Use of biomass and Waste-to-energy

Controlled collection of methane should be done anyway, since we don't want it to be released into the atmosphere 😀

Like Ajit says about using a power plant, feeding methane into a centralized location would be more feasible that designing new engines for cars. At least in the short term!

Ofcourse, controlled combustion was what I implied & there is no question of releasing methane into the air, if we are looking for alternative fuels we need to get our hands on all the methane that we can get.Also aj is right in choosing methane as a fuel because its calorific value is more than all of the other hydrocarbons.
I checked out a link online. It is about a researcher who says that methane is more easy to store in fuel cells than Hydrogen...so why not promote methane fuel cells in automobiles. Please check this link <a href="https://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Methane_20Fuel_20Cell" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Halfbakery: Methane Fuel Cell</a>... those people who really feel that methane is really worthy as an alternative fuel to butane and iso-butane.

Dear @Shreyasm89.,
Yes, you are right. Methane has many qualities compared to other hydrocarbons. Not just hydrocarbons, but all the gaseous fuels. I am passionate about it. I would like to devote my resources to the better usage of this fuel because of its properties. If I would be able to set up a company in my life, it would be related to methane utilization. But I must confess that I have done less research on it. I am at it now.
And shreyasm, this link shows a 404 error. Kindly make sure if the link is a correct one. I would like to have a look at it.

Re: Use of biomass

ashGood start aj_onduty. This thread has a lot of potential 😀

As a suggestion (you guys can add more), lets start by doing research:
- The amount of waste there are in cities. Perhaps we can pick a few as case studies so we can get some raw stats.
- Existing biomass technology, with their advantages and disadvantages. Efficiencies?
- Estimated costs?

Once we understand the constraints involved and what realistic objectives we could achieve, then we'll have some sort of rough idea on what it takes to implement this technology.

Industrial biomass can be grown from abundant types of plants, including miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane[3], and a variety of tree species, range from eucalyptus to oil palm (palm oil). The fastidious plant used is usually not important to the end products, but it does affect the handing out of the raw material.
Thanks,




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Re: Use of biomass

leencoo12The fastidious plant used is usually not important to the end products, but it does affect the handing out of the raw material.
Thanks,

The end products do matter. Because the plants where we use them do need designing according to the properties of the end products, both chemical and physical. For example, in a plant where rice straw is used, we need cutters to cut the straw down to approximately 1inch, while for rice husks, we don't need it. This is just one of the simplest modification. There are many others in the list.

@aj- i have corected my post. Now the link this ok. Please refer it.

Nice chunk of information Shreyas. Thinking over it. Using it as fuel for fuel cell s a very brilliant option.
Dear CEans,
Never think low about using methane. The cooked food you have in your tiffin used methane to get cooked. To bring out usable and feasible technologies on hydrogen usage, first you have to sharpen the technological skills on something simpler, and then opt for a bigger challenge. Handling, methane is a lot simpler as we have technologies for handling natural gases. We do not take level 50 of any game the first time we see it, do we? Am I right?

@aj- I think you misunderstood me, I provided the link for those people who are really into this thing(for e.g. you yourself). In fact even I am in favour of methane. Since the above link claims that methane is easier to use in a fuel cell so why not try it out?

Shreyas,
The part of the post which said"never think low of methane" was something like a message for all. I am sorry that I told it in that way I am editing it as needed.
Yes, I am in for it. I want to have a good team for this. I would love to do some research in this field.

I found this physics forum link. There is first hand information from physicists & chemical engineers on the use of methane.
#-Link-Snipped-#

shreyasm89I found this physics forum link. There is first hand information from physicists & chemical engineers on the use of methane.
#-Link-Snipped-#

A very rich content, nice find shreyas. Good to find like minded people.
There has been a good debate between people in the above link giving a lot of information about renewable sources. Its a good one. Now, the point missed out or ignored is something about methane formation from biomass.
A note which I caught my attention. is thus,

As said by a user puff_the_majic_dragon in physicsforums.com
Note: I'm leaving biofuel out of this because it's a slow process that's not easily controlled and produces low volume. Future investment in research I'm sure could make this an acceptable alternative - some nations already have biofuel production facilities built into their land fills and water treatment plants.

He must not have seen Mumbai😉 Kidding.
But I would like to have a discussion about these sentences.

Re: Use of biomass

Does anyone mind clicking that Face-book like button on the top?

Dear megna,
Thanks for the contribution.
The steps and facilities are available indeed, or at-least, that's what we come to know on viewing these websites. But let me tell you that when it comes to biomass, there is not a single successful method available for utilization of the same to produce energy, especially in India. If there comes a method, there comes other problems associated with it. The alleged most successful method of utilizing biomass waste is the usage of Rankine cycle(just as in coal power plants, replace coal by biomass). But when we come to hard reality, there comes management problems, fuel problems, problems with fuel handling etc. The second best method is gasification, which gives out harmful by-products. The other methods, like bio methanol production are still in the labs. But in many parts of the world, these methods are working successfully. We have to learn a lot from them. Lets not speak about the various services available. Lets talk about how many projects have been successful. We have a lot to learn from them.
Again, thanks for your contribution megna. I hope to see your active participation here.

In India, it is said that there is no independent biomass power plant(using the Rankine cycle) above 10MW which is working to its capacity. Is this news right?
I doubt the genuineness of this news. Can anyone correct this?

Dear friends,
This thread was dead. I am trying to resurrect it, please contribute.

i too known that electricity can be generated by biomass but it is not developed in india as i know so that news may be right

There is a correction to that. There are biomass power plants working in India. One in Tamil Nadu works in some 15MW. It works on wood chips. Then there are plants in Karnataka which work on Rice Husks with a capacity of 7.5MW. Chattisgarh is dotted with biomass power plants working on rice husks.
Now, Please note one fact that there is not even a single biomass power plant which works on rice straw independently. That is because of the chemical factors of rice straw. Does anyone know anything about any biomass power plant of even 1MW which works on Paddy straw in India or outside? Please do mention here.
I think there are paddy straw fired plants outside India. Can anyone shed some light into that???

What I think this thread lacks is some diagrams, charts or graphs. At least showing the processes of biomass production.

Visual aids are always nice in discussions (or is it just me? 😛 )

For those who say that segregation of wastes (for generation of power from wastes) is impossible in India-
In India, can anyone tell me how many of us dump their newspapers into the garbage bin? No one, actually. That is because you get anywhere between Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 per kilogram of newspaper if you sell it. We use our precious space in our homes to store paper to over a month and sell it dearly. So, please tell me, isn't segregation of wastes existing in India? We can do the same for plastics too, if we install collection centers at reachable places. Hope the entrepreneurs get the point.