BIOGAS

How is biogas produced?

Biogas is produced through the processing of various types of organic waste.

Biogas can be produced from a vast variety of raw materials (feedstocks). The
biggest role in the biogas production process is played by microbes feeding on the
biomass.

Digestion carried out by these microorganisms creates methane, which can

be used as it is locally or upgraded to biogas equivalent to natural gas quality,
enabling the transport of the biogas over longer distances. Material containing
organic nutrients is also produced in the process, and this can be utilized for
purposes such as agriculture.

Biogas is produced using well-established technology in a process involving

several stages:
1. Biowaste is crushed into smaller pieces and slurrified to prepare it for the
anaerobic digestion process. Slurrifying means adding liquid to the
biowaste to make it easier to process.
2. Microbes need warm conditions, so the biowaste is heated to around 37 °C.
3. The actual biogas production takes place through anaerobic digestion in
large tanks for about three weeks.
4. In the final stage, the gas is purified (upgraded) by removing impurities and
carbon dioxide.
After this, the biogas is ready for use by enterprises and consumers, for example
in a liquefied form or following injection into the gas pipeline network.

Materials suitable for biogas production include:

 biodegradable waste from enterprises and industrial facilities, such as
surplus lactose from the production of lactose-free dairy products
 spoiled food from shops
 biowaste generated by consumers
  sludge from wastewater treatment plants
 manure and field biomass from agriculture
The material is typically delivered to the biogas plant's reception pit by lorry or
waste management vehicle.
A delivery of solid matter such as biowaste will next undergo crushing to
make its consistency as even as possible. At this point, water containing nutrients
obtained from a further stage in the production process is also mixed with the
feedstock to take the rate of solid matter down to only around one-tenth of the
total volume. Biomass that has passed through slurrification is combined with
biomass delivered in the form of slurry to the biogas plant and pumped into the
pre-digester tank where enzymes secreted by bacteria break down the biomass
into an even finer consistency.
Next, the biomass is sanitized before entering the actual biogas reactor
(digester). In sanitization, any harmful bacteria found in the material are
eliminated by heating the mixture to above 70 °C for one hour. Once sanitized,
the mass is pumped into the main reactor where biogas production takes place.
Sanitization makes it possible to use the fertilizer product in agriculture.
In the biogas reactor, microbial action begins and the biomass enters a
gradual process of fermentation. In practice this means that microbes feed on the
organic matter, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, and their digestion
turns these into methane and carbon dioxide.
Most of the organic matter is broken down into biogas – a mixture of methane
and carbon dioxide – in approximately three weeks. The biogas is collected in a
spherical gas holder from the top of the biogas reactors.
The residual solids and liquids created in biogas production are referred to
as digestate. This digestate goes into a post-digester reactor and from there
further into storage tanks. Digestates are well suited for uses such as fertilization
of fields. Digestates can also be centrifuged to separate the solid and liquid parts.
Solid digestates have uses such as fertilizers in agriculture or in landscaping and
can also be turned into gardening soil through a process of maturation involving
composting. Digestates are centrifuged to yield enough process water for the
slurrification of biowaste at the beginning of the process. This helps reduce the
use of clean water. The centrifuged liquid is rich in nutrients, particularly nitrogen,
that can be separated further using methods such as stripping technology and
used as fertilizers or nutrient sources in industrial processes.

Combustion, gasification and pyrolysis are all thermochemical processes to

convert biomass into energy. In all of them, the biomass is heated to evaporate
water and then to cause pyrolysis to occur and to produce volatiles.
Combustion:
Biomass combustion refers to burning fuel in a boiler, furnace or stove to
produce heat. The heat can be utilized as hot air, hot water, steam or electricity.
Wood, agricultural residues, wood pulping liquor, municipal solid waste (MSW)
and refusederived fuel are examples of feedstocks for combustion. Combustion
requires high temperatures for ignition, sufficient turbulence to mix all of the
components with the oxidant, and time to complete all of the oxidation reactions.
The moisture content of the feedstock should be low and pre-drying may be
necessary in some cases.
Biomass combustion starts by heating and drying the feedstock. After all of the
moisture has been removed, temperature rises for pyrolysis to occur in the
absence of oxygen. The major products are hydrogen, CO, CO2, CH4 and other
hydrocarbons. In the end, char and volatile gases are formed and they continue to
react independently. The volatile gases need oxygen in order to achieve a
complete flame combustion. Mostly CO2 and H2O result from complete
combustion. The solid char burns as well, resulting CO and CO2.
When combusting biomass in a furnace, hot gases are released. They contain
about 85% of the fuel’s potential energy. The heat can be used either directly or
indirectly through a heat exchanger, in the form of hot air or water.
Gasification:
By gasification, the biomass is broken down into combustible gas, volatiles
and ash. A partial oxidation can be obtained with air, O2, H2O or CO2, for
example. There are many gasification technologies which differ in the gasification
agent used or the type of reactor.
Gasification is carried out in two steps. First, the biomass is heated to around 600
degrees. The volatile components, such as hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen, CO,
CO2, H2O and tar, vaporize by various reactions. The remaining by-products are
char and ash. For this first endothermic step, oxygen is not required.
In the second step, char is gasified by reactions with oxygen, steam and hydrogen
in high temperatures. The endothermic reactions require heat, which is applied by
combusting some of the unburned char.
Main products of gasification are synthesis gas, char and tars. The content
depends on the feedstock, oxidizing agent and the conditions of the process. The
gas mainly consists of CO, CO4, H2O, CH4 and other hydrocarbons. The synthesis
gas can be utilized for heating or electricity production. It can also be used for the
production of ethanol, diesel and chemical feedstocks.
Pyrolysis:
In pyrolysis, biomass is heated in the absence of air. The process results
liquid, solid and gaseous fractions, mainly gases, bio-oil and char. The gases and
the bio-oil are from the volatile fraction of biomass, while the char is mostly the
fixed carbon component.
In the first step, temperature is increased to start the primary pyrolysis reactions.
As a result, volatiles are released and char is formed. Finally, after various
reactions, pyrolysis gas is formed.
The main product of slow pyrolysis, is char or charcoal. In slow pyrolysis biomass
is heated to around 500 degrees for 5 to 30min.
Fast pyrolysis results mainly in bio-oil. The biomass is heated in the absence of
oxygen and the residence time is 0,5 to 5s. Vapors, aerosols and char are
generated through decomposition. After cooling, bio-oil is formed. The remaining
noncondensable gases can be used as a source of energy for the pyrolysis reactor.
Calculated by weight, fast pyrolysis results in 60%-75% liquid bio-oil, 15%-25%
solid char, and 10%-20% noncondensable gases.
Comparison of combustion, gasification and pyrolysis:
1. Processes
Combustion occurs with sufficient oxygen to completely oxidize the fuel.
Gasification occurs with insufficient oxygen or steam, so that complete oxidation
does not occur. Pyrolysis occurs in the absence or oxygen.
The typical temperature range for combustion and gasification is 800 to 1200
degrees and for pyrolysis 350 to 600 degrees.
Gasification occurs at lower temperatures than combustion. Therefore, gasifiers
can have longer lifetimes and lower maintenance costs than combustion plants.
Also, air 4 emissions are lower as nitrogen and sulfur oxides are created only at
higher temperatures.
2. Use
Combustion is usually carried out in a boiler to generate steam, which is
used for electricity production by steam turbine. Heat produced by combustion
can be utilized for industrial processes, space heating or water heating, for
example. If only these are the desired uses, combustion may be the most
economical way to produce heat among the three thermochemical methods.
The gas produced by gasification can be generated into electricity with
reciprocating engines, gas turbines or fuels cells. By these methods, the electrical
efficiency is greater than by steam turbine. Also, a very efficient method,
integrated gasification combined cycle, is a feasible way to generate electricity
from gas. As gaseous fuels can be distributed by pipeline from the plant to
elsewhere, gasification gases can be utilized as heat and power. Purified synthesis
gas can be converted into chemicals and thus is an important feedstock for
chemical industry
Bio-oils received by pyrolysis can be used as a source of fuel in combustion boiler,
refined into transportation fuels or used as a chemical feedstock. Bio-oil is easier
to transport than synthesis gas but difficult to storage for long terms due to its
corrosiveness.
Gasification and pyrolysis produce char, which can be used as a soil amendment,
precursor to activated carbon, or burned. By slow pyrolysis, more char can be
obtained than by gasification.
3. Final products
Combustion technologies are long known and widely used.
Biomass gasification is a mature technology and the product gas has been used in
boilers and furnaces for a long time. However, generating electricity from the gas
by engines, turbines and fuel cells has not been possible until recently. The
difficulty has been removing tars from the product gas. To date, tar removal
technologies have been successfully demonstrated and biomass gasification for
generation of heat and power is already commercialized.
Pyrolysis technologies are newer and not that widely used as gasification and
combustion. There are just a few demonstration projects and not much of
manufactures of pyrolysis reactors.
TYPES OF GASIFIER
1. Counter-current fixed bed ("up draft") gasifier
A fixed bed of carbonaceous fuel (e.g. coal or biomass) through which the
"gasification agent" (steam, oxygen and/or air) flows in counter-current
configuration. The ash is either removed in the dry condition or as a slag. The
slagging gasifiers have a lower ratio of steam to carbon, achieving temperatures
higher than the ash fusion temperature. The nature of the gasifier means that the
fuel must have high mechanical strength and must ideally be non-caking so that it
will form a permeable bed, although recent developments have reduced these
restrictions to some extent. The throughput for this type of gasifier is relatively
low. Thermal efficiency is high as the temperatures in the gas exit are relatively
low. However, this means that tar and methane production is significant at typical
operation temperatures, so product gas must be extensively cleaned before use.
The tar can be recycled to the reactor.
In the gasification of fine, undensified biomass such as rice hulls, it is necessary to
blow air into the reactor by means of a fan. This creates very high gasification
temperature, as high as 1000 C. Above the gasification zone, a bed of fine and hot
char is formed, and as the gas is blow forced through this bed, most complex
hydrocarbons are broken down into simple components of hydrogen and carbon
monoxide.
2. Co-current fixed bed ("down draft") gasifier
Similar to the counter-current type, but the gasification agent gas flows in co-
current configuration with the fuel (downwards, hence the name "down draft
gasifier"). Heat needs to be added to the upper part of the bed, either by
combusting small amounts of the fuel or from external heat sources. The
produced gas leaves the gasifier at a high temperature, and most of this heat is
often transferred to the gasification agent added in the top of the bed, resulting
in an energy efficiency on level with the counter-current type. Since all tars must
pass through a hot bed of char in this configuration, tar levels are much lower
than the counter-current type.
3. Fluidized bed reactor
The fuel is fluidized in oxygen and steam or air. The ash is removed dry or as
heavy agglomerates that defluidize. The temperatures are relatively low in dry ash
gasifiers, so the fuel must be highly reactive; low-grade coals are particularly
suitable. The agglomerating gasifiers have slightly higher temperatures, and are
suitable for higher rank coals. Fuel throughput is higher than for the fixed bed, but
not as high as for the entrained flow gasifier. The conversion efficiency can be
rather low due to elutriation of carbonaceous material. Recycle or subsequent
combustion of solids can be used to increase conversion. Fluidized bed gasifiers
are most useful for fuels that form highly corrosive ash that would damage the
walls of slagging gasifiers. Biomass fuels generally contain high levels of corrosive
ash.
4. Entrained flow gasifier
A dry pulverized solid, an atomized liquid fuel or a fuel slurry is gasified with
oxygen (much less frequent: air) in co-current flow. The gasification reactions take
place in a dense cloud of very fine particles. Most coals are suitable for this type
of gasifier because of the high operating temperatures and because the coal
particles are well separated from one another.
The high temperatures and pressures also mean that a higher throughput can be
achieved, however thermal efficiency is somewhat lower as the gas must be
cooled before it can be cleaned with existing technology. The high temperatures
also mean that tar and methane are not present in the product gas; however the
oxygen requirement is higher than for the other types of gasifiers. All entrained
flow gasifiers remove the major part of the ash as a slag as the operating
temperature is well above the ash fusion temperature.
A smaller fraction of the ash is produced either as a very fine dry fly ash or as a
black colored fly ash slurry. Some fuels, in particular certain types of biomasses,
can form slag that is corrosive for ceramic inner walls that serve to protect the
gasifier outer wall. However some entrained flow type of gasifiers do not possess
a ceramic inner wall but have an inner water or steam cooled wall covered with
partially solidified slag. These types of gasifiers do not suffer from corrosive slags.
Some fuels have ashes with very high ash fusion temperatures. In this case mostly
limestone is mixed with the fuel prior to gasification. Addition of a little limestone
will usually suffice for the lowering the fusion temperatures. The fuel particles
must be much smaller than for other types of gasifiers. This means the fuel must
be pulverized, which requires somewhat more energy than for the other types of
gasifiers. By far the most energy consumption related to entrained flow
gasification is not the milling of the fuel but the production of oxygen used for the
gasification.

Biomass briquettes:
Biomass briquettes are a biofuel substitute to coal and charcoal. Briquettes are
mostly used in the developing world, where cooking fuels are not as easily
available. There has been a move to the use of briquettes in the developed world,
where they are used to heat industrial boilers in order to
produce electricity from steam. The briquettes are cofired with coal in order to
create the heat supplied to the boiler.
Biomass briquettes, mostly made of green waste and other organic materials, are
commonly used for electricity generation, heat, and cooking fuel. These
compressed compounds contain various organic materials, including rice
husk, bagasse, ground nut shells, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste. The
composition of the briquettes varies by area due to the availability of raw
materials. The raw materials are gathered and compressed into briquette in order
to burn longer and make transportation of the goods easier. These briquettes are
very different from charcoal because they do not have large concentrations
of carbonaceous substances and added materials. Compared to fossil fuels, the
briquettes produce low net total greenhouse gas emissions because the materials
used are already a part of the carbon cycle.
One of the most common variables of the biomass briquette production process
is the way the biomass is dried out. Manufacturers can
use torrefaction, carbonization, or varying degrees of pyrolysis. Researchers
concluded that torrefaction and carbonization are the most efficient forms of
drying out biomass, but the use of the briquette determines which method should
be used.
Compaction is another factor affecting production. Some materials burn more
efficiently if compacted at low pressures, such as corn stover grind. Other
materials such as wheat and barley-straw require high amounts of pressure to
produce heat. There are also different press technologies that can be used. A
piston press is used to create solid briquettes for a wide array of purposes.

Types of Briquetting machines:

The most widely used briquetting technologies are
1. Impact densification: Piston Briquetting: A piston driven by a flywheel
pushes the crushed biomass throughout a cylinder mould. Achieved
densities are generally in the range 1,000 to 1,200 kg/m3.
2. Extrusion densification: Screw Briquetting: This system is based on the
pressure of a special screw that pushes raw material within a chamber that
becomes progressively narrower. This technology enables the creation of
inner holes in the briquettes thus favoring its later combustion. This system
can achieve higher briquette densities, ranging between 1,300 to 1,400
kg/m3. However, this process requires more energy consumption and more
maintenance.
3. Hydraulic or pneumatic briquetting: Through hydraulic briquetting, the
pressure is exerted by a cylinder operated by a hydraulic or pneumatic
system. This process is commonly used when the raw material has poor
quality, such as a high moisture content (above 30%) or when a very
detailed definition (clearly cut and shaped) of the briquette form is not
required. Hydraulic briquetting is energy efficient equipment with low
maintenance costs. The briquettes density produced by this technology will
have a density between 700 and 1,000 kg/m3
Uses of Briquettes:
Briquettes can be used as fuel for several types of heat producing devices:
1. Stoves - Stoves can range from 5 to 30kW of thermal output, and are
usually wood, pellet or briquette powered. Such (small) power capacity is
suitable for space heating of a single room, or several nearby rooms by
using channeled exits. Apart from supplying heat, these stoves can also
have a decorative use
2. Boilers –
• Low power boilers : Boilers are used to generate heat that can then be
transferred to a working fluid (typically water, in domestic premises) to
supply space heating circuits and/or domestic hot water circuits. Low
power boilers range from 6-60 kW and are recommended for singlefamily
houses or small buildings. The main benefit of these boilers is their reduced
size, high efficiency and low cost.
• Medium power boilers: Medium power boilers range from 60-150 kW
thermal output and are designed to supply heat to residential buildings
(apartment blocks) or office buildings.
• High power boilers: High power boilers range from 200-800 kW thermal
output and are designed to supply heat demands of industrial processes.
• Thermal power stations: Thermal power stations have capacities of 1 MW
or above, and they are built to produce and supply heat to several nearby
facilities or district heating networks.

shredder :
A shredder is a machine or equipment used for shredding. Shredding systems are
used to reduce the size of a given material. The shredding process produces raw
material to be re-introduced into manufacturing. Various terminology is used to
describe size reduction equipment, including grinders, chippers, granulators and
hammer mills. Overall, their main function is to reduce the size of a given
material.