Bio-Gas as Alternate Fuel in IC Engine

Bio-Gas as Alternate Fuel in IC Engine

INTRODUCTION

Relevance :-

The economic of India depends to a large extent on the wheels of transport. The specter of economy ruin due to depleted oil reserves has changed the interest of scientist and research work towards alternative fuels for motor vehicle. Viable substitute for motor spirit are gaseous hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas, alcohol & electricity that run on hydrocarbon gas & electricity are still in the experimental stage. While alcohol is used as a fuel chiefly in Brazil, it’s feasibility as motor fuel depends on the successful cultivation & processing of sugarcane. Gaseous hydrocarbons seem to be the best immediate option presently available. These are mainly COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) & LIQUIFIED PETROLIUM GAS (LPG). LPG is being imported whereas CNG is available in abundance in India. Till recently, technology to permit conversion of vehicles from petrol burners to gas burners had to imported, but now due to the pioneering efforts of departments of mechanical engineering at the INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MUMBAI.

India is largest cattle breeding country, there is abundance of raw material for producing biogas. Also municipal sewage can be used for this purpose.

The use of methane separated from biogas as a fuel will substantially reduce harmful engine emission and will help to keep the environment clean. Biogas consists of approximately 55-60 % of methane. It is economical and slurry can be used as organic manure.

One of the alternate technologies Sulabh propagates is the biogas plant that utilises human excreta as its raw input. In the last 20 years, it has setup a hundred such plants throughout India. The plants’ twin outputs, similar to those of cattle biogas plants, are nutrient-rich sludge and methane-rich biogas. The sludge is used primarily as manure, and the biogas either as cooking fuel or as street-lighting gas.

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