Biomass to CBG
Bio-gas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste / biomass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc. After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
Compressed Bio-Gas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential. With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, Compressed Bio-Gas can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel. The potential for Compressed Bio-Gas production from various sources in India is estimated at about 62 million tonnes per annum.
Compressed Bio-Gas can be produced from various bio-mass/waste sources, including agricultural residue, municipal solid waste, sugarcane press mud, distillery spent wash, cattle dung and sewage treatment plant waste. The other waste streams, i.e, rotten potatoes from cold storages, rotten vegetables, dairy plants, chicken/poultry litter, food waste, horticulture waste, forestry residues and treated organic waste from industrial effluent treatment plants (ETPs) can be used to generate biogas.
Biomass to Power
The total potential for power generation from agricultural and agro-industrial residues is estimated at about 18,000 MW in India. With progressive higher steam temperature and pressure and efficient project configuration in new sugar mills and modernization of existing ones, the potential of surplus power generation through bagasse cogeneration in sugar mills is estimated at around 8,000 MW. Thus the total estimated potential for biomass power is about 26,000 MW.
Over 500 biomass power and cogeneration projects with aggregate capacity of 9186.50 MW have been installed in the country up to December 2019. With the advancement in the boiler and turbine technologies for generation and utilization of steam at high temperature and pressure, sugar industry has been producing electricity and steam for their own requirements and selling surplus electricity to the grid by optimally utilizing the bagasse. The sale of surplus power generated through optimum cogeneration is helping a sugar mill to improve its viability and profitability, apart from crating additional power generation capacity in the country.