Compressed biogas is set to fuel vehicles here

New Delhi: Now for something greener than compressed natural gas (CNG). India may use its vast organic wastes to produce compressed biogas (CBG), which will supplement CNG. While technology to compress biogas has already been devised, it will not be too long before our cars will be running on CBG.

As of now, biogas is primarily used in rural households for cooking purposes. Biogas has 60% of methane content and 40% of carbon dioxide. This biogas can be purified to match CNG standards by use of advanced technologies. The purified form will match the methane content of CNG which is 95%. While IIT-Delhi and Indian institute of Science-Bangalore have already brought to life such technologies, IIT-Delhi has already filed a patent for their invention which is in the process of being sealed.

The government has already given licence to Delhi-based Indian Compressors to incorporate this technology. With regard to compressing purified biogas, Gaushala society of Kanpur and Gorakhpur have devised feasible methods.“The CBG produced can be used in the same cylinders that store CNG and will match the efficiency of CNG,” said a government official.

He added that compression of purified biogas and the marketing of CBG can be taken care of by the existing CNG stations. The government will make a beginning with pilot projects for use of CBG in vehicles. Gail has already been roped in to identify locations for such projects.

Being a product of cowdung, sewage, sludge, non-edible oils and organic fractions of municipal solid waste and crop residues not suitable for fodder, biogas when used as a fuel, recycles carbon dioxide, not emitting a net amount. This makes it a cleaner fuel than CNG.

To add to automotive, biogas can also be used in diesel engines that are used for irrigation. According to data by the ministry of non conventional energy sources, with 8m diesel engines being used for irrigation, our farmers can save on 75% of diesel by use of biogas which can be supplied through a pipeline to the engines.

For this, the biogas digestive plants have to be set up in farms. While some rural areas of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have already started such practices, Greaves India is already selling diesel engines that use only biogas as fuel. However, for such engines, additional batteries are essential.