The present disclosure relates to a biogas. More particularly, the present
disclosure relates to a biogas generating system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding
the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior
art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or
implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Solid waste management is a complex task worldwide. On an average, in India
only, 0.3 kg to 0.8 kg solid waste is generated per day per person in which approximately 50%
consists of food waste. Improper and non-scientific disposal of solid waste may result in various
problems such as bad odour, menace of stray animals, insects, rodents, greenhouse gas emission,
and spreading of diseases. So, it is highly required to develop technology driven solutions, which
can be utilized to dispose off solid waste, especially food waste, to solve such problems
associated with solid waste in the whole world, in general, and in India, in particular.
[0004] Conventional biogas plants require constant sunlight, and bad odor generated by
the plants during anaerobic digestion process makes it difficult to install such plants inside house
premises, inside kitchen, etc. So, it makes the procedure very costly, as firstly, one needs to
acquire a patch of land, and then do the needful. Moreover, the conventional plants need a longer
digestion time, and in most of the plants there is a need of regular supply of cow dung at least for
30 days to prepare startup culture, which poses a big challenge in front of users, and also limits
its utility.
[0005] Biogas plants generate, along with bio-methane as main constituent, a mixture of
lot of harmful and poisonous gases as by products, such as, hydrogen sulphide, carbon di oxide,
etc., hence, direct utilization of gases generated from such plants directly in cooking or energy
generation can prove to be dangerous.
[0006] Second, in most of the world, including India, we do one of three things with our
ordinary garbage: throw it, burn it or bury it. Neither one is scientifically fruitful practice for us
3
or for the environment. Throwing untreated garbage pollute the land, which directly affects
human health by causing serious diseases, including cancer. The toxic material that pollutes the
soil get accumulated inside human body directly by inhaling polluted dust and by eating
fruits/vegetable grown in polluted soil. Burning garbage in incinerators/open space contributes to
global warming and pollute fresh air, water bodies, forests and oceans. Burying untreated
garbage causes severe land pollution and simply transporting it to the landfill sites consumes
valuable fossil fuels, which produces more pollution.
[0007] The average Indian household produces about 1.41 Kgs of trash daily (PIB 2016),
and as per estimation global solid-waste generation will triple, to 11 million tons a day, by 2100.
Meanwhile, world is running out of space for landfills. There is thus a need to solve this looming
problem as Kitchen Cooking Stand cum Biogas Digester technology affords dual potential of
treating and disposing off the food waste at source and biomethane generation. The testing
results of Bio-digester fitted inside kitchen cooking stand shown its effectiveness to emerge as
ideal Kitchen Cooking Stand which consumes its own generated waste and provide clean
cooking fuel.
[0008] Third, approximately 1.3 billion tons of the world food production is lost or
wasted every year through the food supply chain and according to Papargyropoulou et al. (2014)
it has tremendous environmental, economic and social implications. Findings of Zhang et al.
(2014) stated that in china alone, more than 90 million tons of food waste are disposed of
annually accounting as 37–62% of total China's municipal solid waste and it is expected to keep
growing due to increasing population and urbanization. Survey of DownToEarth (2018)
concluded that with rapid urbanisation, India is struggling with massive waste management
challenge. Over 377 million urban people live in 7,935 towns and cities, generating 62 million
tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum out of which merely 43 million tonnes (MT) of the
waste is collected, 11.9 MT is treated and 31 MT is dumped in landfill sites most of them are
either unorganized or previously saturated landfill sites.
[0009] Recovering energy and nutrients from household food waste not only provides
substantial economic opportunity, but it is also essential to ensure hygienic and clean
surroundings. Considering the negative environmental impacts of land filling, incineration,
composting or simply throwing of food waste untreated, anaerobic digestion (AD) has been
proposed as a relatively cost-effective technology for renewable energy production and waste
4
treatment of this high-moisture and energy-rich material by Xu et al. (2015) Romerogüiza et al.
(2016) Posmanik et al. (2017). During AD process, anaerobic microbes convert various types of
organic wastes into biogas (Combustible gaseous mixture of 60%- 70% methane, 30%-40%
carbon dioxide, and traces of other gases such as hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide with nutrientrich residue as effluent that can be used as fertilizer (Yang et al. 2015).
[0010] The reason behind selecting AD for household organic waste disposal technique
lies with its wide range of substrates (high/low moisture, various micro nutrients, fat/nutritional
composition and impurities) and can be conducted in both large and small scale digesters without
any geographical locations related limitations (Appels et al. 2011). Recently, as biogas industry
moving towards energy production (Hamawand, 2015), food waste is emerging as promising
substrate for AD, due to its high energy content, large quantity, and wide availability (Paritosh et
al. 2017).
[0011] Municipal Solid Waste management rules in India are based on "sustainable
development", "polluter pays" and "precaution". These principles mandate municipal
corporations and waste generating commercial establishments to act in an environmentally
accountable and responsible manner. The ever increasing solid waste generation is a by-product
of economic development which led to formation of various subordinate legislations for
suggesting the scientific and environment friendly manner of disposal of generated waste under
the umbrella Environment Protection Act, 1986 (EPA).
[0012] The key to efficient waste management is to ensure that there is proper
segregation of solid waste at source and that the waste must go through different streams of
recycling and resource recovery before getting deposited in the form of reduced final residue in
scientifically developed sanitary landfills. The technology discussed here can provide scientific
and cost-effective alternative to household organic waste disposal.
[0013] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an efficient, improved, and costeffective apparatus/ system to overcome the above-mentioned problems, and, provide a reliable
means for biogas generation.
OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0014] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment
herein satisfies are as listed herein below.
5
[0015] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system for converting biodegradable waste into usable forms.
[0016] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system to control bad
odour and air pollution due to bio-degradable waste.
[0017] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system to prevent
spreading of the bio-degradable waste, hence health issues due to bio-degradable waste are being
checked upon.
[0018] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system for generating
biogas from the bio-degradable waste.
[0019] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system to produce
manure and compost from the bio-degradable waste.
[0020] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system that is efficient,
reliable, user-friendly and cost-effective.
SUMMARY
[0021] The present disclosure relates to a biogas. More particularly, the present
disclosure relates to a biogas generating system.
[0022] An aspect of the present disclosure pertains to a biogas generating system
comprising: a crusher adapted to receive biodegradable waste through a first inlet, and
configured to crush the received biodegradable waste; a container having a second inlet and a
second outlet, wherein the second inlet is fluidically coupled with a first outlet of the crusher and
configured to receive the crushed biodegradable waste from the crusher; and wherein the
container comprises enzymes and bacteria to enable anaerobic digestion of the crushed
biodegradable waste to generate biogas; and a gas filter positioned at the second outlet of the
container, wherein the gas filter is configured to filter one or more gaseous components from the
generated biogas when the generated bio gas may be supplied to a storage tank through the
second outlet.
[0023] In an aspect, the system may comprise an expandable element configured with the
container and adapted to expand such that the expansion of the expandable element compresses
the generated biogas inside the container to enable outflow of the generated biogas through the
second outlet.
6
[0024] In an aspect, the system may comprise a pumping unit operatively coupled with
the expandable element to enable expansion of the expandable element.
[0025] In an aspect, the system may comprise one or more sensors configured with the
container to monitor one or more parameters of the container, and wherein the one or more
parameters may be any or a combination of temperature, pressure, humidity, pH, and inoculum
level.
[0026] In an aspect, the system may comprise a controller operatively coupled to the one
or more sensors, and configured to control at least one of the one or more parameters of the
container.
[0027] In an aspect, the system may comprise a compression unit fluidically coupled
between the storage tank and the container, and wherein the compression unit may comprise a
compressor and a valve to compress and facilitate flow of the supplied bio-gas from the
container to the storage tank.
[0028] In an aspect, the system may comprise a concentrator fluidically coupled to the
container, and configured to accumulate leftover biodegradable waste in the container and
concentrate the leftover biodegradable waste.
[0029] In an aspect, the system may comprise a stirrer configured with the container to
stir the crushed biodegradable waste in the container.
[0030] In an aspect, the system may comprise a solar panel to generate and supply
electric power to the system.
[0031] In an aspect, the container may be configured from any or a combination of metal,
semi-metal, non-metal, wood and water-proof cloth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of
the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The
drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the
description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0033] The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present
disclosure, and wherein:
7
[0034] FIGs. 1A and 1B illustrate exemplary diagrams of the proposed biogas generating
system to illustrate its overall working, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 2 illustrate a schematic representation of a kitchen cooking stand cum
Biogas Digester for scientific disposal of kitchen waste at source, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted
in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate
the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated
variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as
defined by the appended claims.
[0037] Various terms as used herein are shown below. To the extent a term used in a
claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art
have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.
[0038] In some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written
description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired
properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the
numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits
and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and
parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are
approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely
as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may
contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective
testing measurements.
[0039] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the
meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”
unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
8
[0040] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a
shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as
if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any
suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to
certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not
pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the
specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice
of the invention.
[0041] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed
herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed
individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found
herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons
of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the
specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written
description of all groups used in the appended claims.
[0042] The present disclosure relates to a biogas. More particularly, the present
disclosure relates to a biogas generating system.
[0043] According to an aspect the present disclosure pertains to a biogas generating
system including: a crusher adapted to receive biodegradable waste through a first inlet, and
configured to crush the received biodegradable waste; a container having a second inlet and a
second outlet, wherein the second inlet is fluidically coupled with a first outlet of the crusher and
configured to receive the crushed biodegradable waste from the crusher; and wherein the
container can include enzymes and bacteria to enable anaerobic digestion of the crushed
biodegradable waste to generate biogas; and a gas filter positioned at the second outlet of the
container, wherein the gas filter is configured to filter one or more gaseous components from the
generated biogas when the generated bio gas can be supplied to a storage tank through the
second outlet.
[0044] In an embodiment, the system can include an expandable element configured with
the container and adapted to expand such that the expansion of the expandable element can
9
compress the generated biogas inside the container to enable outflow of the generated biogas
through the second outlet.
[0045] In an embodiment, the system can include a pumping unit operatively coupled
with the expandable element to enable expansion of the expandable element.
[0046] In an embodiment, the system can include one or more sensors configured with
the container to monitor one or more parameters of the container, and wherein the one or more
parameters can include any or a combination of temperature, pressure, humidity, pH, and
inoculum level.
[0047] In an embodiment, the system can include a controller operatively coupled to the
one or more sensors, and configured to control at least one of the one or more parameters of the
container.
[0048] In an embodiment, the system can include a compression unit fluidically coupled
between the storage tank and the container, and wherein the compression unit can include a
compressor and a valve to compress and facilitate flow of the supplied bio-gas from the
container to the storage tank.
[0049] In an embodiment, the system can include a concentrator fluidically coupled to
the container, and configured to accumulate leftover biodegradable waste in the container and
concentrate the leftover biodegradable waste.
[0050] In an embodiment, the system can include a stirrer configured with the container
to stir the crushed biodegradable waste in the container.
[0051] In an embodiment, the system can include a solar panel to generate and supply
electric power to the system.
[0052] In an embodiment, the container can be configured from any or a combination of
metal, semi-metal, non-metal, wood and water-proof cloth.
[0053] FIG. 1A and 1B illustrate exemplary diagrams of the proposed biogas generating
system to illustrate its overall working in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0054] In an embodiment, FIG. 1A illustrates exemplary block diagram of the proposed
biogas generating system 100 (also, referred to as proposed system 100, or system 100, herein).
In another embodiment, FIG. 1B illustrate exemplary structural diagram of the proposed system
100.
10
[0055] As illustrated, in an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a crusher
110 having a first inlet 112 and a first outlet 114. The crusher 110 can be adapted to receive
biodegradable waste through a first inlet 112, and configured to, further, crush the received
biodegradable waste. In an implementation, the crusher 110 can crush the received biodegradable
waste to convert the received biodegradable waste into slurry by adding water and, can also
reduce particle size of the received biodegradable waste in order to speed up the digestion
process. The crusher 110 can be manually operated or motor powered.
[0056] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a container 120
fluidically coupled to the crusher 110, which can be configured from corrosion free, tensile and
strong material, such as, but not limited to, any or a combination of metal, semi-metal, nonmetal, wood, water-proof cloth, and the likes. In an embodiment, the container 120 can be airtight and can have a life-time of around 20 years.
[0057] In an implementation, the container 120 can be having a second inlet 122 and a
second outlet 124, such that the second inlet 122 of the container 120 can be coupled to the first
outlet 114 of the crusher 110. In an embodiment, the container 120 can be configured to receive,
at the second inlet 122, the crushed biodegradable waste along with some water, from the crusher
110. In an implementation, the container 120 can be including enzymes and bacteria, such as
methanogenic bacteria, to enable anaerobic digestion of the crushed biodegradable waste, and
hence, facilitating generation of biogas. In an embodiment, the anaerobic digestion can be
explained as a sequence of processes by which microorganisms, such as, enzymes and bacteria
can break down biodegradable waste, in the absence of oxygen, into various by-products, such
as, but not limited to methane, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon-di-oxide.
[0058] In an implementation, a stirrer (not shown) can be configured with the container
120 to stir the crushed biodegradable waste in the container 120, where stirring of the crushed
biodegradable waste aids in facilitating effective, homogeneous, and proper anaerobic digestion
of the crushed biodegradable waste.
[0059] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a gas filter 130. The gas
filter 130 can be positioned at the second outlet 124 of the container 120. The gas filter 130 can
be configured to filter one or more gaseous components from the generated biogas when the
generated bio gas is supplied to one or more storage tanks 142-1, 142-2… 142-N (also, referred
to as storage tank 142) through the second outlet 124.
11
[0060] In an illustrative embodiment, the gas filter 130 can be configured to filter out
gases like Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen oxide and other impurities
from the generated biogas, and pass the remaining biogas, which is enriched in methane, to the
storage tank 142. The stored biogas can, further be, utilized in various applications like cooking,
greenhouse effect generation, and energy production. In another illustrative implementation, the
gas filter 130 can be including lime water for CO2 removal, a copper metal scrubber for removal
of H2S. The gas filter 130 can, also, include bamboo charcoal, activated bamboo charcoal or any
other kind of activated charcoal for enrichment and filtration of the biogas generated at the
container 120.
[0061] In an illustrative implementation, the storage tank 142 can be a cylinder type unit,
which can be equipped with technique or mechanism to pump the stored biogas having enriched
methane for further use or transportation. The cylinder type unit142 can be of any shape and size
and the technique or mechanism to pump the stored biogas can be based on electric motorised
compressor or any kind of manual component.
[0062] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include an expandable element
132, such that the expandable element 132 can be configured with the container 120 and can be
adapted to expand such that the expansion of the expandable element 132 can compress the
generated biogas inside the container 120, which can enable outflow of the generated biogas
through the second outlet 124 of the container 120. In an illustrative embodiment, the expandable
element 132 can be a specially designed balloon type tube that can be installed inside the
container 120, or can also be installed outside the container 120, and can be inflated by
pressurised air so that the tube 132 can fill up space available inside the container 120, and
hence, can pressurise the biogas that is generated by the anaerobic digestion process. In an
embodiment, the tube 132 can be installed at upper surface of the container 120, or any other
place as well where the generated biogas can be stored for further use.
[0063] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a pumping unit 134. The
pumping unit 134 can be operatively coupled with the expandable element 132 to enable
expansion of the expandable element 132 to facilitate outflow of the generated biogas through
the container 120. In an illustrative embodiment, the pumping unit 134 can include a foot pump
that can be manually operated, to compress the atmospheric air, through air compression
mechanism, and fill the compressed air in the tube 132, which can be assumed to be installed
12
inside the container 120. As compressed air is filled in the tube 132, the tube 132 can inflate, and
hence, resulting in pressurising the generated biogas, which aids in outflow of the generated
biogas from the container 120.
[0064] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include one or more sensors (not
shown) configured with the container 120 to monitor one or more parameters of the container
120, such as, but not limited to, any or a combination of temperature, pressure, humidity, pH,
and inoculum level.
[0065] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a controller 136, such
that the controller 136 can be operatively coupled to the one or more sensors, and configured to
control at least one of the one or more parameters of the container 120 and maintain the perdefined value of the one or more parameters, to maximize the generation of the biogas.
[0066] In an illustrative embodiment, the controller 136 can include an integrated circuit
configured with a display unit, such that the controller 136 can be driven by the integrated circuit
to control at least one of the one or more parameters, which can aid in indoor installation the
proposed system 100 independently inside. The display unit can be configured to display
information associated with the proposed system 100, such as, but not limited to, the one or more
parameters of the container 120, temperature of environment, gas pressure, amount of gas
available, volume of biodegradable waste available inside the container 120, pH of media,
bacterial count (microbial count of methanogens), concentration of methane gas in the generated
biogas, consumption of electric power by the circuit, and the likes.
[0067] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a temperature controlling
element such as, but not limited to, any or a combination of a heating element and a cooling
element. The temperature controlling element can be configured with the container 120. In an
illustrative embodiment, when a deviation in temperature from the pre-defined value is detected
by the one or more sensors, the controller 136 can, in response to the detected deviation, send a
first set of signals, via the integrated circuit, to operate the temperature controlling element in
order to change the temperature to maintain it at the pre-defined values. For example, in case a
positive deviation is detected, that is when the temperature gets increased over the pre-defined
values, the controller 136 can operate the cooling element, whereas, in case a negative deviation
is detected, that is when the temperature falls below the pre-defined values, the controller 136
can operate the heating element, in order to maintain the predefined temperature.
13
[0068] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a pH controlling element,
configured with the container 120, which can be including fluids, such as, but not limited to,
liquids, gases, and gels, having different pH values. In an illustrative embodiment, when a
deviation in pH from the pre-defined value is detected by the one or more sensors, the controller
136 can, in response to the detected deviation, send a second set of signals, via the integrated
circuit, to operate the pH controlling element in order to change the pH to maintain it at the predefined values. For example, in case, the pH gets increased over the pre-defined values, the
controller 136 can operate the pH controlling element, where the pH controlling element can
sprinkle or purge a first fluid, selected from the fluids, in the container 120 whereas, in a case, if
the pH is detected to be below the pre-defined values, the controller 136 can operate the pH
controlling element, where the pH controlling element can sprinkle or purge a second fluid,
selected from the fluids, in the container 120 to maintain the pH at the pre-defined values.
[0069] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include an inoculum level
controlling unit configured with the container 120, which can operate, in a similar way, in
coordination with the controller 136 to control and maintain the pre-defined inoculation levels.
[0070] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a humidity controlling
unit, such as, humidifier, water sprinkler, etc., which can purge water, as and when required, in
the container 120, according to set of signals transmitted by the controller 136.
[0071] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a compression unit 138.
The compression unit 138 can be fluidically coupled between the storage tank 142 and the
container 120. In an implementation, the compression unit 138 can include a compressor and a
valve, which can be utilized to compress and facilitate flow of the supplied bio-gas from the
container 120 to the storage tank 142.
[0072] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a concentrator 126,
which can be fluidically coupled to the container 120, and can be configured to accumulate
leftover biodegradable waste in the container 120, where the leftover biodegradable waste can be
the biodegradable waste that is left in the container 120 after the generation of the biogas. In
another embodiment, the concentrator 126 can be configured to concentrate the leftover
biodegradable waste, and aid in formation of humus, compost, and the likes, which can be,
further, utilized as maure in kitchen garden, farms, etc.
14
[0073] In an embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a solar panel 140 to
generate and supply electric power as per requirement to above mentioned components of the
system 100. In an illustrative embodiment, the proposed system 100 require minimal electricity
supply which can be provided by a 200 Watt solar panel 140 installed along with the proposed
system 100. In an illustrative embodiment, the solar panel 140 can be either mono-crystalline or
poly-crystalline.
[0074] In an illustrative embodiment, the proposed system 100 can include a cooking
stand which can be placed in kitchen, and the stand can be configured in a way such that the
container 120, along with the crusher 110, and the filter 130 can be placed below the stand only.
Hence, the proposed system 100 can provide an ultra-modern kitchen stand equipped with biogas
or LPG gas stove, along with the biogas generating system. The system 100 can be easily used
for cooking, as one can dump food waste directly into the crusher 110, which is installed below
the stand, and can use the biogas generated from the food waste for cooking purpose.
[0075] FIG. 2 illustrate a schematic representation of a kitchen cooking stand cum
Biogas Digester for scientific disposal of kitchen waste at source, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0076] The proposed advanced kitchen stand illustrated in FIG. 2 can include, in simple
terms, a cooking stand (not indicated), a hybrid cooking stove (LPG + Biogas Burner) 208, an
organic waste pre-treatment mechanism (not indicated), a crushing system (not indicated), a
controlled bio-digester 224, a biogas filtration unit 230, a biogas storing and bottling system, a
biogas pressure system, and an organic manure storage system. Through all these installed
features, the technology allows the urban households for eco-friendly disposal of all organic
waste generated during cooking or from any other means. The stove 208 has operative
connections with both a biogas tank 204 and an LPG cylinder 202. The gas supply with regards
to biogas or LPG can be regulated by means of a first change over valve 206. The advanced
kitchen stand can be modular and can include a kitchen drawer 228.
[0077] Referring now to FIG. 2, the organic waste pre-treatment mechanism can include
kitchen sink 210 capable of receiving kitchen waste through an inlet therein, and a manual waste
granulator 216 capable of converting the waste into granules or granule-like particles. The
kitchen sink 210 can also include a water tap 212 to allow water treatment of the waste or can
serve the function providing a solvent for the waste. The pre-treatment mechanism can include
15
other treatment functions attached to these two components as can be appreciated by a person
skilled in the art. The granulator 216 is connected to the digester 224 by means of an appropriate
conduit and is regulated by a second change over valve 218. The crushing system, as can
appreciated, can be the granulator 216.
[0078] The filtration unit 230 is associated with the digester 224. The digester 224
separates digestate resulting from the waste and can be removed by a digestate outlet 220. Raw
biogas is filtered from the digestate and sent for storing in a biogas tank 204 by means of a raw
biogas outlet 222 associated with the filtration unit 230. The biogas can be compressed by means
of a biogas compressor 226 before being sent to the biogas tank 204 for storing. The biogas
compressor 226 can be operated manually or non-manually.
[0079] The disclosure provided herein has various real world impacts and associated
factual data that may be helpful in the understanding of the disclosure.
[0080] For example, according to the 34th Report on Implementation of Policy on
Promotion of City Compost, 16th Lok Sabha (2016), in Indian metro cities, an individual
produces an average of 0.8 kg waste/ person/day leading to the total municipal solid waste
(MSW) generated in urban India at 68.8 million tons per year (TPY) but the average collection
efficiency of MSW ranges from 22% to 60%. The generated MSW typically contains 51%
organic waste, 17% recyclables, 11% hazardous and 21% inert waste. However, about 40% of
all generated MSW is not collected at all and hence lies littered in the city/town and finds its way
to nearby drains and water bodies, causing choking as well as pollution of surface water. If the
disclosed technology introduced in all these urban households then ~51% of generated organic
waste can be digested scientifically at household level which will reduce ~60,000 Crore worth of
burden from Municipal Corporations and could save the society from causing nuisance in the
surrounding environment, groundwater as well as surface water contamination and gaseous
emissions that contribute to global warming. Thus, the present disclosure can be extended and
applied to large scale systems such as a city or a country or an administrative unit, all of which
are akin to a household which can utilize the disclosure.
[0081] Second, as per 2011 Census regarding cooking fuel used by households in India
for cooking, use of firewood for cooking purposes by households is highest at 49.0 percent
followed by LPG/PNG occupying a percentage share of 28.5 percent in the country but the use
of Biogas as fuel for cooking is 0.4% which is almost negligible and that is because of low yield,
16
space consuming conventional biogas digesters which cannot be installed everywhere. The
present disclosure herewith can completely reverse the present scenario by occupying available
space under the kitchen stands of urban households.
[0082] In an embodiment, the digester 224 can be scaled up based on an economy of a
household and can be implemented in a kitchen cooking stand.
[0083] For example, Food waste (FW) (both precooked and leftover) is a biodegradable
waste discharged from various sources including food processing industries, households, and
hospitality sector but among all the chief source is household kitchen and as per survey and
literature review, average Indian household kitchen generates Food waste in range of 0.7 kg to
2.5 kg (34th Report, 16th Lok Sabha, 2016) which mainly consists of carbohydrates, proteins,
fats, oils, lipids, and traces of inorganic compounds. The composition varies in accordance with
the type of food waste and its constituents. Food waste consisting of rice and vegetables is
abundant in carbohydrates while food waste consisting of meat and eggs has high quantity of
proteins and lipids Degradability of food waste used as substrate mainly depends upon its
chemical composition. It can be quite challenging to know the exact percentage of different
components of the complex substrate because of its heterogeneous nature (Paritosh, k.,
Kushwaha, S.K., 2017). To anaerobically degrade KW ranges from 0.7 to 2.5 kg/day needs a
digester capable to run on variable feed. The disclosed digester 224 can be capable of handling
the above-mentioned limitations.
[0084] For example, in one embodiment, the size of the biodigester 224, i.e. the digester
volume Vd, is determined on the basis of the chosen retention time RT and the daily substrate
input quantity Sd. And Vd = Sd×Rt [ m3 = m3
/day × number of days ]; therefore, Vd = 7.5 ×30
(7.5 liter is daily feed and 30 days is retention time). Thus, one digester can have Vd = 225
Liters (Size of Proposed Biodigester in one embodiment). The retention time is determined by
the chosen/given digesting temperature. As the proposed biodigester 224 is unheated biogas
plant, the temperature prevailing in the digester can be assumed as 1-2 Kelvin above the Daily
temperature. Seasonal variation must be given due consideration. For Single Stage Digestion
plant of simple design, the retention time should amount to at least 30 days. On the other hand,
extra-long retention times can increase the gas yield by as much as 40%.
[0085] Organic loading rate (OLR) refers to quantity of feed processed per unit volume
of reactor per day. The OLR depends on how much water has to be added to the substrate in
17
order to arrive at a solids content of 4-8% which is a desired range. For instance, the Substrate
input (Sd) = biomass (B) + water (W) [m3
/d]. Thus, in the proposed KW biogas plant, the
mixing ratio for KW and water (B:W) can amount to 1:2.
[0086] In uncontrolled digestion, when the loading rate is between 0.7 kg and 2.5 kg of
total VS/m3
/d the volumetric biogas production rate was found to fluctuate to approximately
from 2.7 to 6.6 L/L/d. At the highest OLR (2.5 kg KW+5 Ltrs Water/day), the volumetric gas
production rate estimated between 0.035 m3
/day.
[0087] To finalize parameters of proposed Kitchen cooking stand cum biogas Digester, it
was essential to firstly develop suitable inoculum to seed KW digesters which was prepared
through Rural Cowdung. The prepared inoculum was used in next step of yield estimation from
KW. The one-stage continuously fed mesophilic AD systems were designed to estimate biogas
yield from KW. In a continuous-flow HDPE-tank reactor, optimum biogas production achieved
in 60 days duration. Based on the results Scale-up design of digester for Kitchen cooking stand
cum Biogas digester were finalized. The finalized parameters are given in Table below.
S/N
o.
Parameter
s
Details Justification
1. Digester
Size
225
Liters
Based upon
Retention time
and Daily
Substrate input
2. Gas Holder 50 Liters Based upon
Voumetric
Biogas
Productin Rate
3. Type of AD
Process
Uncontro
lled AD
To reduce cost
of biogas
production
4. Temperatur
e Range
6-51
Degree
To withstand
seasonal
variations
18
5. pH rage 6.1-7.2 Standard pH
Range
6. OLR 0.7 kg to
2.5
kg/day
Based upon
survey
7. Digester
Material
SS 304 Rust proof
Materal
8. Kitchen
Stand
Materail
Wood
Metal
Composit
As per standard
Modular
Kitchen Stand
[0088] Assessments of economic feasibility for conventional biogas plants are
contradictory or inconsistent. Many companies claim about their biogas power plant's payback
periods of only 1.5 – 2.5 years. In such cases, the biogas generated from biogas plants can be
compared to the price of bottled LPG. However these figures are unrealistic, except for direct
thermal energy use as for cooking energy, or in very few locations with extremely expensive
diesel fuel. The anticipate payback period for the proposed biogas digester cum kitchen cooking
stand of 6 years under very favourable conditions, and 9 years for unfavorable but still
economically viable investments. This payback time is calculated without government subsidy
support.
[0089] Many new studies come to the conclusion that large scale biogas power plants are
not commercially viable without subsidies or guaranteed high prices for the produced outputs. As
per International Renewable Energy Agency (2018) In Germany and other industrialised
countries, only guaranteed feed-in tariffs have led to a breakthrough. Almost all well-known
biogas power plants in developing countries depend on financial support from a third
international party or government subsidies. Most running biogas plants are connected to foodindustrial facilities and provide biogas only to very few immediate neighbours. Thus, the
proposed biogas digester cum kitchen cooking stand allows for reducing burden of solid waste
19
management from municipal corporations by converting kitchen waste into biogas and liquid
organic manure at source.
[0090] Thus, the present disclosure provides a solution to transform conventional
cooking stand into hybrid, ecofriendly cooking stand which enables user to convert kitchen waste
into valuable biogas at source itself in hygienic manner. The proposed disclosure can further be
optimized for economic profit through the maximization of biogas production. The impact of
Kitchen cooking stand cum Biogas Digester was investigated through literature review and an
technical and environmental analysis was undertaken through which the final design and
dimensions of proposed digester were finalised.
[0091] Thus, the present disclosure provides a Kitchen Cooking Stand which directly
addresses the waste management problem related to household organic waste in one hand and
also caters to the shortage of clean fuel for cooking and organic manure for farming/gardening
on the other hand. The spirit is to provide a technological alternative which can convert the
organic waste into biogas and bio manure using anaerobic digestion inside a modified bioreactor
fitted in Improved Kitchen Cooking Stand itself. The present disclosure overcomes the
limitations of conventional biogas techniques which require large open space, sunlight thereby
cannot operate efficiently inside house and the reason behind is foul smell generated during
anaerobic digestion process and disposal of digestate.
[0092] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely hardware,
entirely software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software
and hardware implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,”
“engine,” “component,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the
form of a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media having
computer readable program code embodied thereon.
[0093] Thus, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams,
schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating
systems and methods embodying this invention. The functions of the various elements shown in
the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable
of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual
only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through
dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even
20
manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention.
Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software,
processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and,
thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named.
[0094] As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term "coupled to" is
intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other
contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located
between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are used
synonymously. Within the context of this document terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are
also used euphemistically to mean “communicatively coupled with” over a network, where two
or more devices are able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly via one or
more intermediary device.
[0095] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications
besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts
herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the
appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms
should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular,
the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,
components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements,
components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components,
or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of
something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C …. and N, the text should be interpreted
as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
[0096] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and
further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope
thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not
limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a
person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with
information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
21
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0097] The present disclosure provides a system for converting bio-degradable waste into
usable forms.
[0098] The present disclosure provides a system to control bad odour and air pollution
due to bio-degradable waste.
[0099] The present disclosure provides a system to prevent spreading of the biodegradable waste, hence health issues due to bio-degradable waste are being checked upon.
[00100] The present disclosure provides a system for generating biogas from the biodegradable waste.
[00101] The present disclosure provides a system to produce manure and compost from
the bio-degradable waste.
[00102] The present disclosure provides an efficient, reliable, user-friendly, and costeffective system.

We Claim:
1. A biogas generating system comprising:
a crusher adapted to receive biodegradable waste through a first inlet, and
configured to crush the received biodegradable waste;
a container having a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein the second inlet is
fluidically coupled with a first outlet of the crusher and configured to receive the crushed
biodegradable waste from the crusher; and wherein the container comprises enzymes and
bacteria to enable anaerobic digestion of the crushed biodegradable waste to generate
biogas; and
a gas filter positioned at the second outlet of the container, wherein the gas filter
is configured to filter one or more gaseous components from the generated biogas when
the generated bio gas is supplied to a storage tank through the second outlet.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises an expandable element
configured with the container and adapted to expand such that the expansion of the
expandable element compresses the generated biogas inside the container to enable
outflow of the generated biogas through the second outlet.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the system comprises a pumping unit
operatively coupled with the expandable element to enable expansion of the expandable
element.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises one or more sensors
configured with the container to monitor one or more parameters of the container, and
wherein the one or more parameters are any or a combination of temperature, pressure,
humidity, pH, and inoculum level.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the system comprises a controller operatively
coupled to the one or more sensors, and configured to control at least one of the one or
more parameters of the container.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a compression unit
fluidically coupled between the storage tank and the container, and wherein the
compression unit comprises a compressor and a valve, to compress and facilitate flow of
the supplied bio-gas from the container to the storage tank.
23
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a concentrator
fluidically coupled to the container, and configured to accumulate leftover biodegradable
waste in the container and concentrate the leftover biodegradable waste.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a stirrer configured with
the container to stir the crushed biodegradable waste in the container.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a solar panel to generate
and supply electric power to the system.
10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is configured from any or a
combination of metal, semi-metal, non-metal, wood and water-proof cloth.