BIOGAS ENERGY

Done by : Tracy Makale

Biomass is a diverse source of energy that consists of organic plant materials such as wood and agricultural wood and agricultural wastes and animal wastes that can be burned directly as a solid fuel or converted into a gaseous or liquid bio fuel. Biomass is an indirect form of solar energy because it consists of combustible organic compounds produced by photosynthesis. Biomass is burned for heating, cooking, in industrial processes and to make steam to drive turbines and produce electricity. But most of it is used for heat rather than generating electricity.

Wood ,charcoal, animal manure and other forms of biomass used for heating and cooking supply 10%of the worlds energy, 35% of the energy used in developing countries and 95% of energy needs in LEDCs.

WHAT IS BIOGAS?
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Biogas is a methane rich flammable gas that results from the decomposition of organic waste material. Usually, decaying or organic plant material(biomass) are used to produce methane in biogas generators or burnt directly as plant material/ dung. Biogas Energy is the use of Biogas to produce heat or electrical power.

WHERE DOES BIOGAS COME FROM?

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Vegetation : When vegetation decomposes, it gives off methane gas

Farm and ranch animals : cattle, chickens, pigs produce manure. When manure decomposes, it also gives off methane gas.

Sewage : The treatment of human waste in anaerobic digesters produces methane

Landfills: Garbage produces methane as it decomposes

CONVERSION OF ORGANIC WASTE INTO BIOGAS

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Controlled anaerobic digestion is using technology in order to produce biogas. It mainly involves two main examples which are: Sewage Treatment Plants Cattle Manure Digesters

Uncontrolled anaerobic digestion means using natural ways to produce biogas. It also involves two main examples which are: Wetlands and Ponds Landfills

VEGETATION-WETLANDS AND PONDS

 Caused by the natural rotting of vegetation. Natural gas that is rich in methane is produced and it escapes into the atmosphere.(biogas) The gas is more hazardous than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The gas produced can Ignite spontaneously One common occurrence is swamp gas, also known as Willo-the-Wisp

LANDFILLS

Escaping methane can destroy adjacent vegetation

There are 44 active landfills in Arizona 7 Million Tons of waste material are disposed in the landfills annually To prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere , it is collected and flared There are 29 landfills in Arizona that are flaring methane

Landfill with gas collection system and flare

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

Sewage treatment plants are designed to clean the water from the sewage and in the process can generate large amounts of methane. The methane that has been produced escapes into the atmosphere and then it is collected and can be either flared or used for power/ electricity production. Moreover, Oslo in Norway and also some cities in Sweden are using large heat pump systems to extract heat from raw sewage and use it to heat buildings and in Finland to produce electricity.

Sewage Water

Sewage Digester

Close-up of Flares

ANIMAL MANURE DIGESTER

The Anaerobic Digestion of animal wastes contributes to the production of methane. The remaining solids can be used for: Fertilizer Animal bedding (sterilized of all pathogens) Gasification

USES OF BIOGAS

Biogas is mainly used in the production of heat or electrical power. Biogas is a renewable form of energy and this means that it is obtained from living resources that can replace or restock themselves. The cleaned methane can be piped to an engine or turbine and a generator to produce electricity or it can be sent through the pipeline as a usable gas. Heat and electricity are a necessity mainly in MEDCs than LEDCs because of the improvement and rise in technology people find these luxuries more convenient in the daily running of their lives.

Landfill Station

In LEDCs biogas is also important because it can be used in other domestic processes where people are not connected to an electricity supply . E.g. in Gujarat, North West India cooking is the main use of energy and this comes from firewood , dung or kerosene . Irrigation uses some power as well. A technologically simple biogas generator plant can assist in providing enough methane gas for cooking families in the village and reduce smoke pollution from burning fires within houses. By using renewable energy resources locally, the villagers can provide an integrated solution to their power needs without the need for outside suppliers of energy.

Biogas generators are simple pits which are filled with animal dung mixed with water . By excluding air, anaerobic fermentation starts in the generator as bacteria use the dung as a food source and release methane as a waste product . The methane can be used to be piped into homes/houses to the kitchens.(Solar voltaic cells can provide electricity for lighting and solar cells heat up water for domestic use)

BIOGAS GENERATION

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE PRODUCTION AND USES OF BIOGAS

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ADVANTAGES

 Usable fuel from manure and waste water treatment plants Cheap and readily available source of energy. No net CO2 increase if it is harvested and burned sustainably. Useful by-products from the biogas Process can be used in cooking, lighting, etc. Reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions It is a sustainable Resource as long as we have animals and wastewater treatment plants Assists in making good use of agricultural, timber and urban wastes. Contributes to the production of heat and electricity which are important in the world in terms of food production, domestic needs, sustaining resources, etc.

DISADVANTAGES

May be replacing food crops on a finite crop land and this may lead to starvation. When burnt it still gives off atmospheric pollutants, including greenhouse gases. Danger of becoming non renewable if crops are not replanted or if they are harvested unsustainably.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/ http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/bioenergy.html http://www.renewableoil.com/pages/applications.html

THANK Y3W VEWY MUCH!!!