Report on Visit to

India A delegate from Bangladesh to get experience on

Biomass Energy

2017

Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources

1/1/2017

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................2

2. Members of the Bangladesh Delegation............................................................................................2

3. Experience of the Team ...................................................................................................................2

4. Team’s Observation ........................................................................................................................3

i) Visit to Sarder Saran Singh National Institute of Bio Energy (SSS-NIBE) ...................................3

Biomass and Energy Management Division ...........................................................................3

Thermochemical Conversion Division...................................................................................3

Biochemical Conversion Division .........................................................................................4

Chemical Conversion Division .............................................................................................4

Electrochemical Conversion Division....................................................................................5

ii) Roundtable discussion with SSS-NIBE officials ........................................................................5

iii) 6MW Rice straw based co-gasified grid-tie power plant, Kapurthala .......................................6

iv) Meeting with the entrepreneur of ‘Sampurn’ Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd.- a rice straw based co-

generation plant ..............................................................................................................................7

5. Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................8

6. Country benefit ...............................................................................................................................8

7. Recommendation ...........................................................................................................................8

7. Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................9

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Performance testing of Cookstove in Thermochemical conversion division ....... 3

Figure 2: Biofuels production process in Biochemical division............................................. 4

Figure 3: Hydroprocessing of non-edible seed oils in Chemical Conversion Division ...... 4

Figure 4: Electrochemical Conversion Division` ..................................................................... 5

Figure 5: Roundtable discussion with SSS-NIBE officials of such institute. ....................... 5

Figure 6: 6MW Rice straw based co-gasified grid-tie power plant, Kapurthala .................. 6

Figure 7: ‘Sampurn’ Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd.- a rice straw based co-generation plant,

Chandigarh .................................................................................................................... 7

Table 1: List of delegates visited India ...................................................................................... 2

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1. Introduction

A team from Renewable Energy (RE) Sector of Bangladesh incorporating member from

Power Division, Sustainable & Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA),

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Power Cell and Infrastructure

Development Company Limited (IDCOL) have been visited different RE projects of

India. The aim of the team was to acquire knowledge from various RE related RD&D

work, visiting projects sites to get factual view of the RE projects, identifying different

aspect of those ongoing projects and assemblage those prospect inside of the country etc.

2. Members of the Bangladesh Delegation

The member of this delegation is comprised with below mentioned personnel with their

respective designation:

Table 1: List of delegates visited India

Sl. Name Designation Organization Action in Visit

1. Mr. Mahbub Ul Alam Additional Secretary Power Division Team Leader

2. Anwarul Islam Sikder Chairman BEPRC Member

3. Selima Nargis Deputy Director BPDB Member

4. Mohammad Shakil Khan Assistant Director Power Cell Member

5. Toufiq Rahman Assistant Director SREDA Member

6. Wahidur Rahman Unit Head (RE) IDCOL Member

3. Experience of the Team

The team visited & met with several places and people to gather experience on RE

projects especially focus on bioenergy.

- Sarder Saran Singh National Institute of Bio Energy (SSS-NIBE), Jalandhar,

Punjab, India

- 6MW Rice straw based co-gasified grid-tie power plant, Kapurthala, Punjab,

India

- A round-table discussion with the entrepreneur of ‘Sampurn’ paddy straw based

co-generation plant produced compost fertilizer as well as 1MW electricity as

byproduct.

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4. Team’s Observation

i) Visit to Sarder Saran Singh National Institute of Bio Energy (SSS-NIBE)

Sarder Saran Singh National Institute of Bio Energy (SSS-NIBE) is an autonomous

R&D institute of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India with highly

qualified researchers dedicated to biomass based energy research. The institute

initiated its R&D activities to Biomass and Energy Management division,

Thermochemical conversion division, Biochemical Conversion division, Chemical

Conversion division and Electrochemical process division. Each division has

individual specific research activities like:

Biomass and Energy Management Division

Biomass and Energy Management Division drives its activities to biomass

characterization and generation of database, biomass availability and assessment,

biomass mapping using GIS techniques, biomass transportation and storage,

biomass conversion routes and pretreatment techniques etc.

Thermochemical Conversion Division

This division concentrated on basic testing and R&D facilities for biomass

Cookstoves and gasifier. In this division different types of performance tests have

been conducted as per BIS protocol. A 10kW gasifier has been installed at the

institute, to study its performance keeping in view its utility to end users in the

remote and rural areas.

Figure 1: Performance testing of Cookstove in Thermochemical conversion division

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Biochemical Conversion Division

The objective of this division is to develop bio refinery concept and consolidated

bioprocessing (CBP) for production of biofuels like biogas, bio-hydrogen, bio-

etahnol and bio-butanol from inexpensive biomass.

Figure 2: Biofuels production process in Biochemical division

Chemical Conversion Division

Chemical conversion division emphasized on catalysis for hydroprocessing of

non-edible seed oils, distillation of the biocrude and characterization of the

fractions. Transesterification process of low grade high free fatty acid containing

oil for biodiesel production and their characterization are being undertaken. For

conducting the research, a photo-bioreactor with culture capacity of 50L for the

higher production of microalgae biomass has been designed and installed by this

division.

Figure 3: Hydroprocessing of non-edible seed oils in Chemical Conversion

Division

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Electrochemical Conversion Division

Electrochemical Conversion division research on synthesized materials by using

various characterization techniques (physical and electrochemical) like XRD<

TEM/SEM/NMR/FT-IR and galvano-staic studies/impedance etc. The objective of

this division is to increase the density of alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cell by

using suitable low cost membrane.

Figure 4: Electrochemical Conversion Division

ii) Roundtable discussion with SSS-NIBE officials

Team also talked over operation of such a R&D institute with SSS-NIBE officials. In

this roundtable discussion, we got ideas about the function of this type of dedicated

research institute. The structural division and their particular operations have been

demonstrated to us. Also the Director General of the Institute presented a power point

to display the overall activities of SSS-NIBE.

Figure 5: Roundtable discussion with SSS-NIBE officials of such institute

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After the session team members of Bangladesh delegation are honored by traditional

Punjabi chadar. At the end team members & officials of the institute planted Jatropha

trees in institute premises as a symbol of friendship.

iii) 6MW Rice straw based co-gasified grid-tie power plant, Kapurthala

The team also visited 6MW rice straw base co-gasified grid-tie power plant in

Kapurthala district. The power plant is based on rice straw and coal based dual fuel

gasification. There are three boilers each of temperature rises upto 850oC. At initial

stage boiler is fired upto 650oC by coal gasification and then fired upto next stage

using rice straw. There are three cooling towers in the power plants. The flue gas

chimney height is 50m to exert the gas higher enough than the local air. This plant is

supplying electricity to a local distribution grid line of 400V through a substation of

7.5MVA substation. It is operated by independent private entrepreneur who collects

rice straw from local suppliers at a rate of 1.4र per ton. The local suppliers collect the

rice straw without any payment from the farmers as rice straw is abundant in Punjab

but not used further. The state owned electricity agency Punjab Energy Development

Authority (PEDA) is purchasing the electricity at a rate of 7.86 र/kWh. Also the Govt.

exempts all types of taxes and duties on the plants commercial operation.

Figure 6: 6MW Rice straw based co-gasified grid-tie power plant, Kapurthala

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iv) Meeting with the entrepreneur of ‘Sampurn’ Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd.- a rice

straw based co-generation plant

The Bangladesh delegates met with the entrepreneur Mr. Sanjeev Nagpal, the owner of

Sampurn Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd. The plant is a private initiative in the biomass energy

sector. It is located at the Industrial Area of the Chandigarh, Punjab. Sampurn Agri

Ventures Pvt. Ltd. converts the most hazardous of Agricultural Wastes, Paddy Straw,

into a valuable resource of biomass energy, power and organic fertiliser. The paddy

straw base plant produced Organic fertilizer and 1MW of electricity as by product. IIT

Delhi is providing technical support to the company. Sampurn is collecting paddy

straw at a rate of 1र per ton and sell Organic fertilizer at 1र per kilogram. Also the

electricity they generating is used for their own consumption, which saves around

40million rupees/year of energy cost for this company. The company is also getting

financial support as loan from GoB as 20 percent of project cost with a period of 5

years.

Figure 7: ‘Sampurn’ Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd.- a rice straw based co-generation plant,

Chandigarh

(source: power point presentation provided by Sampurn Agri Venture Pvt. Ltd.)

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5. Lessons learnt

Indigenous resources to extract biomass energy are the main focus of SSS-NIBE.

They have abundant of paddy straw which aren’t used further. So they utilize

those excessive materials for converting it to biomass energy.

The institute is fostering a multidisciplinary approach to develop the sustainable

biofuels such as bio-hydrogen, bio-ethanol and bio-butanol from locally grown

plants. So focus should be given on indigenous plants for extracting bio-fuels at

cheap rate.

NIBE has well equipped ICS model development and dissemination centre. This

centre tests & approves the ICS developed by private company. Also this centre

developed an ICS approval guideline which is approved and adopted by GACC.

Such testing centers could be established in our country to ensure the

dissemination of quality ICS.

Private entrepreneur should be encouraged by providing financial incentives and

loan to support for taking such initiatives.

6. Country benefit

Function & operation of a dedicated RE based R&D institute.

Govt. and Private coordination to develop RE base project.

Cross border collaboration in RE especially biomass sector.

Financial modelling for Biomass base RE projects.

Biomass based independent business model development.

7. Recommendation

A dedicated institute is required to where its mandate would be to focus on

bioenergy and develop technologies in the area of renewable biofuel from local

resources.

Extensive research is required to harness energy from biomass resources.

Bangladesh has promising biomass materials like jute stick, maize leave etc. These

indigenous resources can be researched to get prospective energy from them.

India-Bangladesh joint collaboration can be established in Biomass R&D,

manpower training and institutional development sector.

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7. Conclusion

Bangladesh has well biomass resources but isn’t utilized in an organized process. An

extensive research on local resources can help us to get a sustainable way to extract

energy from biomass resource. In this regard, we should focus on locally available

biomass resources to harness its energy. This strategy will help us to achieve

sustainability in energy sector.