Biogas: An Evolutionary Perspective in the Indian Context

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion is a well-known sustainable process for harnessing energy (in the form of biogas) from waste. India is among the pioneer countries to use AD processes for treating wastewater at larger scale. The first anaerobic digestion plant in India was built in 1859 in Bombay and biogas generated from the treatment facility was used for lighting streets. Use of AD to generate energy got promoted during and after World War II to meet higher energy demands. Most of the AD technologies in the world are primarily aimed at treating agricultural waste. The biogas generated from such big facilities can provide biogas for lighting and cooking to the local community. Biogas and subsequent energy generation gained popularity much later in Europe than in India. But, the biogas generation programme in Europe, especially in Germany, is implemented quite efficiently by utilizing agricultural residues in small scale (individual) as well as larger scale (community) reactors. There is a growing trend towards using larger, more sophisticated systems with better process control to produce electricity in India. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (Govt. of India) has taken different initiatives (National Biogas and Manure Management Programme) to use AD systems to generate energy and to promote use of small-scale and large-scale anaerobic digesters in rural and semi-urban areas in India. Government has also given incentive to the families who have utilized their waste by setting up a family sized or community scale AD. National Programme on Biogas Development (NPBD) also promoted the use of cow dung slurry to produce energy from waste and as a result 4.17 million digesters have been set up to utilize cow dung generated by 289 million cattle with a gross capacity of 12 million family size biogas plants in India. Two different anaerobic digester designs extensively used in India under the NPBD are KVIC Model (floating drum type) and Deenbandhu model (fixed dome type). The major reason for the wide acceptance of this technology in India is the low-tech design and the socio-economic benefits associated with the efficient utilization of waste. Lack of knowledge is the principal hurdle for not getting the technology utilized by a major portion of the rural population of India. The policies and implementation of appropriate support mechanisms can improve the AD utilization scenario in India. Increased public awareness programmes would help convincing people to adopt AD for recovering energy from different biodegradable waste residues. Use of clean fuel such as biogas instead of dung cake, agricultural residues and wood chips can substantially reduce the air pollution and help to maintain good environmental quality.