Very
Short Introduction to Biogas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas
http://www.ashden.org/biogas (14.10.2013)
Biogas refers to the gas
produced by break down of organic material in absence of oxygen. The
biodegradable material is usually manure, sewage, municipal waste, plant
material and crops or food waste. Biogas usually comprises of methane and carbon-di-oxide.
A simple biogas plant has have
these two things
a.
container to hold decomposing material and water
(slurry) this is called digester tank
b.
another tank to collect biogas this is
called gas holder
There must be systems to
a.
feed organic material
b.
take gas stock out
c.
remove the residue.
In fixed dome biogas plant the container (gas holder) above is fixed,
whereas in floating dome biogas plant,
the dome above is floating. The digesting slurry is decomposed by bacteria
and the effluent is collected in chamber nearby. Typical composition of biogas
is Methane 50-75%, C02 25-50%, Hydrogen Sulphide 0-3%, Nitrogen 0-10%.
Biogas can be a serious
source of energy. Indeed in North America Biogas can meet up to 3% of electricity
energy requirements. Biogas can be compressed and used to fuel vehicles. In UK,
biogas can replace 17% of vehicle fuel.
Biogas is also
environmentally friendly and can contribute to reduction in global warming.
In India biomass production
has a potential of 21000 MW, or 21 GW and that is significant component of
power utilization of 148W.