stirring improves the efficiency of digestion by:

Removing metabolites (gas removal)

Bringing fresh material in contact with bacteria
Reducing scum formation and sedimentation
Preventing temperature gradients in the digester
Avoiding the formation of blind spots (short cuts)
However, excessive stirring disturbs the symbiotic
relationship between the different bacteria species

Simple biogas units normally do not have

mechanical stirring devises
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Efficiency of a biogas unit

Input:

1 kg of dry (95%) cattle dung will produce 2.5 kWh (rule of thumb)
1 kg dry (100%) matter can generate 2.5/0.95 = 2.63 kWh
Slurry contains 10% dry matter, thus 1 litre can generate 0.263 kWh
1 litre slurry (27oC, 90 days retention) releases 27 litre biogas
1 m3 of biogas can generate 6 kWh (rule of thumb)
So, 1 lit of slurry generates 0.027*6 = 0.162 kWh

Efficiency =

Actual kWh

0.162

= 0.62

Potential kWh 0.262

62% efficiency and the other 38% energy remains in the slurry

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Check-list
if gas production is lower than expected
Check

Response

Is pH >7.5 ?

Yes

Add water and take pH after

one hour

Yes

Add urine or ash (kg/m3) and

wait 1 day

No
Is pH < 6.8 ?

Temperature fallen?

Yes

Try to insulate digester,

less feed, heat substrate.
Wait one day

Yes

Add lime (acute action)

and wait one day

No
Too much feed or of
skewed composition?

Drangert & Ejlertsson, Linkoping university, Sweden

Principles for design and construction

Continuous feeding
or batch feeding
Gas collector:
- fixed dome, or
- floating dome

Further
treatment or
direct
use

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Fixed-dome biogas digester

3
4

Birds
eye view
4
1

slurry

3
Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Floating-drum unit with water-jacket

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Anaerobic filter (off-plot system)

gas

manhole

inflow
scum
outflow

filter mass

grill
sludge
sedimentation tank

filter tanks

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Off-plot system

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

Anaerobic baffled reactor

gas
manholes

um

outflow

dge
sedimentation

inoculation of fresh wastewater with active sludge

final settler

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

Public toilet with hidden treatment unit

wastewater
anaerobic baffled
reactor
toilet section

shower
section

Pedro Kraemer, BORDA, India

A public toilet with a biogas digester

Jan-Olof Drangert, Linkping University, Sweden

Material flows in the toilet complex

Faece
s

Urine

Rainwater

Organic waste
System border

Groundwater
recharge
Liquid
urine
Toilet units
& showers

Bio-digester
biogas
Faeces
washwater
Flush
Ablution
water
Liquid urine

Slurry

Slurry

Faeces
compost

Soil conditioner

Urine
drying-bed

Urine powder

Aerobic
pond

Liquid fertilizer
Jan-Olof Drangert, Linkping University, Sweden