SUSTAINABLE FUEL AND ENERGY RESOURCES FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Rahul Basu
Sambhram Institute of Technolgy
Mechanical Engineering Dept
MS Palya, Jalahalli E
Bangalore 560097, India

. The uncontrolled global emission of biogas, methane fuel gases and smoke from forest fires
and combustion of garbage leads to weather change. At present the scenario is being plaes
out in Indonesia, Malaysia, India and China. Deforestation of the Amazon rain forest is another
source of concern. In addition exposed animal wastes and offal contribute to air pollution to
a considerable exent. In the US alone, past figures indicated over 200 million equivalent of
280 million barrels of oil. Residual of methane production by anerobic processing can be treated
to give producergas (1). A further innovation is the use of cellulosic waste to give ethanol by
direct action
of certain bacterial, without internediate enzyme treatment,(2).
An efficient process for utilisation of biomass and cellulosic waste is outlined. Methane and
alcohol are the end
products A preliminary literature survey indicated that the topic of biogas and alcohol production
frm biomass is continuing to be regaded as a "fringe technolgy". In fact, the third world
economies have
tried very hard to develop these technologies in efforts to supplement and augment their national
efforts.
Examples are India and Philippines (1,3). A few agencies in the US have tried to disseminate
information (4.)
However,much of the US effort comes from individuals and backyard experimenters including
Academia and institutes
with agendas in solar energy and biomass . Due strong vested interests, such efforts have been
downsized and
disregarded since long. The time has come when even these have realised that oil supplies are
not perennial.
Keywords: rural energy, sustainable, biomass, biogas, solar energy, alcohol generation
References
1. FAO, Agricultural services Bulletin No 61:"Rural Applications of Producer gas Technology"
2. Ghose TK, USP 3642580," Enzymatic saccharification of glucose", Feb 15 1972
3. Singh Ram B, "Handbook of Homemade power", Bantam NY 1974
4 NTIS DE 888006730, Proc 1987 Biomass Conference.

INTRODUCTION: The topic of biogas and alcohol production from biomass continues to be a
"fringe" technology, literally and figuratively. Alcohol to the extent of 10 to 15 percent is now
added to petrol in many countries including USA. More proportion of alcohol however may need
modification of the ignition and internal combustion process in current auto engines. The third
world technologically developing countries have tries very hard to develop these technologies in
an effort to integrate and supplement their efforts. Examples are the Philippines and India (1,3).
A few agencies in the US have tried to rationalize and disseminate information (4), most of thee
US effort, in fact, has come from backyard experimenters and isolated academic efforts. Due to
the strong monopolies controlling oil the US efforts have remained neutralized for a long time. It
is an "inconvenient Truth" however that even if the oil supplies worldwide may last through the
21st century, the increasing pollution of the air worldwide may lead to a complete melting of polar
ice n a few decades.
Among international agencies, the FAO have conducted studies in Producer Gas technology with
waste rice husks and coconut shells, whereas in the US, MIT and Oregon state University have
also done studies (5). Production of 0.5 litre methane from biowaste gives 1000BTU . On a dry
basis, cow manure gave 5000-7000 BTU/lb, (Garett 1979).
The optimum C to N ratio for fermentation is 30:1 according to Singh(3). The ideal temperature is
90-95. In cold countries, especially during the winters, external heating may be necessary to
maintain the optimum operating temperature. at Oregon State University waste heat from steam
electric plants was applied in their study (7).
Pilot plants designed in India made use of earthen ware containers. An average of 100 to 9000
CuFt per day, of methane gas was obtained. The solid output from such plants is claimed to be
very high grade fertilizer. since anerobic digestion og biomass concentrates the Nitrogenous
material. 8000 plants were operational in 1975, (8). The water run of can also be treated to give
potable drinking water. Further treatment of the solid residue with Steam and air is possible to
give Producer Gas. The residue retains the Nitrogen and is high grade fertilizer. In a sense the
bio fermentation process is an extension of digestion in farm animals, where carbon is used up
and nitrogenous waste produced.
DIRECT CONVERSION OF CELLULOSIC WASTES TO ALCOHOL:
As is well known in third world countries and in India till recently, the imposition of excise duties
on liquor and restrictions in imports of foreign liquor had led to a thriving illegal country liquor
industry. Moonshiners made use of very innovative additives to the mash including garbage,
battery waste and chicken droppings. A scientific perusal of these efforts indicates that bacterial
action on the cellulose waste is quite possible the mechanism by which garbage yields volatile
fractions like acetone, formaldehyde and methanol, which is quite often drunk by poor people.
After crude distillation the products are sold as country liquor ("hooch"),and result quite frequently
in alcohol and acetone poisoning. Work has been reported by US Army laboratories where
special mutant bacteria have been developed for direct degradation of cellulose to alcohol (9). It
appears that many industrial units were interested and working with the US army labs for
development of such a process for their own uses. Due to the intereference from Industrial
interests such efforts were minimised at the time. A resurgence is now being witnessed
where bacteria have been patented to produce hydrocarbons also ( )

The direct conversion of cellulose to alcohol (cellulolysis) using lignocellulose (wood

cellulose containing lignin a component of wood), has been researched at Argonne Labs
(9 ). The process depends on cellulase enzymes produced by bacteria. Saccaromyces

cerevisiae, Zymomonas mobilis, E Coli., are some bacteria targeted for bio engineering to
produce ethanol via the cellulosis route.
Producer gas has been applied as a raw material for bacterial conversion to ethanol also,
using the bacteria Clostridium Ljungdahlii, which ingests CO, CO2 and H2 producing
Ethanol and water. This process involves Gasification, fermentation and distillation to
yield alcohol. The alternative is to use a catalytic reactor. (Catalysis involves
intermediate compounds that get involved in the reaction but are unchanged in
composition at the end).
The effect of physical and chemical parameters on bacterial fermentation of cellulose has
been studied by various groups (9, 10). Another bacteria acetivibro celluloyticus produces
acetate, ethanol, water and carbon dioxide.
Recently, groups have tried to bioengineer bacteria to give oil for fuel directly. The group
LS9 with UC Berkeley has engineered a bacterium to make enzymes to convert biomass
into diesel oil, (12). A recent patent 7794969 uses cyanobacteria to produce n-alkanes,
(13).
Conversion of carbohydrate to ethanol has taken off in a big way since 2005, when
Brazil, the world leader was overtaken by the USA. In 2012 13.3 Bgallons of ethanol
was produced ( www.chooseetgahnol.com), with 4e.% corn useage. The EISA act
(Energy Independence Security Act of 2007) requires 15b gallon of ethanol to be
produced by 2015, and the amount of arable land required is less than 1% of total world
cropland.
BIOGAS in INDIA: Pilot plants in India made use of earthenware containers and an
output of 100 to 9000 cft per day of methane was produced. The output from such plants
was claimed to be very high grade fertilizer since anerobic digestion of biowate
concentrates the nitrogenous material. 8000 plants were operational in 1975 (Clark).
Water runoff can also be treated to give potable drinking water. Furher treatment of the
solid residue is possible to given Producer gas from Carbon present by reaction with
steam and air. .
Biogas is about 60% methane and 40% CO2. Methane is a clean burning gas however,
the CO and CO2 in biogas can cause problems due to density, incomplete combustion and heat
capacity. Alcohol had long been looked at as a fuel additive and/or substitute. In the early 1900's
it was considered to be the only type of fuel suitable for automobiles. Wit the lowering of prices of
gasoline in subsequent years, design changes made the use of gasoline possible. Many car
manufacturers subsequently claimed that alcohol would lead to power loss when mixed with
petrol. In Brazil, a special design was developed to make use of a combination known as
GASOHOL (14).. In 2007 Brazil ethanol production was approximately 2000 million cubic
meters,. and thereafter the USA overtook Brazil.
It is known that all cars of 1980's and subsequent vintage can use 10% ethanol, and FFV's (Flex
fuel vehicles) can use 85% ethanol mixtures. EIS vehicles can use 15% ethanol and 85%
gasoline.

Biogas production world wide rose from 66GW in 2010 to 72 GW in 2011 end. The increase was
about 9% in the last decade. Electricity generation from biogas was 265-529 TWh in 2012,
In the USA, biogas is still termed "landfill gas", and escapes into the air. In 2003 it was estimated
that 147 T BTU of energy from landfill gas or 0.6 of total US energy production was possible
( USDOE figures from "What is Biogas", 13.4.10).