State-of-the-art, challenges, and issues of biogas production technology in India: A review

Abstract

This paper presents the state-of-the-art, challenges, and issues related to biogas production technology on small and large scale in India. The biogas development in India occurred in several stages mainly from year 1950-2020. First Stage focused on research and development for practical digester in India as the design and construction of biodigester for production of biogas is one of crucial factor. During this period 15 types of Indian digesters were designed and found virtually feasible, efficient and further development was perpetuated. In the second stage launched and initiated several National Biogas Programmes with immense incentives across the rural India. In third stage installation of household size biogas for cooking fuel and lighting in rural from 1984-2004 largely subsidized and further scaled up to urban and peri urban areas till 2019. Fourth stage development and installation of large scale and industrial biogas plant from 2005-2016 were done. The fifth stage commenced with setting up of Compressed Biogas Plant. To utilize municipal solid waste as substrate efficiently, there is requisite of huge incentives and congruous guidelines cognate several issues of biogas production and plant from ministries. To enable biogas more economically viable and sustainable technology, its production should be merged with other strategies such as improvement of fertilizer quality and sanitation issues. Additionally, the hindrance factors of biogas development in India must be eliminated. Biogas-fertilizer-Waste Treatment plant should be set up with three output such as biogas, fertilizer and waste treatment.

Keywords: Biogas, biodigestor, fertilizer, biomass, biofertilizer, industrial biogas plant, waste treatment.