Household Biogas Digester

An Underutilized Potential
Pramod Pandey
Research Assistant (PhD candidate)

Biological System Engineering Department

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Supervisor: Prof. Schulin Chen

Email: schen@wsu.edu
Phone: 011-509-335-3859

Objectives
To present the overview of Renewable Energy programme in India
In view of the above to introduce the development and diffusion of
biogas technology in India
To provide the historical perspective and evaluation of biogas
technology in China

Overview of Renewable Energy Programme in India

Biogas
Biomass
Wind energy
Solar Energy
Small Hydro Power
Other Technologies

Energy-fuel cell
Hydrogen Energy
Transprotation-Battery operated
vehicle
Geothermal Energy
Ocean and Tidal Energy.
Biofuels

Diffusion of Biogas Technology in India

It is the main programme under rural energy development

Objectives
Provide fuel for cooking purpose
Provide organic manure to rural poor
Reduce pressure on forest
Improve sanitation by linking toilets with biogas plant

Target and Potential

9The Advisory Board on Energy (May, 1985) indicated a potential
for setting up 16 to 22 million small biogas units in the country.
9MNES and Ninth Five Year Plan Document have indicated a
potential of 12 million plants based on 1981-82 livestock census
and availability of cattle dung.
9A cumulative of 3.37 million biogas plant has been installed
which is a 25 % of potential

Historical Perspective of Biogas (Gobar Gas) In India

1950

First units constructed. Some research on the process and design

1950-72

Industrial development of India and agriculture. First practical designs

constructed, small projects, mainly one organization involved, one design
disseminated.
Energy crisis attracts attention to the technology, start of national interest.
Fossil fuel dependency identified. Indira Gandhi to power.

1972-1975
1975-1980/81

National interest and research. National programme developed

1980/81-1985

Initiation of large national programme relying on subsidies. Multi

organization, multi-design approach.

1985-1992

Improving designs, improving the organization and results from

dissemination.

1992-1996

Decrease in subsidies, new structures of dissemination and extension

1996-2000

Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) has achieved 97%

to 108% of annual target during the five years. At the instance of MNES,
the Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO) undertook evaluation of
National Project of Biogas Development (NPBD) primarily to examine the
implementation methods.

2000-2003

MNES and Ninth Five Year Plan Document have indicated a potential of 12
million plants bases on 1987-82 livestock census and availability of cattle
dung. During the Ninth Plan, a target of installing 12.6 lakh plants has been
fixed, while the proposed Tenth Plan target is 15 lakh plants. Subsidies
continue

Scope of Biogas Technology in India

India has the largest cattle population in the world.
There are about 75 million farm families 60 percent
families own 4 or more cattle, which are sufficient to operate
a small biogas plant.

SATNA
Study area

3%

2%

1.50%
1.50%
3%

89%

waste land

pasture

house

nala

road

cultivable land

Land use pattern of Jakhi village

11.50%
8.30%

15.60%
65%

marginal

small

medium

large

Land holding pattern of Jakhi village

Direct Energy Calculation

DE = 1.96 HLH + 80.7 BPH + 56.31 DC + 11.93 EC

DE = Direct energy input MJ
HLH = Human Power hours used per ha
BLH = Bullock power hours used per ha
DC = Diesel consumption per ha
EC = Electricity consumption per ha, KWH

Indirect Energy calculation

IE = C x WM x HUM/OA
IE

=Indirect Energy calculation MJ/ha

= Energy coefficient

WM = Weight of machinery used per hour

HUM = Hours of machinery used
OA = Operation area, ha

Cooking
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0

Miscelleeous domestic
35254

2154
1423

um
ed
i

2685
2762

2642
2164

La
rg
e

3295
2142

al
l

na
ar
gi
M

le

ss

2256
1557

28534

27465

27452

Sm

26882

nd
La

Lighting

Energy consumption in household activities (MJ/year/household)

Soft coke (%)

Electricity (%)

Kerosene (%)
Non-commercial fuel (%)

Average
18000-above
12000-18000
6000-12000
3000-6000
Utp to 3000

20

40

Rural Area

60

80

100

Energy use pattern

Rural Area
Most people depends on traditional fuels of wood, cowdung, crop
residues
Often using inefficient and primitive technology
Commercial fuels are used for lighting
Cooking alone consumes around 85.5% of the total energy
Household activities consumes about 74.4% of the total energy

Organizational Structure of National Programme

on Biogas Technology in India
MNES
Support system

Training, feedback research

and development

NABARD/
RBI
National
banks
State
lead
banks
Bank
branches

Regional
training and
development
centers

Research
institutions

Implementation
Nodal agencies (state
departments/corporation)

District
offices

NGOs

Block
offices

Turnkeys
/workers

Turnkey
workers

Autonomous
bodies
(KVIC/DIC)

State offices/
co-operatives

NGOs

State Nodal

KVIC

Others

140000

Number of Biogas plant

125608

125128

116352

120000

115565

108181

100000
80000
60000
40000
20000

47900
37666

2746

36421

32868

3594

3882

2983

33346

10887

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

Years

Fig 2 Share in achievement of targets by various agency

Rupees (million)

Reciept

Expenditure

800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

Year

Receipt and expenditure of funding under NPBD in Selected States

(MNES, 2002)

Classification of Biogas Model

Batch Type

Semi continuous type

Continuous type

Stage type
Plug flow type

FLOATING DRUM

Well mixed type

FIXED DOME

KVIC Model

Janata Model

Pragati Model

Deenbandhu Model

Ganesh Model

Janata II Model

Ferro cement
VINCAP Model

Ferro cement
Deenbandhu

Over View of Floating Type Biogas Plant

Structural View of Digester of Floating Type Biogas Plant

Biogas Plant in Rural Area of West Bengal (Kharagpur)

6 MW MSW plant in Lakhnow, UP

Schematic Presentation of Pragati Type of Biogas Plant

Schematic Presentation of Janta Type Biogas Plant

Schematic Presentation of Floating Type of Gas Holder

Schematic Presentation of Deenbandhu Biogas Plant

Plug flow digester

Plug flow digester

Biogas Development in China

Initial phase
Mr. Luo Guorui founded the first Chinese company to disseminate
biogas technology in Shantou in the summer 1929

The company has developed along the Yangtse River and more then
10 provinces along the eastern and southern coast

The first specialized technology training material on desing and

construction and operation of biogas technology was published in
1935

Second Phase
Second upsurge for promoting the biogas technology in China
initiated in Wuchant City of Hubei province in 1958.

Although new hydraulic biogas digester they have developed

but still Guorui Biogas plant was mostly adopted

More then 100 thousand plants were dismantled due to poor

scientific construction and blind construction.

Third Phase
In the 70 and 80s the energy consumption and fuel supply was poor as
122 kg/capita. 66% of the stalks was used as farmers cooking fuel.

The central Govt. pointed out that dissipation of biogas technology in

rural area could effectively utilize agriculture resource and forest
protection

These leads to professional management organisation and leading group

of biogas development, and professional institute namely, Chengdu
Biogas Institute

Rural Energy Programme in China

Rural household biogas digesters were widely disseminated some cities
and town in Northern China

Since 1983, China is emphasizing the policy of rural energy in every five
year development plan.

Rural energy development has been arranged into national economic

planning for 20 years. An unique way of China rural energy development
has been explored.

500
440

450

410

400
350

310

300
250
125
60

50

30

20

15

10

15

Tianjin

55

Jilin

50

100

80

Beijing

100

Shanxi

150

Hainan

160 160 150 160

Chongqing

175

Guangsi

200

sichuan

henan

shanong

shanghai

liaoning

anhui

guangdong

hubei

jiangsi

zhejiang

hebei

hunan

fujian

jiangsu

Medium and large size biogas plant in different part of China

800

No of decontamination biogas systems

Shanghi

1200

Guangxi
Hubei

2000

Anhi

2200

Jiangxi

2500

Hunan

3000

Fujian

3200
4000

Jiangsu

10000

Zhejiang

12000

Chongding

20000

Guangdong

32000

Sichuan
0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

Cities

No of Biogas decontamination system in China, 2001

35000

electricity, 9.3

biogas, 0.40%

natural gas,
0.005

firewood, 21.3
coal gas, 0.003

coal , 32

stalks, 33.42
Oil, 2

LPG, 1.1

Percentage contribution of energy sources utilized in Rural China

(2001)

In 2000, population in China rural areas was 0.82 billion around 65%
of Chinese total population 1.26 billion. In 2001, China rural areas
were 9.57 million households having biogas digesters of which 8.57
million (90%) plants are working.

If those plants work properly they can produce yearly around 2.98
billion Cumec biogas amounting to standard coal 2.13 million tones.

Positioning of
bottom
hemisphere and
out let for fixed
dome type of
biogas plant

Joining of two hemisphere of biogas plant

Top view of fixed dome type of biogas plant

Trainees of biogas training programme (Feb 12-17, 2004), Mechada, India

Trainees with Mr. Pandey in Gadbeta Dairy Farm, Aug12-28, 2003, India

Mr. Pandey, and Mossa Kareem, owner of a poultry biogasdigester, 26,

June, 2005

Visit in a kusiari village, May, 2005

Masson Training for biogas plant designing

Speech for biogas in National level seminar for farmers, at IIT,

Kharagpur, Feb, 12, 2004

Prof. T. Nejat Veziroglu, International Hydrogen President, with Mr.

Pandey in his laboratery

Dr. T. Kasturirangan, eminent space scientist, and Mr. Pandey

Isolated bacteria for anaerobic digestion