18CHO101T

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

Unit 3. Energy from biomass - Syllabus
• Biomass resources • Recent developments in biomass
• Composition, fuel properties technology

• Biomass conversion technologies • Energy farming

• Design consideration
• Anaerobic digestion
• Direction combustion • Problems in digesters

• Pyrolysis • Applications of reactors

• Gasification
• Biogas technology
• Bioethanol
• Biodiesel production
• Community and institutional biogas plants
• Family biogas plants
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Introduction
• Biomass is a key renewable energy resource that
includes plant and animal material, such as
wood from forests, material left over from
agricultural and forestry processes, and organic
industrial, human and animal wastes.
• The energy contained in biomass originally came
from the sun.
• Through photosynthesis carbon dioxide in the
air is transformed into other carbon containing
molecules (e.g. sugars, starches and cellulose) in
plants.
• The chemical energy that is stored in plants and
animals (animals eat plants or other animals) or
in their waste is called biomass energy or
bioenergy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVl17JLn_u0
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 Biomass
• Biomass is organic matter produced by plants, both
terrestrial and aquatic and their derivatives.
• It includes
 forest crops and residues,
 crops grown especially for their energy content on
“energy farms” and
 animal manure.
• Unlike coal, oil, and natural gas, which takes millions of years
to form, biomass can be considered a renewable energy Disadvantages:
• Highly dispersed and bulky;
resource because plant life adds to itself every year.
Contain large amounts of
• It can also be considered a form of solar energy as the latter
water (50 to 90 %)
is used indirectly to grow these plants by photosynthesis. • Not economical to transport
over long distances;
Conversion into usable
Solar energy  Photosynthesis  Biomass  Energy generation energy should take place
close to the source

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Biomass resources
Biomass resources fall into 3 categories:
1. Biomass in its traditional solid mass (wood and agriculture residue)
- burn the biomass directly and get the energy
2. Biomass in non-traditional form (converted into liquid fuels)
- biomass is converted into methanol and ethanol to be used as
liquid fuels in engines
3. Biomass is fermented anaerobically to obtain a gaseous fuel called
biogas

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6
Biomass resources
Biomass comes from a variety of sources such as
• Agricultural residues such as straw, cane trash and green agricultural
wastes
• Animal wastes (cow manure, poultry litter etc)
• Forestry residues
• Wood wastes from natural forests and woodlands
• Industrial wastes such as black liquor from paper manufacturing
• Municipal Solid Wastes and Sewage

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Biomass resources
Agricultural Residues
• Crop residues encompasses all agricultural wastes such as bagasse, straw, stem, stalk, leaves, husk, shell,
peel, pulp, cob, etc. Large quantities of crop residues are produced annually worldwide, and are vastly
under-utilised. Rice produces both straw and rice husks at the processing plant which can be conveniently
and easily converted into energy.
• Significant quantities of biomass remain in the fields in the form of cob when maize is harvested which can
be converted into energy.
• Sugarcane harvesting leads to harvest residues in the fields while processing produces fibrous bagasse,
both of which are good sources of energy.
• Harvesting and processing of coconuts produces quantities of shell and fibre that can be utilized.

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Biomass resources
Agricultural Residues
• Current farming practice is usually to plough these residues
back into the soil, or they are burnt, left to decompose, or
grazed by cattle. These residues could be processed into liquid
fuels or thermochemically processed to produce electricity and
heat.
• Agricultural residues are characterized by seasonal availability
and have characteristics that differ from other solid fuels such
as wood, charcoal, char briquette in terms of amount of volatile
matter present, lower density and burning time.

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Biomass resources
Animal waste
• There are a wide range of animal wastes that can be
used as sources of biomass energy. The most
common sources are animal and poultry manure.
• In the past, this waste was recovered and sold as a
fertilizer or simply spread onto agricultural land, but
the introduction of tighter environmental controls on
odour and water pollution means that some form of
waste management is now required, which provides
further incentives for waste-to-energy conversion.
• The most attractive method of converting these
organic waste materials to useful form is anaerobic
digestion which gives biogas that can be used as a
fuel for internal combustion engines, to generate
electricity from small gas turbines, burnt directly for
cooking, or for space and water heating.

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Biomass resources
Forestry residues
• Forestry residues are generated by operations such as
 thinning of plantations,
 clearing for logging roads,
 extracting stem-wood for pulp and timber, and
 natural attrition.
• Harvesting may occur as thinning in young stands, or
cutting in older stands for timber or pulp that also yields
tops and branches usable for biomass energy.
• Harvesting operations usually remove only 25 to 50
percent of the volume, leaving the residues available as
biomass for energy.
• Stands damaged by insects, disease or fire are additional
sources of biomass. Forest residues normally have low
density and fuel values that keep transport costs high,
and so it is economical to reduce the biomass density in
the forest itself.
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 Biomass resources
Wood wastes
• Wood processing industries primarily include sawmilling, plywood,
wood panel, furniture, building component, flooring, particle board,
moulding, jointing and craft industries.
• Wood wastes generally are concentrated at the processing factories,
e.g. plywood mills and sawmills.
• The amount of waste generated from wood processing industries
varies from one type industry to another depending on the form of
raw material and finished product.
• Generally, the waste from wood industries such as saw millings and
plywood, veneer and others are sawdust, off-cuts, trims and
shavings.
• Sawdust arise from cutting, sizing, re-sawing, edging, while trims and
shaving are the consequence of trimming and smoothing of wood.
• In general, processing of 1,000 kg of wood in the furniture industries
will lead to waste generation of almost half (45 %), i.e. 450 kg of
wood.
• Similarly, when processing 1,000 kg of wood in sawmill, the waste will
amount to more than half (52 %), i.e. 520 kg wood.
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 Biomass resources
Industrial wastes
• The food industry produces a large number of residues and by-
products that can be used as biomass energy sources. These waste
materials are generated from all sectors of the food industry with
everything from meat production to confectionery producing waste
that can be utilized as an energy source.
• Solid wastes include
 peelings and scraps from fruit and vegetables,
 food that does not meet quality control standards,
 pulp and fibre from sugar and starch extraction,
 filter sludges and
 coffee grounds.
• These wastes are usually disposed off in landfill dumps.
• Liquid wastes are generated by washing meat, fruit and vegetables,
blanching fruit and vegetables, pre-cooking meats, poultry and fish,
cleaning and processing operations as well as wine making.
• These waste waters contain sugars, starches and other dissolved and
solid organic matter. The potential exists for these industrial wastes
to be anaerobically digested to produce biogas, or fermented to
produce ethanol.
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 Biomass resources
Industrial wastes
• Pulp and paper industry is considered to be one of the highly
polluting industries and consumes large amount of energy and
water in various unit operations.
• The wastewater discharged by this industry is highly
heterogeneous as it contains compounds from wood or other
raw materials, processed chemicals as well as compound
formed during processing. 
• Black liquor can be judiciously utilized for production of biogas
using anaerobic UASB technology.

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 Biomass resources
Municipal Solid Wastes and Sewage
• Millions of tonnes of household waste are collected each year with
the vast majority disposed of in open fields.
• The biomass resource in MSW comprises the putrescibles, paper and
plastic and averages 80% of the total MSW collected.
• Municipal solid waste can be converted into energy by direct
combustion, or by natural anaerobic digestion in the engineered
landfill.
• At the landfill sites, the gas produced, known as landfill gas or LFG, by
the natural decomposition of MSW (approximately 50% methane and
50% carbon dioxide) is collected from the stored material and
scrubbed and cleaned before feeding into internal combustion
engines or gas turbines to generate heat and power. The organic
fraction of MSW can be anaerobically stabilized in a high-rate
digester to obtain biogas for electricity or steam generation.
• Sewage is a source of biomass energy that is very similar to the other
animal wastes. Energy can be extracted from sewage using anaerobic
digestion to produce biogas. The sewage sludge that remains can be
incinerated or undergo pyrolysis to produce more biogas.

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Biomass resources - Categories
Biomass in its traditional solid mass (wood and agriculture residue)
– Direct burning of biomass

Biomass in non-traditional form (converted into liquid fuels)

– Biomass is converted into ethanol and methanol to be used as liquid
fuels

Biogas produced by anaerobic fermentation of the biomass

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Composition of biomass
• To effectively produce fuels and chemicals from biomass, it is critical to understand the composition of the feedstock
material.
• The chemical composition of biomass, whether can be characterized by five primary components:
 cellulose,
 hemicellulose,
 lignin,
 extractives/volatiles, and
 ash.

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Composition of biomass
• The most abundant biopolymer on earth, cellulose, is a polysaccharide of glucose
monomers held together by β(1→4) linkages. These β(1→4) linkages are what
make cellulose resistant to hydrolysis.
• The second major component of biomass, hemicellulose, is an amorphous
heteropolymer comprised of several different carbohydrates including xylose,
mannose, and glucose, among others. Due to its amorphous structure,
hemicellulose is significantly more susceptible to hydrolysis than crystalline
cellulose.
• Cellulose and hemicellulose, combined with the third major component of
biomass, lignin, make up over 90% of lignocellulosic biomass and 80% of
herbaceous biomass. Lignin is an intricate array of aromatic alcohols and is
intertwined with the cellulose and hemicellulose fraction of the biomass
structure. This interwoven nature of the lignin helps provide rigidity to
lignocellulosic materials, such as trees.
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Composition of biomass
• The other minor components of biomass are extractives/volatiles and ash.
• The components comprising the extractives/volatiles include both water and
ethanol solubles.
• Water-soluble compounds include nonstructural sugars and proteins, and
• ethanol-soluble components are typically represented by chlorophyll and
waxes.

• Ash, which comprises the inorganic content in biomass, can be intrinsic to the
biomass or added anthropogenically. Intrinsic ash includes material-like calcium
and potassium ions, while anthropogenic ash is mostly silica (dirt) collected
during harvest.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/52751 19
Fuel properties
• A person who plans to use biomass for fuel or design equipment for biomass heat needs to
understand the performance characteristics of biomass in order to avoid possible problems and
utilize the biomass effectively.

Biomass Fuel Performance

Heat value
Moisture content
Composition
Fuel size and density

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 Fuel properties
Heat value
• The heat value, or amount of heat available in a fuel indicates the total amount of energy that is available
in the fuel. It is mostly a function of the fuel's chemical composition.
• The heat value of a fuel is the amount of heat released during its combustion. Also referred to as energy or
calorific value, heat value is a measure of a fuel's energy density, and is expressed in energy (joules) per
specified amount (e.g. kilograms).
• The heat value can be expressed in one of two ways: the higher heating value or the lower heating value.
 The higher heating value (HHV) is the total amount of heat energy that is available in the fuel, including the energy contained in
the water vapor in the exhaust gases.
 The lower heating value (LHV) does not include the energy embodied in the water vapor.

Heat content of various fuels

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 Fuel properties
Moisture Content
• Fresh, "green" wood is often about half water, and many leafy crops
are primarily water.
• A low moisture level in the fuel is usually preferable because high-
moisture fuels burn less readily and provide less useful heat per unit
mass (much of the energy in wet fuel is used to heat and vaporize
the water).
• Extremely dry fuel, however, can cause problems such as dust that
fouls equipment or can even be an explosion hazard.
• The moisture content in a fuel can be calculated by one of two
methods: wet basis or dry basis.
 In the case of wet-basis calculations, the moisture content is equal to the mass
of water in the fuel divided by the total mass of the fuel.
 In the case of dry-basis calculations, the moisture content is equal to the mass
of water in the fuel divided by the mass of the dry portion of the fuel.
• For example, a 50 percent wet-basis moisture level is the same as a
100 percent dry-basis moisture level.
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 Fuel properties Biomass slag

Composition
• In addition to heat content, other differences in fuel performance are related to composition of the various
biofuels. The three most significant compositional properties are
(1) ash content - Ash content (the mass fraction of incombustible material) is an important parameter, with grasses, bark, and field
crop residues typically having much higher amounts of ash than wood.
(2) susceptibility to slagging and fouling
 Slagging and fouling are problems that occur when the ash begins to melt, causing deposits inside the combustion equipment.
 Ash ideally remains in a powdery form at all times. However, under some conditions, the combustion ash can partially melt,
forming deposits on the combustor surfaces (fouling) or hard chunks of material in the base of the combustion chamber
(slagging/clinkering).
 Certain mineral components in biomass fuels, primarily silica, potassium, and chlorine, can cause these problems to occur at
lower temperatures than might be expected.
(3) percent volatiles
 The "percent volatiles" in a fuel is a less commonly known property that refers to the fraction of the fuel that will readily
volatilize (turn to gas) when heated to a high temperature.
 Fuels with "high volatiles" will tend to vaporize before combusting ("flaming combustion"), whereas fuels with low volatiles will
burn primarily as glowing "char."
 This property affects the performance of the combustion chamber and should be taken into account when designing a
combustor.
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 Fuel properties
Fuel Size and Density
• The size and density of the biomass fuel particles affect the burning characteristics of the fuel by affecting the
rate of heating and drying during the combustion process.
• Fuel size also dictates the type of handling equipment that is used; The wrong size fuel will have an impact on
the efficiency of the combustion process and may cause jamming or damage to the handling equipment.
• Smaller-sized fuel is more common for commercial-scale systems because smaller fuel is easier to use in
automatic feed systems and also allows for finer control of the burn rate by controlling the rate at which fuel
is added to the combustion chamber.

Biomass briquettes

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Biomass conversion technologies

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Biomass conversion technologies
1. Thermochemical conversion
(dry processes)
a) Combustion
b) Pyrolysis
c) Gasification
d) Liquefaction
2. Biochemical conversion
(wet processes)
a) Anaerobic digestion
b) Fermentation
3. Chemical conversion
(transesterification -biodiesel)

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 Biomass conversion technologies
1. Thermochemical conversion (dry processes)
 The major options within thermochemical biomass conversion processes include combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, and liquefaction.

 The most practiced thermochemical conversion of biomass industrially is combustion process, which is used for heat and electricity generation.

 Most of biomass thermochemical conversions were carried out with or without the use of catalysts, though the use of catalyst has distinct effects on
the end-products

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1.Thermochemical conversion
(dry processes)
a)Combustion
b)Pyrolysis
c)Gasification
d)Liquefaction

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1a. Combustion
• Combustion process is frequently used for the conversion of lignin-rich biomass.
• The process could be applied in two broad ways, that is either
• by direct conversion of the whole biomass feedstock or
• by biochemical conversion in which some portions of the biomass remained.
• Compared with the other biomass conversion technologies, the process is largely non-selective
in terms of the biomass feedstock.
• During the process, biomass feedstock is converted to CO2 and water including smaller amount
of other species which depends on the composition of the biomass and the process parameters.
• However, combustion of biomass largely depends on energy content of the feedstock as well as
the conversion efficiency of the reaction.
• The major share of energy in the biomass is formed by the assembly of organic matter during
photosynthesis and respiration in plants.

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 1a. Combustion
• The main elements that constitutes the biomass feedstock
are C, H, and O, while herbaceous feedstock such as
agricultural waste and grasses contain higher amounts of ash
forming minerals.
• Biomass is more oxygenated compared to the conventional
fossil fuel. This is due to the biomass carbohydrate structure
and its dry mass usually contains about 30–40% oxygen.
• During the combustion process, part of the oxygen required
is supplied by the organically bonded oxygen from the
biomass, while the rest is supplied through air injection into
the system.
• The primary constituent of a biomass is carbon which made
up about 30–60% by weight of dry matter depending on its
ash content.
• The carbon present in biomass feedstock is in partly oxidized
form and this justifies the low gross calorific value of
biomass feedstock when compared to coal.
• Inorganic elements such as Si, K, S, Cl, P, Ca, Mg and Fe are
associated with reactions that leads to ash fouling and
slagging. 30
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut3I7OIPFR8
1b. Pyrolysis
• Pyrolysis involves thermal
decomposition which occurs above
400 °C in the absence of oxygen.
• During the process, organic matters are
transformed into gases, liquids and
solid residues containing carbon and
ash.
• Pyrolysis occurs in two distinct steps,
 removal of moisture and
 condensation of volatiles into liquid
fraction.
• The products of biomass pyrolysis
include biochar, bio-oil and gases
including methane, hydrogen, carbon
monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
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 1b. Pyrolysis

• A wide range of energy rich fuels can be produced by roasting dry woody matter
like straw and wood chips.
• The material is fed into a reactor vessel or retort in a pulverised or shredded
form and heated in the absence of air. (Air would cause the products of
pyrolysis to ignite).
• As the temperature rises the cellulose and lignin break down to simpler
substances which are driven off leaving a char residue behind. This process has
been used for centuries to produce charcoal.
• The end products of the reaction depend critically on the conditions employed.
At lower temperatures (around 500 °C) organic liquid predominate
At temperatures near 1000 °C, a combustible mixture of gases results

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1c. Gasification https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI7s6IRpOHA

• Pyrolysis can be carried out in the presence of small quantities of

 oxygen (gasification),
 water (steam gasification) or
 hydrogen (hydrogenation)

• Gasification:
• Pyrolysis of wet biomass produces fuel gas and very little liquid. An alternative technique
for maximising gas yields is to blow small quantities of air or oxygen into the reactor
vessel and to increase the temperature to over 1000°C. This causes part of the feed to
burn.
• Fuel gas from air-blown gasifiers has a low calorific value (around 5 MJ /m3) and may
contain upto 40% inert nitrogen gas overall yields of 80-85% can be expected.
• Fuel gas from oxygen-fed systems has a medium calorific value (10-20 MJ /m3).
• This gas can either be burnt or converted into substitute natural gas (methane) or
methanol by standard catalytic processes.
• Methanol yields of around 50 % can be achieved from biomass.
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1c. Gasification https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI7s6IRpOHA

• Steam gasification:
• Methane is produced directly from woody matter by treatment at high temperatures
and pressures with hydrogen gas.
• The hydrogen can be added or, more commonly, generated in the reactor vessel from
carbon monoxide and steam.
• Recent analyses suggest that steam gasification is the most efficient route to methanol
Net energy yields of 55 % can be achieved although higher yields are likely in the future
as the technology is developed.
• Hydrogenation:
• Under less severe conditions of temperature and pressure (300-400°C and 100
atmospheres), carbon monoxide and steam react with cellulose to produce heavy oils
which can be separated and refined to premium fuels.
• Many countries are actively developing commercial processes for biomass liquefaction
and gasification.

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1c. Gasification

A process that uses

heat, pressure, and
steam to convert
materials directly into
a gas composed
primarily of carbon
monoxide and
hydrogen.

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1d. Liquefaction
• Liquid yield are maximized by rapid heating of the feedstock to
comparatively low temperatures.
• The vapours are condensed from the gas stream and these separate
into a two-phase liquor:
The aqueous phase (pyroligneous acid) contains a soup of water-soluble
organic materials like acetic acid, acetone, and methanol (wood alcohol)
The non-aqueous phase consists of oils and tars. These crude products can be
burned (with some difficyulty) but it is more profitable to upgrade them to
premium fuels by conventional refining techniques.

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In a nutshell – Thermal technologies
• The three principal methods of thermo-chemical conversion corresponding to each of these energy carriers are
combustion in excess air, gasification in reduced air, and pyrolysis in the absence of air. Direct combustion is the best
established and most commonly used technology for converting wastes to heat.
• During combustion, biomass is burnt in excess air to produce heat. The first stage of combustion involves the evolution
of combustible vapours from wastes, which burn as flames. Steam is expanded through a conventional turbo-alternator
to produce electricity. The residual material, in the form of charcoal, is burnt in a forced air supply to give more heat.
• Gasification systems operate by heating biomass wastes in an environment where the solid waste breaks down to form
a flammable gas. The gasification of biomass takes place in a restricted supply of air or oxygen at temperatures up to
1200–1300°C. The gas produced—synthesis gas, or syngas—can be cleaned, filtered, and then burned in a gas turbine in
simple or combined-cycle mode, comparable to LFG or biogas produced from an anaerobic digester.
• The final fuel gas consists principally of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane with small amounts of higher
hydrocarbons. This fuel gas may be burnt to generate heat; alternatively it may be processed and then used as fuel for
gas-fired engines or gas turbines to drive generators. In smaller systems, the syngas can be fired in reciprocating
engines, micro-turbines, Stirling engines, or fuel cells.
• Pyrolysis is thermal decomposition occurring in the absence of oxygen. During the pyrolysis process, biomass waste is
heated either in the absence of air (i.e. indirectly), or by the partial combustion of some of the waste in a restricted air
or oxygen supply. This results in the thermal decomposition of the waste to form a combination of a solid char, gas, and
liquid bio-oil, which can be used as a liquid fuel or upgraded and further processed to value-added products.

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2. Biochemical conversion
(wet processes)
a)Anaerobic digestion
b)Fermentation

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2a. Anaerobic digestion/ Biogas production

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOIsYS-_czw
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2a. Anaerobic digestion
• Introduction
Anaerobic digestion is the natural biological process which stabilizes organic waste in the absence of air and transforms
it into biofertilizer and biogas. Anaerobic digestion is a reliable technology for the treatment of wet, organic waste.
Organic waste from various sources is biochemically degraded in highly controlled, oxygen-free conditions
circumstances resulting in the production of biogas which can be used to produce both electricity and heat. Biomass
conversion technologies are slowing being built for home boilers also.
• Biogas is produced by the bacterial decomposition of wet sewage sludge, animal dung or green plants in the absence
of oxygen.
• Feedstocks like woodshavings , straw and refuse may be used, but digestion takes much longer.
• The natural decay process of anaerobic decomposition can be speeded up using a thermally insulated air-tight tank
with a stirrer unit and heating system.
• The gas collects in the digester tank above the slurry and can be piped off continuously.
• At optimum temperature of 35 °C, complete decomposition of animal or human feces takes around 10 days.
• Gas yields depend critically on the nature of the waste. For eg., pig manure is better than cowdung or household
refuse
• 1 kg of dry weight of organic material yields 450 to 500 litres of biogas (9 -12 MJ) at atmospheric pressure in a
modern unit.
• The residue left after is a valuable fertilizer. It is rich in protein and can be dried and used as animal feed supplement.

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2b. Fermentation/ Production of Bioethanol

Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is produced mainly via biochemical routes.

The three major steps involved are pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation.
1. Biomass is pretreated to improve the accessibility of enzymes.
2. After pretreatment, biomass undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis for conversion of polysaccharides into
monomer sugars, such as glucose and xylose.
3. Subsequently, sugars are fermented to ethanol by the use of different microorganisms.
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2b. Fermentation/ Production of Bioethanol
• Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is produced by the fermentation of sugar solution by natural yeasts.
• After about 30 hours of fermentation the brew (or beer) contains 6-10% alcohol and this can
readily be removed by distillation.
• Traditionally, the fibrous residues from plant crops like sugar cane bagasse have been burnt to
provide the heat.
• Suitable feed stocks include crushed sugar cane and beet, fruit etc.
• Sugar can also be manufactured from vegetable starches and cellulose, maize, wheet grain, or
potatoes, for example, must be ground or pulped and then cooked with enzymes to release the
starch and convert it to fermentable sugars.
• Cellulose materials like wood, paper waste or straw, require harsher pre-treatment typically
milling and hydrolysis with hot acid.
• One ton of sugar will produce upto 520 litres of alcohol; a ton of grain, 350 litres and a ton of
wood, an estimated 260 to 540 litres. After fermentation, the residue from grains

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 2b. Fermentation/ Production of Bioethanol
• After fermentation, the residue from grains and other feed stuffs contains high
protein content and is a useful cattle-feed supplement.
• The hydrolysis and distillation steps require a high energy input;for woody
feedstocks direct combustion or pyrolysis is probably more productive at present,
although steam treatment and new low-energy enzymatic hydrolysis techniques are
under development.
• The energy requirement for distillation is also likely to be cut dramatically.
• Alcohol can be separated from the beer by many methods which are now under
intensive development. These include solvent extraction, reverse osmosis, molecular
sieves and use of new dessicants for alcohol drying. It may soon be possible to halve
the energy required for alcohol production to produce a greater net energy gain.

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44
3. Chemical conversion
(transesterification - biodiesel)

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3a. Biodiesel production

Transesterification

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 3a. Biodiesel production

• Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, yellow grease, used cooking oils, or animal
fats.
• The fuel is produced by transesterification—a process that converts fats and oils into
biodiesel and glycerin (a coproduct).
• This involves vegetable or animal fats and oils being reacted with short-chain
alcohols (typically methanol or ethanol).
• Approximately 100 pounds of oil or fat are reacted with 10 pounds of a short-chain
alcohol (usually methanol) in the presence of a catalyst (usually NaOH or KOH) to
form 100 pounds of biodiesel and 10 pounds of glycerin (or glycerol).
• Glycerin, a co-product, is a sugar commonly used in the manufacture of
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrldwVGmmy4
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Biogas plants
• Batch plant
• The feeding is between intervals; The plant is emptied once the process of digestion is complete.
• A battery of digesters may be charged along with lime, urea, etc. and allowed to produce gas for
40 to 50 days.
• They are charged and emptied one by one in a synchronous manner to maintain a regular supply
of gas through a common gas holder.
• Continuous plant
• There is a single digester in which raw material are charged regularly and the process goes on
without interruption except for repair and cleaning etc.
• In this case the raw material is self buffered (like cow dung) or otherwise thoroughly mixed with
the digesting mass where dilution prevents souring and the biogas production is maintained. The
continuous process may be completed in a single stage or separated into two stages.
 Single stage process
 Double stage process

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Biogas plants
Single stage process
• The entire process of conversion
of complex organic compounds
into biogas is completed in a
single chamber.
• This chamber is regularly fed
with the raw materials while the
spent residue keeps moving out.
• Serious problems are
encountered with agricultural
residues when fermented in a
single stage continuous process. outlet

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 Biogas plants
Double stage process
• The acidogenic stage and methanogenic stage are
physically separated into two chambers.
• Thus the first stage of acid production is carried out in a
separate chamber and only the diluted acids are fed into
the second chamber where bio-methanation takes place
and the biogas can be collected from the second chamber.
• Considering the problems encountered in fermenting
fibrous plant waste materials the two stage process may
offer higher potential of success.
• The main features of continuous plant are that:
(1) It will produce gas continuously;
(2) It requires small digestion chambers
(3) It needs lesser period for digestion
(4) It has less problems compared to batch type and is easier to
operate

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 Community and institutional biogas plants
The floating gas holder digester or The Khadi Village
Industries Commission (KVIC) model
• Steel drum type or floating gas holder design (the gas
holder is separate from the digester)
• Digestion takes place in a masonry well and the drum floats
as the gas collects and is taken out from the top.
• The drum is the costliest component; Less life of 10 years.
Fixed dome digester or Janta model or Chinese plant
• Drumless type similar in construction to KVIC except that the
steel drum is replaced by a fixed dome roof of masonry
construction with gas holder made of mild steel plates.
• The dome roof requires specialized design and skilled
masonry construction
• Poorly constructed roof leads to leakage.
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 Recent developments in biomass technology

• Cogeneration in Sugar and Mills

• Sugar industry has been traditionally practicing cogeneration by using bagasse as a fuel.
• With the advancement in the technology for generation and utilization of steam at high temperature and pressure, sugar industry
can produce electricity and steam for their own requirements.
• It can also produce significant surplus electricity for sale to the grid using same quantity of bagasse. For example, if steam
generation temperature/pressure is raised from 400 °C/33 bar to 485 °C/66 bar, more than 80 KWh of additional electricity can be
produced for each ton of cane crushed.
• The sale of surplus power generated through optimum cogeneration would help a sugar mill to improve its viability, apart from
adding to the power generation capacity of the country.
• Implementation of BPGTP (Biogas Power Generation (Off-grid) and Thermal energy application Programme):
• The BPGTP Scheme is being implemented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Departments of the States and Dairy
Cooperatives.
• However, the programme is also implemented through the State Renewable Energy Agencies (SNAs), Biogas Development and
Training Centres (BDTCs), Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in States
where Agriculture and State Rural Development Departments are not in a position to implement.
• The Programme Implementing Agencies (PIAs) may take help of Panchayati Raj Institutions/ Local Bodies (LBs) as an overarching
Institutions allowing need based interventions under the community development programme in rural areas as well as areas to
cover North Eastern Areas, Forest Fringe Villages, in large population concentration of SC/ ST communities including in tribal areas.

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Energy farming

• Many farmers already produce biomass energy by growing corn to make ethanol. But biomass energy
comes in many forms.
• Virtually all plants and organic wastes can be used to produce heat, power, or fuel.
• Biomass energy has the potential to supply a significant portion of a country’s energy needs, while
revitalizing rural economies, increasing energy independence, and reducing pollution.
• Farmers would gain a valuable new outlet for their products. Rural communities could become
entirely self-sufficient when it comes to energy, using locally grown crops and residues to fuel cars
and tractors and to heat and power homes and buildings.

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Energy farming

Biomass Energy Sources on the Farm

• Biomass Residues
Agricultural activities generate large amounts of biomass residues. While most crop residues are left in the field to
reduce erosion and recycle nutrients back into the soil, some could be used to produce energy without harming the soil.
Other wastes such as whey from cheese production and manure from livestock operations can also be profitably used to
produce energy while reducing disposal costs and pollution.
• Energy Crops
Crops grown for energy could be produced in large quantities, just as food crops are. While corn is currently the most
widely used energy crop, native trees and grasses are likely to become the most popular in the future. These perennial
crops require less maintenance and fewer inputs than annual row crops, so they are cheaper and more sustainable to
produce.
• Grasses. Switchgrass appears to be the most promising herbaceous energy crop. It produces high yields and can be
harvested annually for over 20 years before replanting.
• Trees. Some fast growing trees make excellent energy crops, since they grow back repeatedly after being cut off close to
the ground. These short-rotation woody crops can grow to 40 feet in less than 8 years and can be harvested for 10 to 20
years before replanting. In cool, wet regions, the best choices are poplar and willow. In warmer areas, sycamore,
sweetgum, and cottonwood are best.
• Oil plants. Oil from plants such as soybeans and sunflowers can be used to make fuel. Like corn, however, these plants
require more intensive management than other energy crops.

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Energy farming

• Protecting the Land

• With thoughtful practice and management, perennial energy crops can improve the
soil quality of land that has been overused for annual row crops.
• The deep roots of energy crops enhance the structure of the soil and increase its
organic content. Since tilling occurs infrequently, the soil suffers little physical damage
from machinery.
• One study estimates that converting a corn farm of average size to switchgrass could
save 66 truckloads of soil from erosion each year.
• Perennial energy crops need considerably less fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and
fungicides than annual row crops require.
• Reduced chemical use helps to protect ground and surface water from poisons and
excessive aquatic plant growth. Furthermore, deep-rooted energy crops can serve as
filters to protect waterways from chemical runoff from other fields and prevent
sedimentation caused by erosion.
• Finally, perennial energy crops can create more diverse habitat than annual row crops,
attracting a wider variety of species, such as birds, pollinators, and other beneficial
insects, and supporting larger populations.
• Furthermore, the long harvest window for energy crops enables farmers to avoid
nesting or breeding seasons.

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Design consideration

The optimum design of biogas plant depends on a number of factors:

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Design consideration

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Community biogas plant

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Thank you
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