Biogas Systems In India 英文原版沼气能源开发利用技术教程MICROFICHE REFERENCE LIBRARY A project of Volunteers in Asia . . louas Svstems in India by: Robert Jon Lichtman Published by: Volunteers in Technical Assistance 1815 North Lynn St. Suite 200 P.O. Box 12438 Arlington, VA 22209 USA Paper copies are $15.95. Available from: Volunteers in Technical Assistance 1815 North Lynn St. Suite 200 P.O. Box 12438 Arlington, VA 22209 USA Reproduced by permission of Volunteers in Technical Assistance. Reproduction of this microfiche document in any form is subject to the same restrictions as those of the original document. BIOGAS SYSTEMS IN INDIA by Robert don Lichtman i Guidepost Gaspipe Biogas Systems in lnc9ia by Robert Jon Lichtman Illustrations by William Gensel Published by Volunteers in Tlechnical Assistance (VITA) 1815 North Lynn Street, Suite 200 Arlington, Virginia 2220908438 USA in cooperation with The Committee on Science and Technology for Developing Countries (COSTED) Central Leather Research Institute Adyar, Madras 600 026 India This publication is one of a series issued by VITA to document the activities . of its worldwide Renewable Energy Program. ISBN O-86619-167-4 Composed and produced in Arlington, Virginia, by VITA, Inc. 1983, Volunteers in Technical Assistance, Inc. Table of Contents Preface . Abbreviations and Terminology . Introduction . I. Rural Energy Consumption and Biogas Potential . II. An Overview of Biogas Systems . III. Digester Designs . IV. System Operation . V. Gas Distribution and Use . VI. Economic Analysis of a Village System . VII. Village Utilization . VIII. Conclusions and Recommendations . Notes . Appendix . Bibliography . i iii V 1 11 17 33 37 45 ai 95 103 113 127 Preface An important common theme underlies much of the current litera- ture on the application of technology within both developed and developing nations. Any technology has a complex series of impacts on the environment in which that technology operates. The concern over a technologys appropriateness is based on the need to determine clearly who will be affected by use of the technology and in what ways* Behind the concept of appropriate technology is the belief that the complex interactions between a technology and its environment should be made visible. Only then can a technol- ogy be evaluated properly. By describing explicitly the impact of a technology, the selection criteria for the technology also become explicit. If we choose a technology that pollutes a river, but which also provides permanent jobs for 10,000 work- ers, we presumably either value employment benefits over environmental costs or else were ignorant of the pollution effects at the time we made the decision. The choice of a technology is appropriate or inappropriate only in the context of the demands we place upon it. The subtle trade-offs between these often conflicting demands are at the real core of any debate over the choice of a technology. Appro- priate technology is less a problem of hardware than of appro- priate data collection, decision-making, financing, installa- tion, and use- with all the problems of sorting out competing demands and value judgements in each of these tasks. This study is an assessment of the appropriateness of biogas technology in meeting some of the needs of Indias rural popu- lation. Such an assessment is quite complicated, despite claims that a biogas system is a simple village-level technology. While there is evidence that biogas systems have great promise, they are subject to certain constraints. It is impossible to describe here all the factors that one might study to assess any technology. I only hope that the approach used in this study will help others. One difficulty in studying biogas technology is the fragmented and often anecdotal nature of the research and development work. In order to provide this snapshot of the state- of-the-art in India, I have had to enlist the aid of a bewildering number of government officials, industrialists, university research- ers, missionaries, social workers, journalists, voluntary groups I farmers, merchants, and villagers. While I will never be able to express fully my gratitude to the hundreds of people who have helped me piece this puzzle together, I am particularly indebted to the following: i Dr. A.X.N. Reddy, and the ASTRA team, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; K.K. Singh, PRAD, State Planning Institute, Lucknow; Dr. Ram Baux Singh, Etawah; T.R. Satishchan