Institute of Environmental Engineering & Management Mehran University of Engineering & Technology Jamshoro, Pakistan

United Nations Environmental Programme International Environmental Technology Centre Osaka/Shiga, Japan

Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into Energy Source

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY AND RECOMMENDATION ON POLICIES FOR THE PILOT SCALE PROJECT OF BIOGAS PLANT

By: Prof. Dr. Rasool Bux Mahar

PREFACE
Rapid increase in demand and consumption of fossil fuels and its consequent impact on climate change and environment has put greater emphasis on development of alternative and renewable sources of energy. Waste biomass, as a renewable energy source, presents a viable solution for meeting our energy demands. It addresses the climate change issues as well as reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. In developing countries this could be developed as a versatile source of energy for domestic as well as industrial/commercial purposes. In this report district Sanghar, which is one of the largest districts of province Sindh, Pakistan was selected for converting waste agriculture biomass into energy into energy in which one of the objective is to develop pilot project of environment sound technology(EST) and train the local government/ stake holders/partners to implement the technology. In this regard, Pilot Scale Biogas plant for Waste Agriculture Biomass at Sanghar Sugar Mill is to be developed. The economic and environmental feasibility of the pilot project is presented in this report. This biogas plant will be the first plant in Pakistan which is to be operated by using waste agriculture biomass. Biogas generated is to be utilized for heating, cooking and lightning purpose. Existing WAB disposal methods are open dumping and burning into the environment. At dumping side, organic matters are being fermented and producing lot of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the environment and at open burning side flue gases are being emitted into the environment. The said pilot project is environmentally and economically viable in which major portion of GHG methane is to be captured by fermentation of organic matters in digester to produce the heat energy. The lesson learned from this project various similar type of the biogas plants to be replicated in remote areas of the country with cooperation of district/ local government. This project would reduce the consumption fossil fuels and resultantly would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Description Page

Preface 1 2 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT PILOT SCALE BIOGAS PLANT FOR WAB WORKING PROCESS OF BIOGAS PLANT/ANAEROBIC DIGESTER (AD) 4 5 6 7 FEEDSTOCK DIGESTATE UTILIZATION OF BIOGAS DESIGN OF BIOGAS PLANT 7.1 Temperature 7.2 Hydraulic Retention Time 7.3 Digester 7.4 Feed tank 7.5 Mixing of Feedstock 7.6 Feedstock Heating 7.7 Gas Storage 7.8 Digestate Tanks 7.9 Digestate Storage Tanks 8 COST ESTIMATE OF BIOGAS PLANT 8.1 Capital cost of the pilot project 8.2 Operational cost of the pilot project 9 10 11 12 INCOME FROM THE PILOT PROJECT ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY OF PROJECT PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

2 4 5 5

6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 11 12 13 13 14

Annexure A: DETAIL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT The agricultural residues are referred as the Waste Agricultural Biomass,

which may be assorted as field residues that is the matter leftover in an agricultural field after the crop has been reaped e.g. leaves, straw, stalks, roots etc. and process residues that is the matter leftover after the processing of the crop at the mills or factories into a valuable resource e.g. husks, sugar cane fiber (bagasse), seeds, groundnut shells, maize cobs etc. The waste agricultural biomass is the valuable by product of the crops cultivate. Worldwide a huge quantity of the WAB is generated, out of which a considerable quantity is being either wasted without any use or its use is improper. Regarding this UNEP has a project entitled Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into Fuel/Resource in Pakistan. The objective of the overall project is to assist the government in identification and implementation of environmentally sound technology (EST) for converting waste agricultural biomass into energy/material source. The project will build the local capacity to identify and implement EST for waste agricultural biomass recycling and assess their potential for resource conservation and GHG emissions reduction as well as for their feasibility with respect to local socio-economic and environmental characteristics. The operability and benefits of the selected ESTs will be demonstrated through pilot project. This project is in direct support of Bali Strategic Plan for Capacity Building and Technology Support. It is aimed that local capacity will be strengthened in data collection and analysis to develop baseline scenarios for cities/countries on quantification and characterization of waste agricultural biomass as well as on prevailing management systems including regulations/policies. It is also aimed that local capacity is built for identification of appropriate technologies and assessment of their potential for resource conservation and GHG emissions reduction. It is also aimed that local capacity will be strengthened on procurement and implementation of the EST with operation and maintenance skills.

PILOT SCALE BIOGAS PLANT FOR WAB The pilot scale Biogas plant is to be built at Sanghar Sugar Mill with

cooperation of Sanghar Sugar Mill management and Local Government. The location of the Biogas plant and collaboration partners were decided selected in stake holders concerns workshop held in District Nazim Secretariat under the chairmanship of the District Coordinator Officer (DCO) Sanghar. Biogas is to be produced by anaerobic digestion of Waste Agriculture Biomass which includes baggasse, animal dung, banana plant waste and other crop residues. Anaerobic Digestion is the biological treatment of biodegradable organic waste in the absence of oxygen, utilizing microbial activity to break down the waste in a controlled environment. Anaerobic digestion results in the generation of:

1. BIOGAS, which is rich in methane and can be used to generate heat and/or electricity; 2. FIBER, (or digestate) which is nutrient rich and can potentially be used as a soil conditioner; and 3. LIQUOR, which can potentially be used as a liquid fertilizer Anaerobic digesters produce favorable conditions that encourage the natural breakdown of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of air. Anaerobic digestion (AD) provides an effective method for turning residues from livestock farming, Crops forming, organic fraction of municipal solid waste and food processing industries waste into the useful products as stated above.

WORKING PROCESS OF BIOGAS PLANT/ANAEROBIC DIGESTER (AD) The digestion process takes place in a sealed airtight container (the digester)

which creates the ideal conditions for the bacteria to ferment the organic material in oxygen-free conditions. The digestion tank needs to be warmed and mixed thoroughly to create the ideal conditions for the bacteria to convert organic matter into biogas (mixture of carbon dioxide, methane and small amounts of other gases). During this process 30 - 60% of the digestible solids are converted into biogas. This gas must be burned, and can be used to generate heat or electricity or both. It can be burned in a conventional gas boiler and used as heat for nearby buildings including farmhouses, and to heat the digester. It can be used to power associated machinery or 5

vehicles. Alternatively, it can be burned into gas engine to generate electricity. If generating electricity, it is usual to use a more efficient combined heat and power (CHP) system, where heat can be removed in the first instance to maintain the digester temperature, and any surplus energy can be used for other purposes.

FEEDSTOCK A fresh feedstock is to be added to the system continuously, which produce

biogas and collected into the storage tank. For this project, during operation period of sugar mill baggase residue (size 1-15 mm) is co-digested with animal dung and during closure period of sugar mill banana plant residue, cotton stalk and other free available WAB is to be utilized. The proportion of WAB and animal is to be kept 75% and 25% respectively. Feedstock is to be hydrolyzed in the hydrolyzing tank then is to be feed in the digester from inlet daily and same volume is to be drained out from the out let.

DIGESTATE The residual digestate is to be stored and then applied to the land at an

appropriate time without further treatment, or it can be separated to produce fiber and liquor. The fiber is to be used as a soil conditioner or composted prior to use. The liquor contains a range of nutrients and can be used as a liquid fertilizer which can be used in agriculture field as a part of a crop nutrient management plan. AD products can, therefore, help farmers reduce their requirement for nonrenewable forms of energy such as fossil fuels, and the digestate, if correctly used, can reduce demand for synthetic fertilizers and other soil conditioners which may be manufactured using less sustainable methods.

UTILIZATION OF BIOGAS The biogas generated is to be utilized for cogeneration with baggase for

heating the boiler of Sugar Mill. Presently hard wood is being used as cogeneration with baggase. There is no natural gas supply line in the vicinity of Sugar Mill. In off season of Sugar Mill the biogas is to be utilized for cooking of food for workers and biogas generator could be run for generation of electricity for sugar mill office during load shading. Usually breakdown of electricity is here about 6-8 hours per day.

DESIGN OF BIOGAS PLANT 6

The following operational parameters of biogas plant are designed and mentioned in the Table 1 and detailed drawing is provided in annexure A and description of the designed parameters is given below:

7.1 Temperature The proposed biogas/anaerobic digestion plant will work of mesophilic a condition that is within the temperature range of 37 C to 40 C.

Table 1 Design parameters of Biogas plant Parameters Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) Temperature Total Quantity of WAB to be added Total quantity of the water to be added Volume of Digester (R.C.C) Biogas yield per day Use of Biogas Diameter of digester Height of Digester Hydrolysis Tank (0.8 m3) Lower Digestate Tank (Bricks) Solid fertilizer 02 tanks (Bricks) Liquid fertilizer tanks 02 Bricks Gas Storage Tank (mild steel) Gas pile line Stirring by Mechanical Mixer Inlet & Outlet pipes Inlet valve Land required Design Values 20 days 37o -40 o C 400 kg/ day 430 kg/ day 20.75 m3 50 m3 Heating of Boiler (co-combustion with baggase) 10 ft 9 ft (w l h) 4 4 3 (w l h) 3 4 2 (w l h) 3 5 5.5 (w l h) 3 5 5.5 length = 8 & diameter = 4 1 G.I. Horizontal (motorized) 6 (stainless steel) 6 (stainless steel) 2000 sqm (0.5 acre)

7.2 Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) The hydraulic retention time is to be kept as 20 days. If the HRT is too large then bigger size of the digester is to be needed and on other hand if HRT is too small then prior to complete digestion of organic matters will come out from the digester. For completely mixed anaerobic digester HRT is required about 6-10 days. However, in case of this project HRT is to be kept about 20 days because digester is to be operated as a partially mixed reactor. The bio-digester is single stage and will be made from concrete. The volume of the digester is 20.75 m3, will produce biogas of 50 m3 per day. The detail of the other components of the plant is described in following subsections.

7.3 Digester It is the cylindrical tank made up of reinforced concrete. The inner diameter of the cylinder is 10 feet; where as its effective height is 9 feet. Above the 9 feet height there is a dome, also made up of reinforced concrete. An opening is made in the center of the dome having the diameter of 2 feet. There is a one inlet at the height of one foot above the bottom and two out lets, the first is at 2 feet above the bottom and the second is at the opposite side to the first outlet and is at the height of 8 feet from the bottom.

7.4 Feed tank A single feed tank is provided into the plant. The feed tank is to be installed on the platform at the height of 7 feet from the ground level. The access to the platform is through the stair. The stairs and the platform are to be made from reinforced concrete. The volume of the feed tank is designed as 0.8 m3. The frequency of the feeding is daily. The feedstock consists of 100 kg of cattle dung, 300 kg of WAB and about 430 kg of water.

7.5 Mixing of Feedstock The designed anaerobic digestion plant works on the co-digestion of cattle dung and waste agricultural biomass. These are to be mixed with the water. I order to get the homogenized mixture of the feed stock a mechanical mixer will be installed, which will be driven by the electric motor.

Another mechanical mixer is for the mixing of the feedstock within the digester to avoid scum formation and increasing efficiency of the overall process of digestion. This mechanical mixer is paddle type and is motorized.

7.6 Feedstock Heating In case of cold climate the temperature of the digester is to be kept at 37 C in order to get constant production of biogas. If the temperature decreases to the 25 C then the process becomes psycrophilic and the biogas production decreases. One of the simplest methods is to increase the temperature of the digester in the cold climate to preheat the feedstock. For this at the bottom of the feed tank a biogas stove is to be installed. It will consume fraction of the produced biogas for heating the feedstock. The digester is exposed to the sun, thus solar radiations will directly hit the digester and causes the increase in the temperature of the digester within the range of mesophilic condition.

7.7 Gas Storage In addition to the dome provided into the digester as a biogas storage space, a separate gas storage tank is to also be provided. This tank is made up of mild steel. The shape of the tank is cylindrical and will be laid down on the ground horizontally. The diameter of the tank is 4 feet and the length is 8 feet. The total volume of the tank is 100 ft3. The inlet and the exit from the gas storage tank are from the top, which insures the moisture trap. The trapped moisture from the gas storage tank can be exhausted from the valve located below the tank. The pipeline and fitting used for the biogas transfer is made up of galvanized iron and having the size of 1 inch diameter.

7.8

Digestate Tanks There are two digestate tanks in the plant. The main digestate tank is equal in

size to the feed tank that is 0.8 m3. As per design parameters the amount of the feedstock entered into the digester will be equal to the amount of digestate drawn from it. The second digestate tank is located at the bottom of the digester.

7.9

Digestate Storage Tanks There are four storage tanks, two for the solid digestate and two for the liquid

fertilizer. One set of the tanks will remain in operation at once, while the other 9

remains with the digestate filled for its settling. The digestate will transfer from digestate tank to storage tank through 3 inches galvanized iron pipeline along with the valve.

8. COST ESTIMATE OF BIOGAS PLANT The cost of the biogas plant is splitted into two parts i.e. capital cost and operational cost.

8.1 Capital cost of the pilot project The capital cost of the project is estimated on the basis of quantity of material and equipments. Major cost is required to build the Bio-digester which is to be built of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) along with inlet and outlet ports and for hydrolyzing Tank, gas holding Tank, Mixers with motors and gas valves, liquid and solid bio-fertilizer storage reservoirs. The rough estimated cost is given in the Table 1. The land required for pilot project is provided by the Sugar Mill Management.

8.2 Operational cost of the pilot project The operational cost of pilot project is estimated on the basis of operational requirements for the Biogas plant which includes feedstock, electricity consumption and salary of the operator. The details of the operational cost are given in the Table 2.

10

Table 2 Cost estimates for Biogas Plant COST OF THE PROJECT

Operational Cost Description Baggase Residue+ Banana waste + other crop residue Animal Dung Auxiliary electricity Operator salary Total operational cost Rs.1000 / ton Rs.500 / ton Rs.10 /Kw Rs.10000/ month Rs/ year 108 36 2880 12 108000 18000 28800 120000 274800 Rate/ unit Quantity (tons/year) Total cost in Rs.

Capital cost Civil work for digester, Pumps, Motors, Mixers, Physical Infrastructure, including Design and Implementation cost in Rs. Note: 1 USD=Rs. 86 2000000

9. INCOME FROM THE PILOT PROJECT Three types of products are to be produced from pilot project are given below: 1. Biogas 2. Liquid fertilizer 3. Solid fertilizer The quantity of biogas to be produced is estimated as per literature and composition of feed stock to be added to the digester. The quantity of methane is estimated by assuming the concentration of methane in biogas is 60%. The quantity of biogas and fertilizer is to be obtained from the project are given in the Table 3. The rate of uncompressed methane is assumed as Rs.40/kg. However, in the market rate of compressed natural gas (CNG) is Rs.53/kg. The rate of liquid fertilizer and solid fertilizer is assumed as Rs.1.5 per kg and Rs.4 per kg respectively. Income generated from the biogas and fertilizer is mentioned in the Table.4.

11

Table 3 Quantity of biogas and fertilizer produced from Biogas plant PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS PLANT Products of the project Biogas generation Equivalent to Natural gas Methane equivalent in Production of liquid fertilizer Production of solid fertilizer Production of Liquid fertilizer Production of solid fertilizer Units m3/ month m3/ month kg/day kg/day kg/day kg/year kg/year Quantity 1680 1008 8588 200 150 72000 54000

Table 4 Income generated from the plot project INCOME FROM THE PROJECT Quantity Total income from the project Rate/ unit in kg/ year Income from Liquid fertilizer in Rs/year Income from Solid fertilizer in Rs /year Income from Methane in Rs per year Total income Operational cost Net saving Pay back period Rs.4/kg Rs.40/Kg Rs. Per year per year Rs. per year years 54000 8588 216000 343526 667526 274800 392726 5 Rs.1.5/kg 72000 108000 Total in Rs.

10. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT From the analysis of capital cost and operational cost of biogas plant and income generated from the project, it is observed that project is economically feasible. The project life of the project is assumed about 20 years and in first 05 years project cost would be recovered/ pay back as given in the Table 4.

12

11. ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY OF PROJECT Current WAB management methods are open dumping and burning into the environment. At dumping side, organic matters are being fermented and producing lot of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the environment and at open burning side flue gases are being emitted into the environment. The said pilot project is environmentally and economically viable in which major portion of GHG methane is to be captured by fermentation of organic matters in digester to produce the heat energy. Rapid increase in demand and consumption of fossil fuels in Pakistan and its consequent impact on climate change and environment has put greater emphasis on development of alternative and renewable sources of energy. Waste biomass, as a renewable energy source, presents a viable solution for meeting our energy demands. It addresses the climate change issues as well as reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. In Pakistan, this pilot project will be developed as a versatile source of energy for domestic as well as industrial/commercial purposes.

12. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY The project is to be implemented with cooperation of Sanghar Sugar Mill management. The Sanghar Sugar Mill authority is agreed to own and contribute in the pilot project of Biogas Plant in form of money and land (Provide Rs. 400000.00 and provide required land) for it. They are also agreed to operate and maintain the plant minimum for 10 years. Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro will provide all technical guidance from execution to operation of the project. The products obtained from the pilot project will be utilized by the Sugar Mill. The Construction of Bio-digester along with accessories and procurement of equipment are to be carried out through the inviting tenders from contractor /vendors. The work is to be awarded after proper evaluation of tenders to lowest vendor/ contractor. The break up of the funds is given as below: Estimated cost of plant Amount to be paid the by partner = = Rs. 2000000/-(23256 USD) Rs. 400000/- (4705 USD) Rs. 1720000/-(20000 USD)

Amount to be paid by UNEP(1USD=Rs.86) =

13

Annexure A: DETAIL DESIGN AND DRAWINGS

10' 11'-6" 16'

5'-6"

3' 4' 4'

5'

5'

Digestate Storage Tanks Digestate Main Exit

Digester

10'-6" 3' 4'

Digesate Tank

G. Level
2'

Digesate Exit

6"

Digesate Tank

2'

Fig. A: Plan and section of Bio-digester showing the inlet and out let arrangement

14

4' 3'

10' 11'-6"

4' 7'

16'

3'

4' 3'

8'

4'

3'-6"

5'

4'

Feed Tank
3'-6"

air St

s
9'

Gas to Consumer Gas Storage

G. Level
2'

Inlet

Fig. B: Plan and section of Bio-digester showing feeding and gas tanks arrangement

15

10' 11'-6" 16'

Main Hole

#4 @ 6" c/c

#3@9"c/c

#4 @ 6" c/c #3 @9" c/c 9' # 5 @ 6" c/c 1'

6", 1:2:4

Figure C: Structural design drawing of AD

16

10'

11'-6"

16'

A
3'-6" Sq
Main HOLE

9"

Digesate Inlet

3'

Figure D: The Digester Detail Drawing

10'
Digesate Sample Point

Main Digesate Exit

8'-9" 7'-6" 9' 2'-9"

Digesate Exit

2' underground

2'-6"

17
SECTION A-A

1"

2"

1' 1" 9" 7" 6" 1'

Figure E: Digester Exit Pipe

9" 6" 1'

7"

1"

1"

2"

115

6"

1'

Figure F: Digester Inlet pipe along with bent

18

1" 6" 2" 10" 3" 9"

1" 7" 6"

Figure G: Digester Sampling point exit pipe

GAS INLET GAS EXIT

4'

8'
Figure H: Bio-gas storage tank

19

Figure I: 3 D views of Anaerobic Digester

20

21