Domestic Biogas in Asia - David Fulford

Domestic Biogas in Asia - David Fulford

• 1.
  Domestic Biogas inAsia Dr David Fulford CEnv MEI www.kingdombio.com [email protected]
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  What is biogas? •Anaerobic Digestion (AD) breaks down wet biomass to gas and compost • Relies on microbes (bacteria and archaea) in animal dung • Several possible applications • Talk focuses on biogas in rural areas for domestic uses, with dung as feed
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  Background • SNV (NetherlandsDevelopment Organisation) Asia Biogas programme - focus on rural domestic biogas fed by animal dung. • Started in Nepal (1993) - extended to Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos • Based on previous programme set up Development and Consulting Services of United Mission to Nepal (1976 to 1984)
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  Technology • Dung mixedwith water and allowed to flow into underground pit lined with masonry • Plants built for individual households • Need 3 to 6 cows or 6 to 12 pigs • Gas piped to kitchen for cooking • Slurry from plant collected • Can be used as a fertilizer after some processing • Removes smell
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  Benefits (1) • Cleangaseous cooking fuel • No smoke • Instant availability • Does not need constant attention • Reduced danger of burns • Resource (dung) available from animal sheds • No need to walk to collect firewood
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  Benefits (2) • Cookingpots easy to clean (no soot) • Saving of time (3 hours a day) • Saving of firewood (2,000 kg a year) • Reduced deforestation (1,000 biogas plants saves 33.8 ha forest from clear felling) • Much reduced smell from the animal sheds (in Vietnam, pig sties are close to the house)
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  Benefits (3) • Biogascan be used for lights • Reduced smell from kerosene lamps • Savings of 32 litres kerosene a year • Reduced risk of house fires • Saving of carbon (4,900 kg a year) • Since gas available in the morning, children get cooked breakfast before school.
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  Benefits (4) • Alatrine can be attached • Improved sanitation • Reduced transfer of pathogens (especially if slurry is properly processed) • Reduced risk to women (who go out at dawn or dusk to use the fields) • Reduce incidence of snake bites
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  Benefits (5) • Slurryis a good quality compost (better than raw dung) • Liquid slurry should be absorbed in dry biomass and composted for 1 month • Compost even better if use vermi-culture • Growers prepared to pay cash for vermi- compost
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  Economics • With somany benefits, what is drawback? • Cost - most cost:benefit analyses show financial benefit as marginal • BUT high value for “externalities” - e.g. saving forests, health benefits etc. • Biogas becomes attractive with subsidy • SNV Asia Biogas Programme offered reliable subsidy
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  Asia Biogas Programme •Involve people at all levels, from government policy makers to masons who build plants • Promotion, Education and Training • Emphasis on quality of technology • Use a local design, but ensure it works well • Train staff to check quality of construction • Release subsidy for each plant only when it meets specification
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  Tasks involved inrunning a biogas programme Construction Quality Training Management Household Micro Credit, Marketing & Sales Biogas SME Development Sector R&D Subsidy Extra services Ref: Dagmar Zwebe, “SNV Renewable Energy Developments: The Biogas Programme for Animal Husbandry Sector of Vietnam”, Presentation (May 2012).
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  Project Achievements Start Built in Built by Invest Country Year 2011 2011 Cost $ Nepal 1992 19,246 250,476 663 Vietnam 2003 23,372 123,714 621 Cambodia 2006 4,826 20,756 488 Bangladesh 2006 5,049 14,972 430 Laos 2007 439 2,405 448 Total 52,932 412,323 Based on: Brief progress and planning report the Working Group on Domestic Biogas under the Energy for All Partnership as per May 2012
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  Starting a Programme •Find a group interested in biogas to manage programme (or set up a group) • Involve people from government and encourage renewable energy policy • Design a subsidy & micro-finance scheme • Develop a local design that works well • Use local companies to build plants • Train staff regularly
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  Subsidy Issues (1) •Who funds externalities? i.e. • Who pays to save forests, improve people’s health, reduce carbon emissions? • National governments - but other priorities • International Community • Bilateral Aid (SNV, KfW, DANIDA, USAID etc) • UN agencies: World Bank, ADB, UNDP, UNEP, UNFCCC • Danger of corruption
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  Subsidy Issues (2) •WWF puts high value on certain habitats: e.g. tiger ranges - pay extra • CDM designed to fund carbon offsets - CER certified emissions reductions • Also VER - voluntary emissions reductions • Carbon offset trading under voluntary market mechanisms (Big companies want to look “Green”) • Complex - large nos. needed
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  Carbon Offset Biogas •New Charitable Company established • Foundation SKG Sangha - based on biogas programme in South India • Aim: to use voluntary carbon offset finance to encourage biogas projects elsewhere • Also interest in other renewable energy projects • First project in Egypt funded by UNDP
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  Technical Aspects • Undergrounddome made from masonry (bricks or concrete) • Gas stored by displacing slurry into reservoir tank • Volume 4 m3 (2 m3 to 10 m3)
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  Biogas Displacement Principle
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  Other applications (1) •Sewage Treatment • KIST project in Rwanda processing sewage from prisons (10,000 people) • Saves 50% of wood fuel for cooking • Volume 100 m3 x 10 = 1,000 m3
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  Other applications (2) •Urban biogas to process food wastes • Volume 1 m3, food waste gives more gas • Family’s own food waste saves 25% LPG • Use extra food waste from local shops • Can use sewage in addition
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  Other applications (3) •Local authority wastes • Market wastes • Office canteen wastes • Municipal solid wastes • Food processing wastes
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  Thank you