Non-Conventional Power Generation

VI Semester
 Unit-IV
Biomass
• Energy from Bio Mass, Various fuels,
• Sources-Conversion technologies,
• Wet Processes, Dry Processes,

• Bio Gas generation,

• Aerobic and anaerobic digestion,
• Factors affecting generation of bio gas,
• Classification of bio gas plants,
• Different Indian digesters,
• Digester design considerations,

• Gasification process, Gasifiers, Applications.

• Geothermal Energy sources
• Waste to energy conversion technologies*
What is Biomass?
Biomass is an organic matter from plants, animals and micro-organisms grown on land
and water and their derivatives. The energy obtained from biomass is called biomass
energy.

“Biomass“ is considered as a renewable source of energy because the organic matter is

generated everyday.

“Biomass” can also be considered a form of solar energy as the latter is used indirectly
to grow these plants by photosynthesis.

Solar energy absorbed by plants (through photosynthesis process) is estimated to be

2 × 1021 J / Year.
BioFuel

“Biomass fuel” is used over 85 percent of rural households

and in about 15 percent urban dwellings.

Agriculture products rich in starch and sugar like wheat,

maize, sugarcane can be fermented to produce ethanol
(C2H5OH).

Methanol (CH3OH) is also produced by distillation of biomass

that contains cellulose like wood and begasse.

Both these alcohols can be used to fuel vehicles and can be

mixed with ‘diesel’ to make biodiesel.
Photosynthesis
photosynthesis process is primarily responsible for generation of biomass energy. A small portion of the
solar radiation is captured and stored in the plants during photosynthesis process. Therefore, it is an
indirect form of solar energy. The average efficiency of photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into
biomass energy is estimated to be 0.5–1.0 per cent.

Solar radiation incident on green plants and other photosynthetic organisms performs two basic functions:
(i) temperature control for chemical reactions to proceed and
(ii) photosynthesis process.
The fundamental conversion process in green plants is photosynthesis, which is the process of combining
CO2 from the atmosphere with water plus light energy to produce oxygen and carbohydrates (sugars,
starches, celluloses and hemicelluloses).
Photosynthesis

6O2
Photosynthesis
Biomass Resources:
Biomass resources for energy production encompass a wide spectrum of materials ranging from
silviculture (forest), agriculture (field), aquaculture (fresh and sea water) and industrial and
social activities that produce organic wastes residues (food processing, urban refuse, etc.).
When plants are cultivated especially for the purpose of energy, it is known as energy farming.
Main advantages of biomass energy are:
• it is a renewable source;
• the energy storage is its in-built feature;
• it is indigenous source requiring little or no foreign exchange;
• the forestry and agricultural industries that supply feed stocks also
provide substantial economic development opportunities in rural areas;
• the pollutant emissions from combustion of biomass are usually lower
than those from fossil fuels;
• commercial use of biomass may avoid or reduce the problems of waste
disposal in other industries, particularly municipal solid waste in urban
centers;
• use of biogas plants apart from supplying clean gas, also leads to
improved sanitation, better hygienic conditions in rural areas as the
harmful decaying biomass gets stabilized;
• varying capacity can be installed; any capacity can be operated, even
at lower loads;
• no seasonality.
BIOMASS CONVERSION PROCESSES
(Sources-Conversion technologies)
The following processes are used for the biomass conversion to
energy or to biofuels:

1. Densification.
2. Combustion and incineration.
3. Thermo-chemical conversion.
4. Biochemical conversion.
1. Densification

In this process bulky biomass is reduced to a better volume-to-weight

ratio by compressing in a die at a high temperature and pressure.
The biomass pressed into briquettes or pellets (easier to transport
and store) can be used as clean fuel in domestic chulhas, bakeries
and hotels.
2. Combustion and Incineration
Combustion is the process of burning in presence of oxygen to produce heat (utilised
for cooking, space heating, industrial purposes and for electricity generation), light
and byproducts.

The combustion of biomass is more difficult than other fuels since it contains
relatively higher moisture content. Biomass is free from toxic metals and its ash.

Incineration : It is the process of burning completely the solid masses to ‘ashes’ by

high temperature oxidation. “incineration” is a special process which is used for
incinerating municipal solid waste to reduce the volume of solid refuse (90 per cent)
and to produce heat steam and electricity.

Pyrolysis. Wood, dung, vegetable waste can be dried and burnt to provide heat or
converted into low calorific value by pyrolysis. In the pyrolysis process, the organic
material is converted to gases, solids and liquids by heating to 500 to 900°C in the
absence of oxygen.
3. Thermo-chemical Conversion
4. Biochemical Conversion
4. Biochemical Conversion
 Wet Process Dry Process
Anaerobic Digestion Pyrolysis
Fermentation Gasification
Chemical Reduction Liquification
Steam Gasification
Hydro-Generation
Bio Gas generation:
l Biomas, a mixture containing 55-65% methane, 30-40% carbon dioxide and
the rest being the impurities (hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide and some nitrogen),
can be produced from the decomposition of animal, plant and human waste.
l It is a clean but slow-burning gas and usually has a heating value about 18
kJ/m3.
l ‘Biogas’ is produced by digestion, pyrolysis or hydrogasification. Digestion is
a biological process that occurs in the absence of oxygen and in the presence
of anaerobic organisms at ambient pressures and temperatures of 35-70°C. The
container in which this digestion takes place is known as the digester.

The main applications of biogas are :

(i) Cooking.
(ii) Domestic lighting and heating.
(iii) I.C. engines.
(iv) Fuel cells–electricity can be produced by using biogas in a fuel cell with air
as
Advantages of Biogas Production
1. Gas production is cheap.
2. Less pollution.
3. Waste material can be used as fertilizer.
4. Gas is used for cooking, lighting, as fuel etc.
Anaerobic Digestion System (Biogas Technology)
Factors affecting Generation of Biogas
Factors affecting Generation of Biogas
Main Components of a Biogas Plant:
Main Components of a Biogas Plant:

Biogas plants converts wet biomass into biogas (methane) by the

process of “anaerobic fermentation”.
Classification of bio gas plants:
Continuous Type Biogas Plant
Continuous Type Biogas Plant
Continuous Type Biogas Plant
Batch Type Biogas Plant
Floating Drum Type Biogas Plant

Khadi Village Industries Commission

(KVIC) standardised a model in
1961. It consists of an underground
“cylindrical masonry digester”
having an “inlet pipe” for feeding
animal dung slurry and an “outlet
pipe” for sludge.

There is a “steel dome” for gas

collection which floats on slurry. It
moves up and down depending
upon accumulation and discharge of
gas guided by the domeguide itself.
A “partition wall” provided in the
digester improves circulation,
necessary for fermentation.
Floating Drum Type Biogas Plant
Janata Model Biogas Plant (Fixed dome)
Deenbandhu Biogas Plant (DBP)
Comparison Between Fixed Dome Type and Movable Drum Type Biogas Plants
Digester Design Considerations:
BIOMASS GASIFICATION
Gasification implies converting a solid or liquid into a gaseous fuel without leaving any
solid carbonaceous residue. This process is carried out in a ‘gasifer’.

Gasifiers (essentially a chemical reactor) is an equipment which can gasify a variety of

biomass such as woodwaste, agricultural waste like stalks, and roots of various crops,
maize cobs etc. In a gasifier, the biomass (as it flows) gets dried, heated, pyrolysed,
partially oxidized and reduced.

Advantages:
1. Very easy operation.
2. Reliable operation.
3. Easy maintenance.
4. Sturdy construction.
Fixed Bed Gasifiers
(i) Updraft (or counter current) gasifier :
In such a gasifier (where fuel and air move in counter current manner) air enters below the
combustion zone and the ‘producer gas’ leaves near the top of the gasifier. The gas produced
contains tar and water vapour and the ash content is almost nil.
 These gasifiers are suitable for stationary engines (which use tar free fuels like charcol).

2. Downdraft (or cocurrent) gasifier..

In downdraft gasifier (where fuel and air move in a cocurrent manner, air enters at the
combustion zone and the gas produced leaves near the bottom of the gasifier.
— Fuel (biomass) is loaded in the reactor from the top. As the fuel moves down it is subjected to
‘drying (120°C) and pyrolysis (200-600°C) where solid char, acetic acid, methanol and water
vapour are produced.
— Descending volatiles and char reach the oxidation zone (900 to 1200°C) where air is injected
to complete the combustion.
— The products moving downwards, enter the reduction zone (900 to 600°C), (reaction being
endothermic) where ‘producer gas’ is formed by the action of CO2 and water vapour on red hot
charcoal. The producer gas contains products like CO, H2 and CH4; it is purified by passing it
through coolers, tar is removed by condensation, whereas soot and ash are removed by
centrifugal separation.
The downdraft gasifier is most commonly used for “engine applications” because of its ability to
produce a relatively clean gas.
l Fixed bed gasifiers can attain efficiency up to 75 percent for conversion of solid biomass to
Fluidised Bed Gasifiers
fuel gas thus obtained is
conditioned and cleaned for
utilisation as an engine fuel.
Geothermal Energy sources
Geothermal energy is primarily heat energy from earth’s own interior. The word
“Geothermal” comes from the Greek words ‘geo’ meaning earth and ‘thermal’
meaning heat.

• It is classified as renewable because the earth’s interior is and will continue in the
process of cooling for the indefinite future.
• As we travel down earth’s surface radially, there exists a temperature gradient of
0.03°C per metre. Thus a 30°C increase in temperature can be obtained per
kilometre depth from the earth crust.
• There are many local hot spots just below the surface where the temperatures are
much higher than expected.
• Ground water, when comes into contact with hot spots, either dry or wet steam is
formed. By drilling holes to these locations, hot water and steam can be tapped and
these can be used for power generation or space heating.
The earth consists of the following parts (concentric shells):
1. Crust;
2. Mantle;
3. Core.

The heat generated within earth is around 2700

Vapour-dominated or dry steam fields:

The vapour-dominated reservoirs produce dry saturated steam of pressure

above atmosphere and at high temperature about 350°C.

— Steam extracted from the well is cleaned in centrifugal separator which

removes solid matters.
— The cleaned steam is then supplied directly into the ‘steam turbine’. The
exhaust steam from steam turbine is wet steam, (i.e., mixture of water and
steam) which passes through the condenser. The condenser condenses wet
steam into water (through a cooling tower).
— The non-condensable gases present in wet steam are removed by ‘steam
jet injection method’.
— The condensed steam is reinjected deep into the ground/well.

l This system is used in Landerallo (Italy) and Geyser (USA)