SUBMITTED BY :

MUAAZ ALI (BSME-01113094)

ASSIGNMENT
ON BIOGAS
PLANT

BIOGAS PLANT

WHAT IS BIOGAS ?

Biogas is a gas mixture which is generated when organic

compounds are fermented in the absence of air (anaerobic
fermentation).

This gas mixture is mainly made of carbon dioxide (CO2)

and methane (CH4). Methane is a combustible gas, which
C -O -O
means it can be burned.

It can be used as a fuel for cooking and lighting.

PERCENTAGE OF COMPOSITION
CH4

( 45-80 )%

CO2
O2 ,H2S ,N2

( < 5 )%

THREE MAIN WAYS OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION

SEWAGE TREATMENT PROCESS

AT WASTE DUMPS

BY BIOGAS PLANT

WHAT IS BIOGAS PLANT

A plant to collect biological gas has five components:

The inlet, the fermentation chamber or digester , mixing
and over flow tanks, the gas storage bag or tank, and the
outlet i.e the exit pipe through which the gas is removed.
Simple biogas plant

INTRODUCTION
A biogas plant is an anaerobic digester of organic material for the purposes of treating
waste and
concurrently generating biogas fuel. The treated waste is a nutrient-rich, nitrogen-rich
fertilizer
while the biogas is mostly methane gas with inert gases including carbon dioxide and
nitrogen.
Biogas plants are a preferred alternative to burning dried animal dung as a fuel and can
be used
for the treatment of human waste. Other feedstock which can be used includes plant
material,
non-meat or grease food-wastes, and most types of animal dung. Over a million biogas
plants
have been constructed in the developing world for treatment of organic wastes,
alternative
energy supply to direct burning in the home, and overall improvement of human health
and the
environment. Many factors for selection of feedstock and site location must be
researched
before deciding to install a biogas plant

COMPONENTS
1. INLET TANK
OUTLET CHAMBER

4. COMPOSIT PITS

OF

PLANT

2. DIGESTER WITH DOME

3.

DETERMINING PLANT SIZE

Plant size is the sum of digester volume and gas storage .

The biogas plant size is dependent on the average daily feed

stock and expected hydraulic retention time of the material in
the biogas system .
For small size plant

Generally, at least 24 kilograms of feedstock complimented

with 24 to 50 liters of water per day with a hydraulic retention
time of 3 to 5 days will require a 4-cubic meter plant .

What is HRT ???

TheHydraulic retention time(HRT) is a measure of the

average length of time that a soluble compound remains in a
constructed bioreactor or DIGESTER.

GENERAL BIOGAS

PLANT

RAW MATERIALS
CEMENT
The cement to use in the plant construction must be of high
quality Portland cement from a brand with a known reputation.
It must be fresh, without lumps and stored in a dry place.

SAND
Sand for construction purpose must be clean. Dirty
sand has a very negative effect on the strength of
the structure. If the sand contains 3% or more
impurities by volume, it must be washed. the
percent of mud should be less than 3% of the
overall volume. Course and granular sand can be
used for concrete work however fine sand is
necessary for plastering work.
PIPES

RAW MATERIALS
GRAVEL
Gravel size should not be too big or too small. Individual gravel diameter
should not be greater than 25% of the thickness of concrete product where
it is used. As the slabs and the top of the dome are not greater than 8 cm
(3") thick, gravel should not be larger than 2 cm (0.75") in size.

WATER
Water is mainly used for preparing the mortar for masonry, concrete and
plastering work. It is also used to soak bricks/stones before using them.

COBBLE STONES
If cobble-sized stones, 7.5-30 cm (3-12) in diameter are used for
masonry work, they must be clean, solid and of good quality.

Tools

Welding equipments.
Shovels
Trowels
Metal saw and blades for cutting
steel.

CONTRUCTION
FIRST THE CONSTRUCTION SITE IS SELECTED FOR BIOGAS PLANT TO BE
CONSTRUCTED
The following points should be kept in mind when deciding on a site for
biogas plant construction

For proper function of the plant, the optimal temperature has to be

maintained in the digester. Therefore, a sunny site should be selected
to keep the digester near 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
To make plant operation easier and to avoid wastage of raw feedstock
the plant must be as close as possible to the feedstock supply (toilet,
animal pen, compost pits, etc.) and water source. If a readily available
supply of feedstock or water or both is not available then the biogas
plant should not be installed.
The plant should be at least 10 meters away from
groundwater wells or surface water bodies to protect
water from pollution.

STEPS

FOR

CONSTRUCTION

After selection of the plant size and site location, the site layout is
marked on the ground surface with wooden stakes, rocks, chalk or
other materials. After the site layout is marked, the engineer
should review the selected location again to ensure the best site
has been chosen and will not interfere with other activities
normally performed at the planned biogas plant.

1. EXCAVATION
It is the first step of construction. The excavation work
should only be started after deciding the location of
manhole and outlet tank.

STEPS

FOR CONSTRUCTION

2.Construction of Digester Main Chamber

i.
The digester foundation is placed using cobbles and
gravel as mixture then filled with concrete. The foundation
should be 15 cm thick and allowed.
ii. At the center of the pit, a straight rod or pipe (the 0.5 * GI
gas pipe) must be placed in an exact vertical position.
iii. After the Foundation has cured for at least two days, the
round wall is constructed
VIEW OF MANHOLE IN DIESTER

* GI:- galvanized
steel pipe i.e.
zinc coated to
protect from

STEPS

FOR CONTRUCTION

3.DOME CONSTUCTION
When the round wall of the digester is complete, the dome is then constructed. The dome is
constructed using a mould or cast technique. This can be accomplished by constructing a
timber frame for proper arch design .After the dome has cured for approximately one week,
the timbers and earth of the mould can be removed through the manhole.
4. OUTLET CHAMBER CONSTRUCTION
The Outlet Chamber excavation and manhole is completed concurrently with the digester
vessel and the manhole shares a common foundation with the digester vessel
5. CONSTRUCTION OF INLET TANK
The Inlet Tank is constructed to mix feedstock and water. This can be constructed with or
without a mixing device. The top of the structure should not be more than one meter above
ground level and both inside and outside of the tank must be covered with a smooth layer
of plaster The finished bottom of the Inlet Tank must be at least 5 cm above the Outlet
Chamber overflow level.
6.LAYOUT OF PIPELINE
The gas pipe conveying the gas from the plant to point of user is vulnerable to damages
by people, domestic animals and rodents. Therefore, only light quality galvanized iron pipe
should be used which must be, where possible, buried 30 cm (1 foot) below ground level.

BREIF DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE

The required quantity of feedstock and water is mixed in

the inlet tank and the slurry is discharged to the digester
vessel for digestion. The gas produced through
methanogenesis in the digester is collected in the dome.
The digested slurry flows to the outlet tank through the
manhole. The slurry then flows through the overflow
opening in the outlet tank to the compost pit. The gas is
supplied from the dome to the point of application through
a pipeline.

HOW IT WORKS ?
HERE IS A SMALL DEMONSTRATION .

A SHORT CLIP FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING

Just click on black screen to start the

clip !

IMPORTANCE
The anaerobic production of biogas does not produce any
offensive smell hence it is environmentally friendly, reduces
green house effect, greatly increases the fertilizer value of
manure and protects water source.
The Chinese has long identified the importance of biogas
towards meeting the energy needs in rural areas.
Transformation of organic wastes into high quality fertilizer
IN THE NEWS
ISLAMABAD-Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy
Technologies (PCRET) will install 368 Biogas plants in
different rural areas by the June 2012 under the project
Development and Promotion of Biogas Technology for
meeting domestic fuel needs of rural areas and production
of Biocfertilizer.
This project was launched in 2008 through which 2500
family size Biogas plants are to be installed in the country,
out of these 2132 plants have been installed and the

ANALYSIS

What questions would be asked by a person who wants to

build a domestic plant that could fulfill his needs of

?
i) How large biogas plant does I need?
ii) How much money would it cost?
cooking

How large biogas plant does I need

To cook food for six people we required farm yard manure of

six buffaloes or ten cows. In Pakistan an average family has
6 people . Lets assume how large biogas plant would be
needed for six people.
It is said that a buffalo or cow produces at least 20 kg of dung
per day which is dependant on the amount and quality of
feed given to the animal.(if 40 kg fodder is given to the cow).
On the other hand the plant can also be connected with a
toilet as a human being also produces a waste of about a kg
per day.
Now, upon some research I found that different dung
produces different amount of gas per kg of it.

Lets calculate my personal

need

First lets have a look on the following conversion table for methane i.e
(natural gas and biogas)
1 cubic meter = 35.315 cubic feet
1000 cubic feet = 1 MMBTU
1 cubic meter = 3.5315 x 10^-2 MMBTU

MY LAST GAS BILL SHOWS THAT MY FAMILY HAS CONSUMED ABOUT 2.662
MMBTU
OF GAS NOW LETS CONVERT IT INTO CUBIC METERS.
1/1000 MMBTU = 1 CUBIC FEET
35.315/1000 MMBTU = 35.315 CUBIC FEET
3.5315 X 10^-2 MMBTU = 1 CUBIC METER
1
MMBTU
=
1 / 3.5315 X 10^-2 CUBIC METER
2.662 MMBTU
=
2.662 / 3.5315 X 10^-2 CUBIC METER
SO.
2.662 MMBTU = 75.37 CUBIC METERS
WHERE AS THE PER DAY CONSUMPTION IS = 75.37 / 30 = 2.51
THERE ARE 6 MEMBERS IN MY FAMILY SO , PER PERSON CONSUMES ABOUT
= 2.51 / 6 = 0.41
NOW HOW LARGE PLANT DO I NEED ??????

HOW LARGE PLANT DO I

NEED ?
Before building a plant some animals are needed how many of them do in need.
As a buffalo produces at least 20 kg of dung so
(NO OF ANIMALS) X ( AMOUNT OF DUNG) X ( PER KG PRODUCTION OF GAS) = GAS
PRODUCTION
NO OF ANIMALS = (2.51) / (20 kg)( 0.040)
no of animals needed = 3.1 = 3 buffaloes needed to fulfill my gas requirement

MAKE SLURRY WE KNOW WATER IS ADDED TO DUNG

THE RATIO OF WATER PER DAY =1: 1
20 Kg + 20 liters = 2530 kg (slurry)
total input / day =
25 kg (slurry)
now, THE MINIMUM CAPACITY NEEDED FOR MY HOUSE IS
2.5
CUBIC METERS
TOTAL INPUT FOR SIX WEEKS = 25 X 42 =1050 Kg = 10.52
CUBIC METERS
THUS
,THE of
MAXIMIUM
CAPACITY
NEEDED
WOULD
BEat least
10.52
CUBIC
For
a family
8 with a few
animals
(say 8-10
cows),
10m
METERSis a commonly used size in India, with 2 m gas storage. ( LINK
digester
http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/methane

EXAMPLE Calculations
o
o
o
o

A SAMPLE EXAMPLE OF A FARMER !

First we should get to know how many buffaloes the person has ???
Lets assume that the person is having 2 buffaloes and 3 CHICKENS .
An average cow or a buffalo produces 20kg of manure and lets assume that
the feed of his cattle is good so 1 kg of fresh manure can produce up to 0.04
cubic meter of a gas from the table.

2 x 20

kg/animal

x 0.04 = 1.6 cubic meters gas

o Each person produces an average of about 1 kg of waste per day so,

6 x 1 kg/person x .028 = 0.168 cubic meters gas

o Almost every farmer with cattle also has some poultry (chickens) , 1 kg of chickens
dung produces an average of 0.065 to 0.116 cubic meters of a gas. Lets assume
the person has 3 chickens. So,

3 x 0.2kg/ chicken x .0116 = 0.069 cubic meters gas

so,
Total =

0.069+0.168+4

= 1.837 cubic meters

The size of plant !

Total input per day !

The ratio of water per day is 1:1
so,

2 cattle = 20 kg dung + 20 liters water

6 people = 6 kg dung + 6 liters waters
And lets add 2 kg of dung and water for the chickens !

Total input / day = 30+2 = 32 kg

input for six weeks = 32 x 42 = 1344 kg

in volume =

1 cubic meter = 1000 kg

so , 1344 kg= 1.3 cubic meter
Thus this is the maximum capacity of fermentation/digester
well needed by that farmer.

Production of gas
Production of gas depends upon the amount and nature of the
fermentation slurry, digester, temperature and retention time.

The produced gas is collected in the gas holder ,

cap or drum above the dome.

To minimize the size and to keep the price as low as possible, the drum is
not built to accommodate a full day's gas production. The drum is made to
hold between 60 and 70 percent of the volume of the total daily gas
production.
The pressure of natural gas being supplied by the government is usually
2psi but the pressure of biogas produced is generally low thus the drum
constructed on top floats upon slurry and continuously creates pressure
on the gas being collected. Pressure of 600 mm of water column is
usually created inside the digester .
600 Water Column [millimeter] = 0.853 400 600 06 pound/square inch
That means round about pressure of 1 psi is obtained in the stoves

Cost
Maximum cost including the price of
materials
and labour would not exceed 50,000 !

COMMENTS
Biogas plants are a cheap source of energy,
PAKISTAN as a developing country should get equipped with
this technology especially in the rural areas to reduce their
problem of load shedding as it could fulfill their
requirements up to the mark.

REFERENCES

http://desertification.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/the-import
ance-of-biogas-towards-meeting-the-energy-needs-in-rural-a
reas-google-ezine-articles/
http://www.biogasenergy.rs/how_it_works.html
http://www.greenpowerindia.org/biogas_benefits.htm
journeytoforever.org
ohioline.osu.edu/b804/804_3.html