ELECTRICITY FROM

METHANEEco friendly and viable form of electricity

for rural and urban electrification

Introduction

Methane molecule

Producing electricity from methane is an easy and a viable process.

Since most of our country is agriculture based, this process can aide rural electrification easily.

Methane

Methane dimensions

It is the simplest alkane

Main component of Natural Gas

Can be easily obtained from manure by a process called methanogenesis

Methanogenesis

Methanogenesis in microbes is a form of anaerobic respiration

Methanogens do not use oxygen to respire the terminal electron acceptor in methanogenesis is not oxygen, but carbon.

Bacteria that produce methane Methane-forming

bacteria are known by individual rods, curved rods, spirals, and cocci

Methane-forming bacteria are oxygen-sensitive.

They need enzymes to support the methane formation.

Enzymes and Environment

Methane formed from inside the bacterial cell wall.

The bacteria cannot do the work alone. They need the right enzymes and the right atmosphere.

The atmosphere must be non oxygenated.

Enzyme M and the nickel-containing coenzymes F420 and F430 are needed.

Methane Digester

A common methane digester.

It’s a construction that is hermetically sealed and allows bacteria to convert manure to methane.

This methane is allowed to rise up and collect as shown.

Uses of the Methane Digester Digesters are only marginally

effective at reducing problems with odors, pathogens and greenhouse gas emissions from animal waste or sewage sludge.

As waste is processed in a bio-digester, it is sterilized by methane-producing bacteria and the high-methane environment; over 90% of protozoa, cysts and disease-causing bacteria, such as E. Coli, are killed

The effluent that remains after gas production is a high quality organic fertilizer that can be safely used on food crops.

Families, who have installed bio-digesters, have reported seeing the quality of their crops improve dramatically after only one year of using bio-digester fertilizer. 

Methane Combustion

Diagram of the reaction

In the combustion of methane, several steps are involved. An early intermediate is formaldehyde. Oxidation of formaldehyde gives the formyl radical(HCO), which then give carbon monoxide CO).

The resulting H2 oxidizes to H2O, releasing heat. This reaction occurs very quickly, usually in significantly less than a millisecond.

Finally, the CO oxidizes, forming CO2 and releasing more heat. This process is generally slower than the other chemical steps, and typically requires a few to several milliseconds to occur.

Methane to Electricity

Methane Engine

Is of two types Directly combust

methane in an engine to rotate a mechanically coupled generator.

Heat water to produce steam and rotate the turbines.

Methane to Heat Water Heats water by

burning methane. This creates steam

and turns the turbine coupled to a generator that produces electricity.

Highly inefficient but useful for small farm purposes.

Methane Engine

Methane engine coupled to a generator.

Works on the principle of modern gas engines used to power buses and autos in India.

This engine is coupled to a generator to produce electricity.

Gujarat has a 2MW biogas station and Chile has a 8MW biogas station.

Rural Electrification Can solve India’s rural

electricity. Small units built in many villages can be cost effective and produce electricity for them.

The left over is very high quality fertilizer which will help the farmers again.

Urban Electrification

Chile has a 8.4 MW biogas plant that uses land fill garbage along with sewage to make biogas to run the plant.

If cities have a comprehensive sewage plan they can make fertilizers, generate electricity from the feces. This can support the main stations.

The fertilizer generated will be of high volume and it can help the villages.

Advantages Carbon Neutral- Note

Biomass Energy results in no new net GHG emissions as it is part of the carbon cycle. Unlike coal and others forms of fossil fuel which have been buried millions of years ago and burning them adds to carbon in the atmosphere,responsible biomass energy generation results in no new carbon emissions or pollution

Use of Waste - Biomass Energy is an Efficient Process which results in the use of mostly animal and crop waster which would be converted into carbon dioxide anyway.To use to as energy before the conversion is an important use of the millions of tons of waste that is generated by human activities

Advantages Continuous Source of

Power – Biomass Energy can be generated almost 24×7  unlike other forms of renewable energy like wind and solar that are intermittent in nature.

Large variety of Feedstock – Biomass Energy can use a large variety of feedstock such as wood pellets,rice husk,bagasse etc.

Distributed Nature – Biomass plants can be built in remote areas and used as a distributed form of power generation.

Easy Availability – Biomass is readily available in almost all parts of the world except the desert areas where finding biomass is difficult

Disadvantages Pollution in case of

Poor Technology – Biomass Energy can lead to air pollution in the form of char if the biomass is not completely combustible. This happens in the case of biomass energy being produced in rural areas through bad technology.

Feedstock Problems – One of the biggest drawbacks of biomass energy is the problem of feedstock.The plants are forced to run at lower utilization leading to higher costs if feedstock is not available due to some reason like a drought

Disadvantages Good Management

Required – The operations of a biomass plant requires very good management otherwise it may run into losses or even in some cases have to shut down.It requires a skill of high order to run the plant optimally and make use of alternative feedstock in case the regular one is not available

Limited Potential - Biomass Energy has smaller potential than compared to other forms of energy like solar,hydro etc.

Biogas in India National Program on

household biogas plants operational since 1982.

Two broad categories of plants in use floating dome type and fixed dome type.

1 MW Cattle manure based biogas project at a dairy colony in Ludhiana, Punjab

1.5 and 2.5 MW biogas projects based on poultry droppings in Tamil Nadu

Conclusion Can be mainly used in

India for rural electrification.

Best possible way to promote waste management.

Small 1MW stations can easily power many small villages where electricity needs are elementary.

Thank you