1

Er. Anil Kumar Er. Anil Kumar Dubey Dubey & Dr & Dr Pitam Chandra Pitam Chandra
Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering
BHOPAL BHOPAL
Ener gy f or m Cot t on St al k and ot her Ener gy f or m Cot t on St al k and ot her
agr o r esi dues agr o r esi dues
Availability of Crop Residue
Total : 540 MT/year
Surplus : 150 MT/yr
Production of agro-processing waste
Bagasse : 54 MT
Rice husk : 40 MT
G shells : 7.9 MT
Animal Dung : 267MT
Power potential : 16,000 MW
Conversion efficiency: 20%
(MNES Potential 19,500 MW)
Factors to be considered while estimating
Energy Potential of Agricultural
Residues.
Average annual residue yield
Recoverable fraction
Competing other uses
Losses
71.7 Mt Total surplus
11.8 29.4 Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Haryana, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Karnataka
Cotton
4.5 9.4 Rajasthan, UP, MP,
Haryana, Gujarat
Mustard
3.3 15.4 Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh
Groundnut
21.6 26.9 UP, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat
Sugarcane
15.4 67.6 Punjab, Haryana , UP,
Rajasthan, M.P.
Wheat
15.1 16.3 Punjab, Haryana Rice
Surplus crop
residues (million
tonne)
Amount of crop
residues (million
tonne)
Major producer states
having surplus crop
residues
Crop
Crop residues burnt in India
Residues to Crop Ratios for some
selected crops.
2.3 2.9 Straw Ground nut shell
3.5 - 5.0 Stalk Pigeon Peas
3.5 5.0 Stalk Cotton
1.7 - 2.0 Sticks Jute
1.2 2.9 Straw Rice
1.0 1.8 Straw Wheat Maize
1.2 2.5 Stalk + cob Maize
0.9 4.9 Stalk Grain sorghum
Residues production (tonnes
per tonne of crop)
Residues Crops
Arhar stalks
Ground nut shells
Rice husk
J ute &mesta
sticks
Mustard husk
Cotton stalks
Maize cobs
Maize stalk
D
E
C
N
O
V
O
C
T
S
E
P
A
U
G
J
U
L
J
U
N
M
A
Y
A
P
R
M
A
R
F
E
B
J
A
N
Residue
availability
Seasonal availability of crop residues in India
Source: J unginger, 2000
2
Calorific value of selected crop residues
14.0 - Dung (air)
17.2 8.5 Wheat straw
19.4 3.2 Soybean Stalk
16.8 14.9 Rice husks
15.0 19.2 Rice straw
18.6 1.8 Pigeon peas stalk
18.1 6.68 Cotton Stalk
Gross calorific value MJ/kg
(Oven dried)
(%)
Ash content (%) Crops
Characteristics of biomass
Elemental analysis (%)
0.02 40.5
0
15.6
0
0.08 0.53 0.06 2.50 0.09 1.00 5.0
0
36.
80
Rice
straw
0.03 35.4
5
15.7
7
0.10 0.17 0.03 0.30 0.02 0.30 5.0
0
37.
80
Rice
husk
- - 0.90 0.08 0.45 0.05 0.42 0.04 0.60 4.2
0
41.
10
Maize
stalks
- - 2.00 0.09 0.28 0.07 0.54 0.03 0.60 4.9
0
46.
20
Maize
cobs
- - 2.52 0.10 0.40 0.12 1.20 0.05 1.60 4.8
0
41.
10
Ground
nut shell
0 43.8
7
1.33 0.12 0.43 0.08 0.61 0.09 1.00 4.9
0
51.
00
Cotton
sticks
- 0.68 0.11 0.40 0.08 0.57 0.05 0.60 4.7
0
53.
30
Arhar
stalks
S O SiO
2
Ca Mg P K Na N H C
Crop
Residu
es
-- - 7.08 0.10 0.35 0.04 0.78 0.06 1.00 5.4
0
43.
80
Wheat
straw
Acceptability of fuel
depends upon its combustion
characteristics
economically transportation, collection
and storage
Biomass Preparation
Pretreatment to make it suitable to use.
Drying (removal / reducing of moisture)
Size reduction (Shredder, chipper, grinder)
Densification(Briquettes)
3 5 0 0 - 4 0 0 0
kcal/kg
Calorific value
5.0-8. 4 % Ash content
9 .83 % M o i s t u r e
content
1. 05 kg/m
3
True density
30.0 65.0 80.0 Maintenance cost/t
(Rs.)
200 250 100 120 Maintenance cycle
(hr)
40.0 50.0 Motor size (hp per
tonne of rated output)
4.0 5.0 10.0 13.3 Initial cost per tonne
rated output (lac, Rs.)
Rotary die and
roller
Die and
punch
Economics of biomass briquetting
3
Conversion of Crop residue into useful
energy
Method of utilization
Direct (heat energy obtained by burning
crop residue etc. in boilers, stove
Indirect (first converted into suitable fuel
in the form of solid, liquid or
gases)
Process of energy conversion
Thermo-chemical
(Combustion, Gasification and
bio oil Production)
Biochemical
(Anaerobic digestion and
Ethanol Production)
Chemical
(Biodiesel)
Biomass Energy Technology
Biodiesel Rapeseed
Soy beans
Jatropha
Karanja
Chemical Biodiesel Production
Ethanol Sugar or starch
crops
Wood waste
Pulp sludge
Grass straw
Aerobic
(Ethanol Production)
Biogas (methane) Animal manure,
Agricultural waste,
Landfills, Waste
Water Biochemical
Anaerobic (Biogas
production)
Methanol Methanol Production
Synthetic fuel oil (bio-oil)
Charcoal
Pyrolysis
Producer Gas Gasification
Heat
Steam
Electricity Wood
Agricultural waste
Municipal solid
waste
Thermo-
chemical
Direct Combustion
Energy (Or)
Fuel Produced
Major Biomass
Feedstock
Conversion
Process
Technologies
THERMO CHEMICAL CONVERSION PROCESS
Wood
CROP
RESIDUE
Thermo-
chemical
Conversion
process
Direct
combustion
Biomass
feedstock
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Methanol
Production
Heat
Steam
Electricity
Producer Gas
(Low or
medium Btu)
Synthetic fuel
oil,
Charcoal
Methanol
T
E
C
H
N
O
L
O
G
I
E
S
BIO-CHEMICAL CONVERSION PROCESS
ANIMAL
MANURE
AGRICULTUR
AL WASTE
INDUSTRIAL
WASTE
SUGAR OR
STARCHCROP
WOOD WASTE
BIOCHEMICAL
CONVERSION
PROCESS
AEROBIC
ANEROBIC
METHANE
GAS
ETHANOL
CHEMICAL CONVERSION PROCESS
Sunflower
Soybean
Cotton
Mechanical
Extraction
Chemical
Solvent
CHEMICAL
CONVERSION
PROCESS
4
Selection of Conversion Technology
Selection of technology is govern by
following factors.
Feedstock
End application
Cost
Combustion
Burning of crop residue in presence of air
(Bagasses,rice husk, groundnut shell,
pigeon pea stalk, cotton stalk, jute, etc. )
Industrial Purpose (Boilers,Hot air)
Domestic (Cook Stove)

Pyrolysis
The Pyrolysis gives three groups of products
Solid (charcoal)
Liquid (bio oil)
Mixture of gases (CO, H
2
, N
2
)
Pyrolysis
Ratio of products varies with the chemical
composition of biomass and the operating
conditions.
1- tonne of biomass produce
350kg Charcoal;
450kg pyrogeneous acid (20-34MJ/kg)
75kg tar and 60m
3
gas.(3.5-8.9MJ/m
3
)
Gasification
Thermochemical process that converts
biomass into a combustible gas called
Producer gas.
Producer gas contains
Carbon monoxide,
Hydrogen,
Water vapor,
Carbon dioxide,
Tar vapor and ash particles
Gasification takes place in four stages
Drying of feedstock (~120
0
C)
Pyrolysis (200~600
0
C)
Combustion (900~1200
0
C)
Reduction (900~600
0
C)
5
Types of Gasifiers
1. Fixed bed Gassifier
Up draft
Down draft
Cross draft
2. Fluidized bed Gassifier
Schematic View of Up draft Gasifier
Composition of producer gas
Volumetric composition of producer gas
CO 20 22%
H2 15 18%
CH
4
2 4% +
CO
2
9 11
N
2
50 54%
Tar
and
particulate
materials
Use of producer gas
Thermal application including
Cooking
Drying
Water heating
Steam generation
Electrical power generation
Fuel for I C engine
The Heating value of gases
rages from
4000 5000 kJ/kg
Plant capacity: 10-500kW
Installed: 700MW
Electricity Generation from crop residues
Biomass consumption: 1.0-1.2 kg/kWh
Biochemical Conversion
Technology
Naturally occurring biochemical process
concerned to micro-organism.
Aerobic (Ethanol production)
Anaerobic (bio gas )
6
Ethanol Fermentation
IC engines were initially fuelled with
ethanol
- Brazil blending up to 24%
- India 5%, agreed up to 10%
US & Brazil account for 62%
Major feedstocks
US : Corn grain; Brazil : Sugarcane
India : Molasses
Feedstocks for alcoholic fermentation
All biomass containing carbohydrates
Classification :
a) starch as source of carbohydrate
b) sugar as sucrose, and
c) cellulose as source of carbohydrate
Technologies for a & b are well known
& may be easily adopted.
Cellulosic crop residues as feedstock
428 0.29 58.29 18.69 78.5 Corn
stover
422 0.28 67.15 14.50 71.0 Bagasse
432 0.27 61.00 15.00 88.0 Wheat
straw
416 0.28 49.33 7.13 88.0 Rice
straw
Theoretical
Yield
(Litres/dry
Ton)
Ethanol
yield
(l kg
-1
dm)
Carbohy-
drates (%)
Lignin (%) Dry matter
(%)
Crop
residue Cassava
Baggasses
1.11
Pearl millet
stover
13
Sorghum
Stover
15.6 Maizestover
29.5
Sugarcane
Bagasse
119.4
Ricestraw
153.36 Wheat Straw
113.6
Availability of cellulosic feedstock in India
(Quantities in MMT)
Composition of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Glucose polymer
Xylose and
other sugars
Natures plastic glue
Primarily pentoses,
5-carbon sugars.
Homopolymer of glucose,
hexose, a6-carbon sugar.
Black thermoplastic
containing lots of
energy for burning.
Ethanol production processes
Feedstock preparation
Pretreatment to yield sugar
Fermentation
Distillation
Waste treatment (Anaerobic fermentation
to methane)
7
Cellulosic Biomass
Crop Residue (Paddystraw , Sweet
sorghum, Agriculture waste)
Pretreatment
Hydrolysis
Chemical
Enzymatic
Biological
Fermentation
Purification/Distillation
Ethanol Waste water
Acid
Hydrolysis
Simultaneous
saccharification &
fermentation which could
remove glucose, an
inihibitor to cellulose
activity
Reduce cost of cellulase enzymes
Combination of both enzymatic and
biological system
Develop efficient biological system
Recombinant microorganisms
Thermotolerant
Can hydrolyse both hexose and
pentose sugar
Generate biocatalyst for
bioconversion of hemicellulosic sugar
to products
Production of ethanol from cellulosic crop residues
Ethanol yields from various selected crops
4000 67-76 56 Sugar cane
540 391- 440 1.3 Sorghum
1380 43- 49 30 Pineapple
1592 172-194 8.7 Cassava
658-1098 258-291 2.4-4.0 Molasses
1182-4925 93-104 12-50 Banana
Ethanol Yield
litres/ ha.
Ehanol yield
litres/ tonne
Crop yield
tonnes /ha.
Crop
Ethanol Production Unit (5 litre) installed
at CIAE
Maize Straw: 140-160ml/kg
Paddy Straw: 100-110ml/kg
With Alkali treatment and Commercial cellulase at 50
o
C
Anaerobic digestion
Biogas Production
Biogas is mixture of methane (50 -
70%) and carbon dioxide with traces
of hydrogen sulphide and water
Combustible gas
(calorific value = 16 - 20 MJ/m).
Bi ol ogi c al Conver si on
Why ?
Non destructive, provides energy and
manure / feed, etc
More environment friendly
Processes :
* Anaerobic fermentation
- Solid biomass: Emissions of
volatile organic compounds is far
lower : 1/190
th
of the
composting process
(Baere & Six, 1999)
- Agro-industrial effluent
Important Substrates
Common animal dung
Crop residues pretreatments
Poultry litter, pig manure
CH
4
yield 100-200% higher than CD
Fruits & vegetable waste
methane yield 180-700 l/kg VS
Kitchen & Dining Hall Waste
Agro-processing waste/effluent
8
Anaerobic digestion process
anaerobic
Organic Matter
digestion
CH
4
+ CO
2
+ H
2
+ NH
3
+ H
2
S
Process occurs in 3 stages
I. Liquefaction or polymer breakdown
II. Acid formation
III. Methane formation
Modes of operation
Batch operation
Semi-continuous
Continuous operation
Types of digesters
Dispersed growth bacteria
Attached growth bacteria
The floating drum type digester
Modified Plant for Solid-state Digestion of Dung
Technology Limitations
High investment :
Rs 6000-3000/m
3
High water requirement
Management of digested slurry
Overall look : untidy
CO
2
contents is very high,
* High sensitivity to temp. variations
Biogas plant for willow dust
Substrate : 200 kg willow dust & 300 l w a t e r ,
ratio 1.0:1.5
Gas yield : 40 m
3
for 30 d RT
* 25 m
3
/d cap. batch type plant was installed at M/s
Udaipur Cotton Mills by MPUAT
9
Crop residues based systems
At PAU, Ludhiana
Feed : 2:1 mixture of PS & CD,
TSC : 18-22%
Gas yield :250-274 l/d/m
3
At CIAE Bhopal (1994)
Gas yield : 196-405 l/d/m
3
Emptying & loading : Inconvenient
Thermophilic system for paddy straw
(batch type lab. Reactor)
340 300 Gas production, l/kg
20 50 Retention period, d
1.9 9-14 Water, l/kg TS
35 7 to 10 Total solids,%
45 30 Temperature, C
Thermo-
reactor
Conventional
Reactor
Operation / performance
Biomethanation of rice straw at
thermophillic and mesophilic temperatures
100 kg/d biomethanation system
(SPRERI, 2004)
Six batch type reactors-
capacity : 300 kg PS each,
RT : 21 days, Temp. 45C
Initial TSC : 35%
Gas yield : 230-290 l/kg TS fed
Methane content : around 55%
TS &VS reduction : 25% & 40%.
Thermophillic Biomethanation system
for 100 kg paddy straw /d ( SPRERI)
Biphasic system for VMW
Separate acid & methane reactors.
Problems of pretreatments, scum breaking
-Gas yield : 1.5 - 2.0 m
3
/d (100 kg/day)
-Composting technology for partially
decomposed residues developed.
3 T/d system is under operation at Anand
- Gas yield 400 l/kg
10
Gas Utilization
Thermal applications : cooking, process
heat, etc
- H
2
S burns to SO
2
,
- Scrubbing needed if H
2
S > 1%
Illumination : Biogas lamps
- 1 m
3
biogas lights 60 W lamp for 6 h
Electricity generation
SI : 100%, duel fuel CI : upto 80%
Gas turbines
Effect of CO
2
anti-knock & derating
H
2
S : corrosion, safe limit is 0.1%,
CO
2
removal
Water scrubbing : water requirement is high;
around 500 l/m
3
gas
Alkaline solution
1 kg lime + 1 m
3
water may remove 300 l of
CO
2
H
2
S removal
H
2
S + Na
2
CO
3
NaHS + NaHCO
3
Fe
2
O
3
+ 3H
2
S Fe
2
S
3
+ 3H
2
O
Regeneration Fe
2
S
3
+3O
2
2Fe
2
O
3
+ 3S
2
S extraction at H
2
S scrubbing plant
Handling of digested slurry
Animal dung based plants
Application with irrigation water
Drying in shallow pits
Composting biomass
Transport through tanker
Direct injection into soil
Separating free water for reuse
BDS drying in shallow pits Carrying BDS in tankers
11
Liquid Fuel from Biomass (Contd.)
Biodiesel (Vegetable Oil)
[Chemical conversion process of extracting oil from
the seedy feedstock].
The two main processes are:
Mechanical press extraction
Solvent extraction
Biomass gasification and biomethanation
based systems have promised for
decentralized power supply on production
catchments.
Efforts are required to demonstrate energy
conversion technology & systems
Conclusions
Conversion Fuel type End use
None
Pyrolysis
Gasification
Biogas
Ethanol
fermentation
Solid
Gas
Liquid
Cooking
Processheat
Steam
Engine
Pre-treatment
Food
Hot water
Hot air
Shaft power
Locomotion
Light
Electricity
None
Briquetting
Chipping
Hydrolysis
D
R
Y
I
N
G
Li gnoc el l ul osi c based Et hanol Li gnoc el l ul osi c based Et hanol
Pr oduc t i on Pr oduc t i on
Concentrated acid
hydrolysis
Dilute acid
hydrolysis Pretreatment
Recovery of acid
Enzymatic
hydrolysis
Enzyme production
Fermentation
ETHANOL
Lignocellulose