Online Capacity Building of SAARC Professionals on

Commercial Scale Biogas Plants

August 23-27, 2021

Overview of Biogas Technology As Future Fuel

Aug. 23, 2021, 2:50 – 3:45 pm

Prof Sanjeev Kumar

HRED, IIT Roorkee, India

sanjukec@hre.iitr.ac.in

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Contents❑ Overview of the biogas technology and historical development

❑ Global Biogas market and SAARC member states

❑ COVID-19 impact on biogas industry

❑ Discussion on biogas cycle and biogas plants

❑ Future potential

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Learning objective:

➢To get an insight on biogas technology, biogas market and future potential

Biogas Technology

Livestock waste

Wastewater

Food waste

Anaerobic

digester

Crops

Biogas

Biomethane

Fuel

ElectricityHeat

Digestate

Livestock

beddingFertilizer

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Biogas: Historical Development

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• In 1922, Germany starts using biogas, producing on a technical scale.

• Until 1937, many cities used these areas to produce biogas.

• When in the 50s oil became available at lower costs, use of biogas decreased drastically

• Only after the 70s oil crisis, the interest towards biogas arose again. In 1983 around 15 firmsintroduced into their production biogas plants. This led to the start of more than 100 plants inGermany.

Source: https://www.greenergyimpianti.it/biogas/historical-information/

History of Biogas Development in India

• In India, the principle of anaerobic digestion of biogas was first applied at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), NewDelhi, in 1939. The IARI developed the first biogas plant in 1946.

• In 1951, J. J. Patel developed a digester that delivered about 5.7 cubic meters of gas a day, calling it the gramalaxmi (Wealth ofVillage) gas plant.

• In 1954, an improved version of the gramalaxmi gas plant was developed which offered trouble-free operation, constant gaspressure, and more efficient cast iron burners. This design was adopted by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)for popularization.

• By the end of March 1984, there were more than 2.5 Lakhs biogas plants in India.

• The Central Sector Scheme on National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP) under implementation since1981

• Major role by MNRE: setting up Biogas Development and Training Centers

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5

Historical Development …..History of Biogas in Pakistan

History of Biogas Plants in Bhutan

• During late 80s - about 50 biogas plants were installed in the southern sub-tropical region of the country

• The model selected for these plants was Deenbandhu fixed dome digester with a size of 4m3 and 6m3 capacity

• The first plant constructed as a demonstration plant functioned till 2006

• The key institutes: Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Department of Energy (DoE), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA)

Biogas Market Study in Bhutan by Prakash C.Ghimire & Saroj K. Nepal , 2009

History of Biogas Development in Nepal

• The first module: introduced in 1955

• The formation of a Biogas Development Committee (BDC) as a part of the Energy Research and Development Group (ERDG) in 1976

• Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal (ADB/N) had played an active role in the promotion of biogas technology in 1974/75

• Gobar Gas and Agricultural Equipment Development Company (GGC) was established in 1977 with an objective of promoting biogastechnology in the country

Karki et al., 2015

• Biogas technology was first introduced in Pakistan through the government line departments in the 1970s.

• The Pakistan Centre for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) is the lead organization

• PCRET under a PSDP (public sector development program) project has installed 4137 plants by the year 1987, in all the parts of Pakistanfor promotion of biogas plants

• Besides PCRET, Initiative for Rural and Sustainable Development (IRSD), an NGO installed 1500 biogas plants. (N. Shaukat et al., 2016)

• One of the major initiatives: Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme (PDBP) (documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXYrPnzPhQ8)

Feasibility Study of Domestic Biogas in Pakistan by Bikash Pandey Sundar Bajgain, 2007

Global Biogas Market

• In 2018, 59.3 billion m3 of biogas was produced globally with an equivalent energy content of 1.36 EJ.

• During 2000 – 2018, the sector experienced an annual growth rate of 9%.

(World Bioenergy Association, 2020)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

Glo

ba

l b

iog

as

pro

du

ctio

n (

Bil

lio

n m

3)

Year

2005

22 billion m3

2010

37.1 billion m3

2016

56.6 billion m3

2015

56 billion m3

2017

57.7 billion m3

2018

59.3 billion

m3

2000

12.4 billion m3

7

Continued…

• Growth Drivers: Shift towards renewable sources of energy, effective

waste management practices, circular economy, rising energy demand

• Challenges: High initial investment

(Gupta and Bais, 2019)

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Biogas Market size is anticipated to record around 7% CAGR through 2025. Rising concerns toward emissions pertaining

to fossil fuel-based power generation along with growing focus to achieve diversity across the energy portfolio will drive the

global biogas industry statistics.

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• Europe is the world leader in biogas production.

• 2018 - Europe produced 30.9 billion m3 of biogas with an energy equivalent of 7.1x 1011 megajoule.

• The production accounted for more than half of the global biogas production with Asia coming 2ndwith a share of 32%.

Biogas Production in Continents 2018

19.3

0.01

8.34

30.9

0.84

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Asia Africa America Europe Oceania

Bio

ga

s p

rod

uct

ion

( B

illi

on

m3)

(World Bioenergy Association, 2020)

Continued…

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Country Installed capacity Targets

BhutanUpto Dec. 2019 - 6,087 biogas plants installed in Bhutan

(Ministry of Economic Affairs 2020)-

BangladeshUpto Dec. 2020 – IDCOL* financed construction of over

56,500 biogas plants (https://idcol.org/home/dbiogas)

60,000 biogas plants by 2021

(https://idcol.org/home/dbiogas)

India

From 1981-82 to 2018-19 - 50.28 lakh family/small size

biogas plants installed under NPBD/NBMMP** and

NNBOMP*** (https://mnre.gov.in/bio-energy/current-

status#energy)

5000 CBG plants by 2023

(https://www.globalmethane.org/challenge

/mnre.html)

NepalUpto 2019 – 4 lakh domestic biogas plants were installed

(Tika Ram, P., & Hom Bahadur, R. 2021)

Additional 2 lakh household biogas plants,

500 large scale biogas plants (institutional/

industrial/ municipal/community) by 2025

(MoFE 2021)

*IDCOL - Infrastructure Development Company Limited, established by the Government of Bangladesh

**NPBD/NBMMP - National Project on Biogas Development/National Biogas and Manure Management Programme

***NNBOMP - New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme

Biogas Industry - SAARC

Country Installed capacity Targets

Pakistan By 2018 – 14,500 biogas plants installed (Abbas et al. 2020)

Potential to run 1.5 crore biogas

plant and increase production rate

from 1% to 5% by 2030 (Tareen et

al. 2020)

Sri LankaBy 2017 – 7000 existing biogas plants (Bekchanov et al.

2019)-

Afghanistan By 2010 - 75 family-size biogas plants (Milbrandt and

Overend 2011)

8.96 lakh domestic biogas plants

could be installed using cattle

manure (Milbrandt and Overend

2011)

Continued…

World Biogas Leaders(Germany)

(France)

PlanET Biogas Global GmbH (Germany) (U.S.)

(U.K.)

(Canada)

(India)

Biogas Plant Manufacturers - SAARCMember State Some major companies

Afghanistan BÜCHI Labortechnik AG

Bangladesh Clarke Energy, Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Engreen Limited

BhutanServing Bhutan - inCTRL Solutions Inc. (based in Canada), ennox biogas technology

GmbH (based in Austria), EnviTec Biogas AG (based in Germany)

India Urja Bio System Private Limited, Netel India Ltd. (BioMali), Sintex Plastics, Era

Hydro- Biotech Energy Pvt. Ltd., VNS Enviro Pvt. Ltd.

MaldivesServing Maldives - Gazpack B.V. (based in Netherlands), EnviTec Biogas AG (based in

Germany), Prodeval (based in France)

NepalGandaki Urja Pvt. Ltd., Gobar Gas Company, Abiskar Energy, Eco Concern Pvt. Ltd.,

Envipower Energy and Fertilisers Pvt Ltd

Pakistan Punjab Bio Gas Company, Revgreen Pakistan, Qidwai Associates Pakistan, Royal Bio

Energy

Sri Lanka Dikkowita Biogas Project, HomeBiogas

Commercial-scale Biogas Plant - Switzerland

Nestle Waters Biogas Plant; largest agricultural biogas production facility in Switzerland

@ Treize-Cantons, Valbroye

25,000 tons of

manure from local

cows

RE for

Henniez bottled

water plant

Electricity for Swiss

power grid (enough

for 1,000

households/yr)

After processing, manure -

natural fertilizer

CO2 emissions reduction by

1,750 t/yr

Used coffee grounds

from Nescafé &

Nespresso sites (3800

tons)

(https://www.nestle.com/media/news/nestle-waters-opens-biogas-production-facility-switzerland) - 2016

Commercial-scale Biogas Plant - Nepal

Gandaki Urja Pvt. Ltd. One of the largest commercial scale biogas plants in Nepal

(https://bo2.com.np/investment-made/gandaki-urja/, https://gandakiurja.com/)

@ Pokhara, Nepal

45,000 kgs of

organic waste

matter Substitution of

37,183 LPG

cylinders

High quality organic

fertilizer (11,000 t/yr)

≡528,000 kg CNG

per year

Recipient of prestigious international Energy

Global award 2020

Commercial-scale Biogas Plant - IndiaBanas Bio-Gas Plant

(https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/banas-dairys-first-bio-cng-outlet-opened/articleshow/77880158.cms)

40 tonnes/day dung from

around 250 farms in 12

villages

200 m3 raw biogas on

daily basis

800 kg bio-CNG

every day

Purification

8 ton/day solid fertilizer

70,000 L/day liquid fertilizer

@ Gujarat, India

Impact of COVID-19 on Biogas Market

• Global biogas plant market impacted due to disruption on international supply chain and

reduction in investment for upcoming projects.

• Global energy demand - fall by around 6% in 2020 relative to 2019 (International Energy

Agency, 2020b).

• Around 8% of the 40 million jobs directly provided by energy sector - at risk or have already

been lost (International Energy Agency, 2020b).

• India - 5000 CBG plants by 2023 – delayed/hampered due to COVID-19.

Change in global primary energy demand, 1900 to 2020e (International Energy Agency, 2020b)

Continued…

Biogas CycleSolar EnergyPhotosynthesis

Organic Waste

Animal Husbandry

Biofuel Production

Crop Harvesting

Industrial Processing

Human Consumption

Anaerobic

Digestion

Energy CropsBio-fertilizer

Natural

Gas

Pipeline

CO2

H2O

Electrical and/or

Thermal Energy

Biogas

Biogas Plants – Types

Biogas digester

Small-scale

Floating Drum Plants

Fixed Dome Biogas Plants

Low-Cost Polyethylene Tube

Digester

Balloon Plants

Horizontal Plants

Earth-pit Plants

Ferro-cement Plants

Industrial

UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge

blanket)

CSTR (continuous stirred tank reactor)

EGSB (expanded granular sludge bed)

Small-scale Biogas Digesters

(a) Balloon Plants (Ray et al. 2016)(b) Low-Cost Polyethylene Tube Digester (Ferrer

et al. 2011) (c) Horizontal plant (Kumar et al. 2015)

(e) Earth bag plant

(Kumar et al. 2015)

(d) Floating Drum Plants (Rupf et al.

2016)

(f) Fixed Dome Plants (Rupf et al. 2016)

Industrial Biogas Digesters

(a) UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge

bed reactor)

(b) EGSB (expanded granular sludge

bed reactor)

(c) SGBR (static granular bed

reactor)

(Basitere et al. 2020)

Feedstock Types

Livestock

manure

Slaughterhouse

wastes

Glycerin (product – biodiesel

production) Industrial wastes Sewage sludge

Corn silage (energy crop) Ethanol stillage Waste feed

Food processing waste

• Only fraction of existing feedstocks used

• Sustainable feedstocks availability set to grow by 40% over period to2040

Feedstocks for Biogas Production

Production potential for biogas/biomethane by feedstock source, 2018 (International Energy Agency, 2020a)

Huge untapped potential,

underexploitation of

available feedstocks

Biogas as Future FuelM

toe: m

ega tonnes

of oil

equiv

ale

nt

Global Potential of Biogas

Anaerobic

digestion

Reduce global GHGe by

3,290 to 4,360 Mt CO2 eq.

10-13% of world’s

current GHGe

Biogas

Avoided emissions through organic waste

management, avoided fossil fertilizer

manufacture, crop burning, deforestation≡

Continued…

• 50 million micro-digesters, 132,000 small, medium and large-scale digesters and 700 upgrading plantsoperating globally.

• Still, only 1.6-2.2% of the global potential of AD is tapped yet.

(Jain et al., 2019)

Continued…

• IEA SDS (Sustainable Development Scenario) - biogas provides source of clean cooking to an additional 200million people by 2040

Outlook for Global Biogas Consumption, w.r.t. sector

(International Energy Agency, 2020a)

Policy Support

*AD – Anaerobic digestion

**CE – Circular economy

Policy Support

Removal of fossil fuel

subsidies

National plans to raise

biogas production &

consumption

National commitments to

reduce GHGe

Inclusion of AD* in all

govt. strategies

Inclusion of AD* in RE

generation incentives

Implementation of CE**

with AD* at its coreKnowledge

development

(Jain et al., 2019)

Conclusions• Biogas industry has experienced a tremendous boost in the recent decade.

• Different types of feedstocks are available, although their full potential is not explored.

• Still, only 1.6-2.2% of the global potential of AD is yet tapped.

• High potential of AD technology to generate renewable energy (biogas) and abate GHGe.

• Commercial scale deployment delimited – financing (major hurdle, particularly, in developing andunderdeveloped regions of world), since commercial biogas plants are expensive (due to high capitalinvestment followed by operation and maintenance costs).

• Various technical and infrastructural barriers pertaining to feedstock supply/transportation, poor gridnetwork, and poor enforcement of law and policies also act as barriers.

• Robust research, technological interventions and awareness programs required to strengthen thebiogas industry.

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References• Abbas, I., Liu, J., Noor, R. S., Faheem, M., Farhan, M., Ameen, M., & Shaikh, S. A. (2020). Development and performance evaluation of small

size household portable biogas plant for domestic use. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 1-13.• Basitere, M., Njoya, M., Ntwampe, S. K. O., & Sheldon, M. S. (2020). Up-flow vs downflow anaerobic digester reactor configurations for

treatment of fats-oil-grease laden poultry slaughterhouse wastewater: a review. Water Practice and Technology, 15(2), 248-260.• Bekchanov, M., Mondal, M. A. H., de Alwis, A., & Mirzabaev, A. (2019). Why adoption is slow despite promising potential of biogas technology

for improving energy security and mitigating climate change in Sri Lanka?. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 105, 378-390.• Ferrer, I., Garfí, M., Uggetti, E., Ferrer-Martí, L., Calderon, A., & Velo, E. (2011). Biogas production in low-cost household digesters at the

Peruvian Andes. Biomass and bioenergy, 35(5), 1668-1674.• International Energy Agency (2020a). Outlook for biogas and biomethane: Prospects for organic growth - World Energy Outlook Special Report.• International Energy Agency (2020b). Sustainable Recovery - World Energy Outlook Special Report (in collaboration with the International

Monetary Fund).• Jain, S., Newman, D., Nzihou, A., Dekker, H., Le Feuvre, P., Richter, H., ... & Thompson, R. (2019). Global potential of biogas (Doctoral

dissertation, The World Biogas Association).• Kumar, A., Mandal, B., & Sharma, A. (2015). Advancement in biogas digester. Energy sustainability through green energy, 351-382.• Luqman, M. J. (2019) Biogas production from different sources in SAARC countries-A review.• Milbrandt, A., & Overend, R. (2011). Assessment of biomass resources in Afghanistan (No. NREL/TP-6A20-49358). National Renewable Energy

Lab.(NREL), Golden, CO (United States).• Ministry of Economic Affairs (2020). Domestic Biogas Implementation Guideline, Department of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Economic

Affairs, Thimphu, Bhutan.• MoFE. 2021. Assessment of Electric Cooking Targets for Nepal’s 2020 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), Ministry of Forests and

Environment (MoFE), Kathmandu.• Ray, N., Mohanty, M., & Mohanty, R. (2016). Biogas compression and storage system for cooking applications in rural households''. International

Journal of Renewable Energy Research, IJRER, 6(2), 593-598.• Rupf, G. V., Bahri, P. A., de Boer, K., & McHenry, M. P. (2016). Broadening the potential of biogas in Sub-Saharan Africa: An assessment of

feasible technologies and feedstocks. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 61, 556-571.• Tareen, W. U. K., Dilbar, M. T., Farhan, M., Ali Nawaz, M., Durrani, A. W., Memon, K. A., ... & Aamir, M. (2020). Present status and potential of

biomass energy in Pakistan based on existing and future renewable resources. Sustainability, 12(1), 249.• Tika Ram, P., & Hom Bahadur, R. (2021). Energy Transition toward Cleaner Energy Resources in Nepal. Sustainability, 13(8), 4243.• World Bioenergy Association (2020). Global Bioenergy Statistics 2020.

Webpages

• ET Bureau, 2009. PepsiCo installs biogas plant at Pune unit. URL https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/pepsico-

installs-biogas-plant-at-pune-unit/articleshow/5063539.cms?from=mdr

• Gupta, A., Bais, A.S., 2019. Biogas Market Forecasts 2019-2025 Growth Statistics Report. URL https://www.gminsights.com/industry-

analysis/biogas-market

• Nestle News, 2016. Swiss cows help Henniez produce green energy. URL https://www.nestle.com/media/news/nestle-waters-opens-biogas-

production-facility-switzerland

• https://idcol.org/home/dbiogas

• https://mnre.gov.in/bio-energy/current-status#energy_o

• https://www.globalmethane.org/challenge/mnre.html

• https://gandakiurja.com/

• https://bo2.com.np/investment-made/gandaki-urja/

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/banas-dairys-first-bio-cng-outlet-opened/articleshow/77880158.cms

Suggested reading material

• Deublein, D., & Steinhauser, A. (2011). Biogas from waste and renewable resources: an introduction. John Wiley &Sons.

• Tabatabaei, M., & Ghanavati, H. (Eds.). (2018). Biogas: Fundamentals, process, and operation (Vol. 6). Springer.• Wellinger, A., Murphy, J. D., & Baxter, D. (Eds.). (2013). The biogas handbook: science, production and applications.

Elsevier.• World Bioenergy Association (2020). Global Bioenergy Statistics 2020.• International Energy Agency (2020a). Outlook for biogas and biomethane: Prospects for organic growth - World Energy

Outlook Special Report.

Continued…

Online Capacity Building of SAARC Professionals on

Commercial Scale Biogas Plants

August 23-27, 2021

Thank you

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