Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Biogas Upgrading and Bottling Technology
for Vehicular and Cooking Applications
Virendra Kumar Vijay , Rimika Kapoor , Abhinav Trivedi , and Pradip Narale
Introduction
Enhanced energy security and climate change mitigation are the main drivers for the
transformation of the energy system from fossil to renewable sources. Biomass has
to play a key role in this transformation to a low carbon economy. Worldwide,
biomass accounts for more than two thirds of all renewable energy supplies. Among
biomass sources, biogas is an interesting option with a large potential, offering
many exciting possibilities to supplement and therefore reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels.
Biogas is an energy source which is produced from biodegradable/organic
wastes, and hence contributes simultaneously to waste management and to build a
sustainable environment. Wastes of variable qualities and quantities, such as animal
dung, agricultural wastes and municipal solid waste, are available in rural and urban
areas. Biogas production is the most feasible option in developing nations as biogas
can be produced at the same site as locally available wastes. The raw biogas can be
upgraded using simple technologies and can be bottled, thus facilitating its use in
applications such as domestic and commercial cooking, power generation via
engines and as vehicular fuel. A specifi c advantage of biogas technology is in the
utilisation of organic wastes and other organic by-products for energy production,
as opposed to disposal via landfi lls, which inevitably leads to further emissions of
greenhouse gases by the process of slow decomposition.
Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion is a green and cost effective replace-
ment of wastes. Anaerobic digestion has the potential to meet the energy require-
ments in rural areas, and also counter the effects of reckless burning of biomass
resources. An additional benefi t is that the quantity of digested slurry is the same as
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