Fundamentals and developments of compressed biogas in city gas distribution network in India: A review

Abstract

Biogas is a significant renewable source as well as an alternative energy carrier provided by Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of biodegradable food wastes and other organic materials. This paper describes some major facts about biogas along with the barriers and adaptation of CBG in society, it also narrates the types of feedstocks available for biogas generation and what are the major sources in India. In this study, different stages of anaerobic digestion are discussed such as hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis for biogas production. After its purification, the biogas can be used as a fuel for domestic as well as transportation purposes. A glimpse of biogas like purification techniques like biological desulphurization, iron chloride dosing, pressure swing adsorption, chemical scrubbing and water scrubbing is given, the major additions of national policy of biofuels in 2018 is also highlighted. It has been found that in India, majorly pressure swing adsorption and water scrubbing methods are used for biogas purification, currently, the country has 12 commercial CBG plants with a total CBG output capacity of 18,461.7 tonnes per year, which is just 0.06 percent of the total ability. The details of the plants along with their CBG production capacity are described, and sustainable alternative towards affordable transportation (SATAT) launched by MoPNG is introduced in this study, furthermore, the features and types of models suggested by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) to introduce compressed biogas (CBG) in city gas distribution (CGD) network are discussed.