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Monday, May 6, 2013

INVESTMENT GUIDE ON BIOGAS PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA




Clean Energy Series:
INVESTMENT GUIDE ON BIOGAS PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION TO BIOGAS
Biogas is gas released as a result of the anaerobic digestion of biomass. All organic matter must by natural phenomena decompose and when the process occurs in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic), biogas which is essentially composed of methane, carbon dioxide, trace hydrogen sulfides and other trace compounds are released.
The replication of this natural phenomenon in a controlled environment and on a commercial scale leads to the harvest of (1) biogas, a renewable energy source that could be deployed for domestic and commercial use and (2) bio-fertilizer, a cheaper and more wholesome farm and horticultural alternative to chemical fertilizer.
An investor harnesses the biogas from this natural occurrence by investing on the equipment and resources that enables the phenomenon to be replicated on a large scale and in a controlled environment and by utilizing substrates or organic matter that would otherwise be wasted and cause environmental and health hazards.
These organic matter could be wastes from vegetable or animal sources like energy crops e.g. cassava peels, corn silages and husks or animal droppings like chicken droppings, pig droppings, cow dung or human excreta etc. This piece is focused on the utilization of cow dung and abattoir wastes as the basic substrates for industrial digestion to biogas and bio-fertilizer.


COMPARISON OF BIOGAS (70% METHANE) AND OTHER ENERGY SOURCES
Energy Source
Calorific Value of
Fuel Per Unit
KW Calorific Value of
Fuel Per Unit
MJ Price of Fuel Unit
Price Equivalent of
1m³ of Biogas
Biogas Equivalent Per Fuel Unit
Diesel/Kerosene (litre)
10
36
19.5
0.69/litre
1.44m³
Benzene (litre)
8.5
30
25
0.82/litre
1.44m³
Fuel Wood (kg)
4.5
16.2
8
1.5/kg
0.65m³
Dried Dung (kg)
5
18
0.15
1.4/kg
1.1m³
Dry Vegetation Waste (kg)
4.5
16.2
-
1.5/kg
0.65m³
Solid Coal (kg)
7.7
27.6
1.8
0.9/kg
1.1m³
Natural Gas (m³)
9.3kw/m³
33.5
3.1
0.75/m³
1.34m³
Propane in Balloons (m³)
12.8kw/m³
46
13
0.54/m³
1.84m³
Electricity kw
1
3.6
1
6.9/kw
0.14m³
Biogas
7
25
2.8
1/m³
1m³

BIOGAS USES
Biogas achieves a heating value of 5.5Kcal/M³and may be utilized for the following purposes:
1.     Electricity Generation
2.     Heating resource
3.     Cooking
4.     Replacement fuel for Diesel Engines
5.     Internal Combustion Engines.

THE MARKETING CHALLENGE
The business models recommended in this study are designed to surmount the problems that must necessarily confront a pioneering business and to emphasize the necessity for the development of a market for the products as a step prior to investment decision making. In this wise, the following issues must be concluded before forward planning for equipment purchases can be made:
A.    Institutional buyers of electricity generated in the biogas project must be found and price for purchase of constant electricity supply must be agreed and documents signed before proceeding towards investment in equipment and machinery procurement.
B.     A gas bottling and distribution license and all other relevant permits must be procured from the relevant authorities before proceeding to the next phase of investment actions.
C.     A distribution and sales plan for the disposal of the derivable bio-fertilizer must also be concluded and the market and sales channels activated prior to the investments on machinery and equipment for the biogas plant.








BIOGAS PROJECT
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
The profitability of alternative energy investments depend unavoidably on the price of petroleum products in the world market. The world energy consumption is so tied to hydrocarbons that the benchmark for determining the profitability of investments in alternative energy is how lower in price the energy source is in comparison to hydrocarbon fuels.
The Biogas Project will be the first biogas project in the region and will by that fact be a major determinant of the future success of biogas investments in a region noted more for its massive production of hydrocarbons and natural gas. In order to be adjudged successful, the Biogas project must be able to achieve costs and production figures cheaper than both natural and liquefied natural gas and the company must also show a clear capability of deploying and sustaining uninterrupted supply to large scale strategic institutional consumers.
The products that will be derived from the installed Biogas Plant utilizing cow dung as substrates at the biogas project are as under listed:
1.     Biogas
2.     Bio-fertilizers
3.     Bio-slurries
The uses to which these products can be put will determine the commercial viability of the Biogas Project and these may be listed as follows:
A.    Electricity generation.
B.     Cooking and heating.
C.     Bio-fertilizers for farm uses.
D.    Bio-Slurries for Horticulture.
The benefits to be derived from a profitable biogas production as presented in this study will be to actualize both the investors’ profit interests as well as achieve the economic and social objectives of the institutions where the plants are to be situated and all neighborhoods where cow dung waste is to be collected and evacuated particularly considerations for improvement in public health and derivable ecological, health and environmental benefits arising from the removal of odorous and other waste.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF A BIOGAS PLANT
1.     Low cost production of energy.
2.     The ready availability of energy produced from non-depleting renewable sources.
3.     The improvement in the quantity and quality of agricultural production with bio-fertilizer.
4.     Improvements in the quality of life of the people through the use of biogas and bio-fertilizer.
5.     Creation of a participatory local energy business and market.
6.     Development of skills
7.     Employment generation particularly in the rural areas.
8.     Poverty reduction.
The deployment of the biogas product for the generation of electricity will require further investments in electricity generation machinery and electrical installations. The power output will require dedicated bulk buyers of electricity particularly institutions or factories in order not to be entangled in legal and engineering issues associated with public supply of electricity or infringe on electricity distribution laws.
Biogas that per chance may have to be sold as bottled cooking gas will also require additional investments in gas bottling and pressure pumps and equipment as well as a large stock of refillable steel gas bottles to enable the biogas to access the retail market. It is possible to use hard plastic bottles to fill and distribute the biogas for home cooking but this will require investments in research, design and production of the plastic bottles that would take the required pressure.
Further, a decision to deploy the biogas yields to serve for both electricity and domestic cooking purposes will require investments in both facilities i.e. dedicated electricity supply to a given institution or community and biogas bottling for sale to home users for cooking. This dual application will require investments in machinery but will provide guarantee a for ready market and steady sales and income.
Biogas electricity generators ranging in power output from 1kw/h to the massive 2.5mw/h are available for sale in China. (see Picture) China has developed an advanced biogas production, utilization and equipment sales market. It will be novel to develop a biogas production and utilization market in your region and this will require the importation and sale of the biogas electricity generators as well as the production and sale of the biogas to keep them in domestic use supplying electricity to homes. Buyers of the biogas electric generators must be assured of the continuous supply of biogas to keep the generators working in order to be convinced to buy the generators.
Beyond the assurance of steady supply of biogas to power the generators and the continuous availability of gas bottles for home cooking, buyers must also be assured that prices for replacement gas at all times must be cheaper than bottled liquefied petroleum gas, petrol and diesel and that steady prices will be maintained. When all these are assured, a steady market will begin to grow for biogas as a strong alternative to generate electricity for homes as well as cheaper and cleaner option for home cooking. The bigger attraction will of course be that the Biogas Project will become a business prototype ready for replication across the region and thereafter a biogas industry owned and powered by the people will have taken root in Nigeria.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENT:
1.     Biogas Collection Tank.  
2.     Substrate Feeder Tank.
3.     Dung Storage Facility.
4.     Slurry Collection Tank.
5.     Gas Bottling and Pressurizing Equipment.

A modular design for a Biogas plant is recommended for the Biogas Project. This will require that basic biogas and factory facilities are provided in the initial factory design and installation while allowing for additional digesters and slurry tanks to be added as business develops. The digester is the processing centre for biogas and the focal point of most activity at the plant. The capacity and output of the digester determine the capacity of the biogas plant.
Local fabrication of the biogas plant lowers investment costs dramatically while also allowing for the development of local skills and technologies for onward sale to future investors as part of the new income streams of the Biogas Project.
A locally fabricated biogas plant will require the services of a Fabrication Engineer or experienced technician to accomplish. The inner walls of the steel tanks will be of galvanized steel or reinforced plasticin order to avoid corrosion from hydrogen sulfide for as long as possible.
There is of course the alternative of buying and deploying the largest possible sizes of plastic tanks. They are of lower capacity but Purchased in enough numbers they can do well to service an industrial capacity biogas plant.
If local fabrication of biogas plant will not be considered as a good option considering the pioneer status of biogas business Nigeria, the Chinese model will be a more viable and workable option. The advantages of a Chinese plant purchase are as follows:
1)    The Chinese plants have a huge comparative price advantage.
2)    The Chinese model can be acquired with portable gas holders (membranes and gas storage tanks pp17.
3)    The Chinese models are purchased with filters which remove the smell in the biogas and dry it of all vapors.
4)    The Chinese have a bigger and more active biogas industry and can therefore offer long term support at cheaper cost.


OPERATION OF A BIOGAS PLANT
The two basic products of a Biogas plant are:
1.     Biogas
2.     Bio-fertilizer
There are other products but the only commercially useful one is bio-slurry which can be regarded as the liquefied form of bio-fertilizer. Bio-slurry can be sold to market gardeners and other horticulturists.
BIOGAS PLANT RUNNING COSTS
(NOTE: A 30 day stock of cow dung should be kept in the factory yard at all times.)
The internationally recognized guide for the calculation of the cost of running a biogas plant is to allow a margin of 4% of the cost of setting up the biogas plant as annual running cost and the elements of the annual running cost will include the following:
1.     Cost of acquiring substrates
2.     Water Supply
3.     Maintenance and repair of plant
4.     Preparation and bagging of bio-fertilizers
5.     Gas bottling storage and distribution
6.     Salary and wages.
The biogas plant to be located in the hot tropical climate will not require a co-heating system to achieve the required optimal operational Mesophilic temperature range 27-40 degrees Celsius in the digester (recommended operational temperature 35-37áµ’c). Construction cost of the digester therefore will be cheaper than in the temperate region where pre-heating and co-heating of the digester will be required to activate the digester microbes particularly in winter seasons. The basic and cheaper construction cost without an electric pre-heating system will lower investment and running costs.
The Mesophilic temperature range 27-40áµ’C allows for the optimum release of biogas from substrates resident in the digester, the preservation of nutrients in the effluent bio-fertilizers and the destruction of smell and pathogens in the ensuing effluents particularly the bio-fertilizer. The operation of a biogas plant will therefore be cheaper as the prevailing climatic conditions provide the natural temperature range for a more optimum harvest by volume of biogas and bio-fertilizers. Temperatures lower than 18áµ’C (Psychophilic temperature range) do not allow for normal bacterial activity that will lead to profitable release of biogas in the digester, so digesters have to be co-heated. Sustained temperature levels higher than 40áµ’C (Thermophilic temperature range) on the other hand stimulate intense bacterial activity leading to higher release of biogas but results in the destruction of plant nutrients in the effluent bio-fertilizers. In the course of running a biogas plant under mesophilic temperature conditions, care must be taken not to allow for wide and sudden fluctuating in temperature as the process of bio-methenation is very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. A temperature fluctuation range of no more than ±1áµ’C may be allowed under the stated conditions.
SLURRY MIXING TANK
The slurry tank is the chamber where substrates are mixed in the right substrate/water ratio to achieve optimum biogas yield. The mixing slurry tank is also the place where a thorough mixing of substrate to break up lumps and achieve evenness is achieved. The mixing rate for cow dung for maximum biogas yield is 85-92% water to solid cow dung.
DIGESTER START-UP CONDITIONS
Cow dung contains the full range of bacteria and micro-organisms necessary to begin the digestion process to produce biogas in anaerobic conditions in a new digester tank as cow dung is ingested with all the micro-organisms in the bowels of cattle. Cow dung therefore is the best substrate to jumpstart biogas production in a new plant.
MIXING RATE: Cow dung needs to mix with 85-92% water to produce the perfect mix for optimum gas release in a biogas plant. A water supply system and a mixing tank needs to be installed.

TANK OPTIMIZATION: The digester tank needs to be filled to two-thirds of its volume and the balance one-third left for biogas accumulation and harvest. For fermentation and the production of biogas to begin, it is necessary to create anaerobic conditions in the digester tank by ensuring air tightness in the entire bio-digester and the piping systems. It is also necessary to ensure the absence of scum and other inhibitors to the digestion process.
FEEDING SUBSTRATES
Utilising cow dung as substrate under mesophilic temperature regimes, digester feeding practices are as follows:
A.    10% of digester volumes are fed daily. The substrates are divided equally and loaded onto the digester from the slurry mixing tank every 4-6 hours intervals.
B.     The time needed to liberate all biogas in cow dung substrates is usually 10-20 days under mesophilic temperature conditions of 25-40 áµ’C. As substrates are fed in from the slurry tank through the piping at the bottom of the tank, the older, resident, digested slurry escape from the piping at the top of the tank.
C.     AGITATION (Stirring): it is necessary at intervals of the digestion process in the digester tank to stir either by physical or mechanical means the substrates in the digester tank. This stirring and mixing action achieves the following purposes:
i.                    Frees already produced biogas trapped in the slurry.
ii.                  Evenly distributes bacteria in the digester for the inoculation of fresh substrate.
iii.                Preventing the formation of scum and sediments.
iv.               Ensuring uniform temperature in the digester tank.
v.                 Helps prevent dead and inactive spaces in the digester and avoid reducing volume and effectiveness.
Stirring and agitation of substrates in the digester tank should be carried out every 4 hours approximately.

BIOGAS YIELDS
1.     The start-up period of a new plant requires active bacterial action on the substrates. It is necessary to raise and maintain a temperature range of 35-37áµ’C in the first two weeks of digester activity and agitate frequently to intensify bacterial inoculation and spread within the digester.
2.     The initial period of gas production is characterized by:
i.                    Low quality (more than 60% CO2) and infrequent gas production.
ii.                  Smelly gas with low pH value.
Biogas may be improved by filtering it through limewater to remove carbon dioxide, iron filings to absorb corrosive hydrogen sulphide and calcium chloride to extract water vapour after the other two processes.

COW DUNG BIOGAS YIELDS
Cow dung is an average yield substrate for biogas production but the low cost of gathering and the high production from the average animal makes it the substrate of choice for biogas production. The cost for the acquisition of cow dung substrate for the Biogas Project will be nil. The raw material cost will be expended on the gathering and transport of the cow dung to the Biogas plant. The yield expectations for different substrates are as follows:

TYPE OF SUBSTRATE              BIOGAS YIELD                         METHANE CONTENT
                                                (CUBIC METRE PER KG)                     (%)
CATTLE                                    0.25 – 0.34                                          65
PIG                                          0.34 – 0.58                                          65 – 70
POULTRY DROPPINGS           0.31 – 0.62                                          60
SHEEP                                     0.30 – 0.62                                          70

Approximate yield values for under listed substrates at moisture content of 85-92%.

1 tonne of cattle manure                                         40 – 50 cubic Metre of Biogas.
1 tonne of Pig manure                                              70 – 80 cubic Metre of Biogas.
1 tonne of Chicken droppings                                  60 – 70 cubic Metre of Biogas.
VOLUME WEIGHT OF BIOGAS: 1M³ = 1.2kg

BIOGAS PRODUCTION: TECHNICAL DETAILS:

Step 1 MIXING TANK
Cow dung (substrate) is fed into the slurry mixing tank and the water taps opened to achieve the mixing rate of 92% water and 8% solid waste mix by volume. With continuous activity and practice, the approximate mixing rates can be achieved without actual measurements. For bottom fed biogas plants, mixing tank may not rise higher than the middle height of the digester. The mixed slurry is then transferred either through piping or by carts to the feeding tanks.

STEP 2 FEEDING TANK
The daily feeding rate of mixed slurry is usually 10% of the digester volume and divided into 4-6 parts and pumped into the digester every 4-6 hour intervals. Agitation should follow immediately after each feeding to create evenness in the tank and to remove trapped biogas. It is expected that an equivalent volume of digested slurry should flow through the discharge/outlet pipes at the top of the digester.

STEP 3 BIO-DIGESTER
The bio-digester is the processing plant of biogas production and where all chemical and bacteria inoculation take place to produce biogas and bio-slurry. There are three steps to biogas production in the digester. These are:
a)      Hydrolysis
b)      Acidification
c)      Methane formation

1.      HYDROLYSIS:
The organic matter is enzymolized externally by extracellular enzymes (cellulose, amylase, protease and lipase) of micro – organisms. Bacteria decompose the long chains of the complex carbohydrates, proteins and lipids into shorter parts. For example, polysaccharides are converted into monosaccharide’s. Proteins are split into peptides and amino – acids.

2.      FREMENTATION
Acid producing bacteria, involved in the second step, convert the intermediates of fermenting bacteria-complex organic compositions (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) into more simple compounds. At the same time in fermentation environment, there appear primary products of fermentation - Volatile organic acids, alcohols, amino acids, carbon-dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. These organic substances act as nutrients for methane-producing bacteria that convert organic acids to biogas.


3.       METHANE FORMATION
Methane-producing bacteria involved in the third step, decompose compounds with a low molecular weight for example, they utilize hydrogen, carbon dioxide and acetic acid to form methane and carbon dioxide. Under natural conditions, methane producing micro-organisms occur to the extent that anaerobic conditions are provided e.g. under water (for example in marine sediments, in ruminant stomach and in marshes). They are obligatory anaerobic and very sensitive to environmental changes. Therefore from the conditions created for them depends on how intensively they produce gas.

OPTIMIZATION OF DIGESTION PROCESS:
Acid and methane producing bacteria can be easily found in natural conditions, particularly in animal manure: for example in cattle digestive system, there is a full spectrum of micro-organisms necessary for fermentation of manure and the process of fermentation starts in cattle bowels.
That is why cattle manure is often used as primary substrate which is loaded into new digester where for the fermentation to begin, it is enough to create the following conditions:
·         Maintenance of anaerobic condition in digester.
·         Maintenance of temperature regime.
·         Availability of nutrients for bacteria.
·         Correct choice of digestion time.
·         Timely load and unload of substrate.
·         Observance of appropriate C/N ratio.
·         Correctly chosen proportion of solids content and proper agitation
·         Absence of inhibitors of the digestion process.

FEATURES OF BIOGAS FROM COW DUNG
Cow dung biogas is 55-65% methane, 30-35% carbon dioxide, with some hydrogen, nitrogen and other trace element. Its heating value is around 600BTU. Per cubic feet. Natural gas consists of around 80% methane, yielding a B.T.U. value of about 1000. About one cubic foot of biogas may be generated from 0.45kg of cow manure at around 28 degrees C. This is enough gas to cook a day’s meal for 4-6 people.
About 1.7 cubic metres of biogas equal one litre of petrol. The manure produced by one cow in one year can be converted to methane which is the equivalent of over 200 litres of petrol.

GAS HOLDERS (STORAGE): The medium for biogas storage depends on the volume of gas to be stored and the level of pressure requirement at the site of use. Higher pressure vessels require steel pipes for delivery and steel storage tanks. Reinforced plastics with polyester fabric are featuring in modern gas membranes that are elastic, tough, lightweight and can withstand higher pressures, easier to transport and fix directly to user inlets. They come in different sizes and capacities with standardized connecting pipes and valves. (PICTURE)

BIO-FERTILIZER
Plant nutrients are not reduced in chemical content as a result of any bacterial activity in the digester. Plant nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, including vitamins and micro-elements necessary for plant growth are left whole in bio-fertilizer.

Bio-fertilizer nutrient content (grams per kg of dry matter)
Feed
Phosphate
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Nitrogen

P₂O₅
K₂O
CaO
MgO
Na₂O
Manure
3.05
5.64
3.25
0.98
1.75
Manure and Vegetation Waste
6.37
7.98
5.15
1.95
3.37
Vegetation waste
6.66
8.88
5.18
2.22
3.70



BIOFERTILIZER PRESERVATION AND STORAGE
The nitrogen content of bio-fertilizer can be preserved by storing for a short period in closed vessels and then applied to soil shortly before ploughing. Storage can be in any of the following forms:
A.    Liquid: Pipe is connected to discharge channel from the digester and leads directly to collection vessels for onward transport to farms.
B.     Drying: A drying system can be constructed to dry the bio-fertilizer to 15% moisture content or less. Other drying technologies may include the use of separators and sieves. Drying offers opportunity for longer preservation but suffers loss of 90% of inorganic nitrogen which represents 50% of overall nitrogen content.
C.     Composting. To avoid such massive loss of nitrogen, the bio-fertilizer slurry can be mixed with dead vegetation and wastes and composted. The bio-fertilizer which has high contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and other chemicals quickens the composting activity and kills pathogenic micro-flora.


BIO-FERTILIZER NUTRIENT FACTS:
A.    Experiments conducted have shown increase in corn yields of 49%” “With single application of bio-fertilizer during pre-sowing period in quantities of 4 tonnes per hectare. Farmers have registered increases in corn yield of 1.8 times more than the normal yield.
B.     Tuberous plants and vegetables: Researches conducted on different types of crops have proven that the most dramatic yield effects of biogas are on tuber crops like cassava and tomatoes.
C.     Bio-fertilizer is a wholesome environment friendly soil enrichment and support fertilizer that does not result in soil leaching or degradation unlike chemical fertilizer. Bio-fertilizer contribute immeasurably to the stability of the eco-system by stopping the wanton destruction of the forest for firewood and by halting the leaching into the atmosphere of bio-methane from cow dung that contribute so destructively to the depletion of the ozone layer.


BIO-FERTILIZER PLANT NUTRIENT FACTS
Cow dung slurry is composed of 1.8-2.4% nitrogen (N2), 1.0-1.2% phosphorus (P2O5), 0.6-0.8% Potassium (K2O) and 50-70% organic humus.

OTHER USES OF BIO-SLURRY
Bio-slurry can be used as fodder for livestock and feed for fish. Micro-organisms present in the solid contents are a rich source of protein when the digested slurry and dregs are used as fodder. It can be used to feed fish and pigs to speed up growth and shorten the rearing period by 25%. With its high humic acid content it can be used to rear mushrooms or earthworms for feeding chicken. Chickens lay 15-30% more eggs when fed a sustained diet of earthworms.

FABRICATION OF BIOGAS PLANT (NIGERIA)
A modular design for a Biogas plant is recommended for the Biogas Project. This will require that basic biogas and factory facilities are provided in the initial factory design and installation while allowing for additional digesters and slurry tanks to be added as business develops. The digester is the processing centre for biogas and the focal point of all industrial activity at the plant. The capacity and output of the digester systems determine the capacity of the biogas plant.
Local fabrication of the biogas plant lowers investment costs dramatically while also allowing for the development of local skills and technologies for onward sale to future investors as part of the new income streams of the Biogas Project.
A locally fabricated biogas plant will require the services of a Fabrication Engineer or experienced technician to accomplish. The inner walls of the steel tanks will be of galvanized steel in order to avoid corrosion from hydrogen sulfide for as long as possible.
There is of course the alternative of buying and deploying the largest possible sizes of plastic tanks. They are of lower capacity but deployed in enough numbers they can do well to service a 250 cubic metre biogas plant.
REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF BIOGAS PLANT
Blocked Inlet/Outlet Pipe
Possible Reasons:
A.    Fibrous material inside the pipe
B.     Sinking layer blocking the lower end of the pipe.
CORRECTIONS
(a) Clean up the pipe with a pole
(b) Remove the sinking layer by frequent poking through inlet and outlet pole.
Sinking Sludge Level
Possible Reasons
A.    Digester not water tight (If cracks in the digester do not self-seal within weeks, empty digester and seal cracks).
B.     Insufficient gas storage: Gas store not gas tight due to cracks or corrosion.
CORRECTION
I.                   Seal Cracks
II.                 Replace corroded parts

BLOCKED TAPS
A.    Corrosion: Open and close several times, grease or replace taps.
B.     Gas pipe is not tight: Corrosion or porosity; insufficient sealing of connections. CORRECTION: (a) identify leaking parts (b) replace corroded or porous parts (c) re-seal connections.

SUDDEN GAS LOSS
Possible Reason
Crack in the gas pipe: automatic water trap blown empty.
CORRECTIONS
A.    Open gas tap
B.     Repair or replace
C.     Add/refill water
D.    Detect reason for over-pressure
E.     Check dimensioning of the water trap
F.     Close tap.
THROBBING GAS PRESSURE
Possible Reason
1.     Water in the gas pipe
2.     Blocked gas pipe
CORRECTIONS
A.    Check functioning of water trap
B.     Install water traps in depressions of piping systems
C.     Or eliminate these depressions
D.    Identify the blocked parts (start with gas outlet connections to appliances and bends).
E.     Clean the respective parts.
MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENT FOR FABRICATION OF A BIOGAS PLANT.
1.     Oil Storage Tanks in Galvanized Steel Sheets (10 no) Total capacity 250Cubic Metres
2.     Slurry Mixing Tanks
3.     Steel or PVC Pipes, Bends etc.
4.     Valves, Chambers, Locks, Gas Pressure Gauges, Metres etc.
5.     Gas steel storage tanks or gas plastic membranes, gas holders etc.
6.     Cow Dung Dump Tanks (or just plain ground)
7.     Bio-Slurry Tanks (Plastic)
8.     Sieving Equipment
9.     Drying Equipment.
10.                        Sack Sewing Machine
11.                        Bottle Filling Equipment
12.                        Jerry Cans, PET Bottles.
13.                        Tractors with Buckets (2 No)
14.                        Push Carts