ARTI Compact Biogas: Solution to
Urban Organic Waste Management
Priyadarshini Karve
pkarve@samuchit.com
Reality of Waste to Energy Projects
• So far biogas generation from organic waste has been
considered only for large scale systems at the level of
municipal corporations.
• Villages in the vicinity of a municipal garbage processing
facility have to suffer from the pollution, foul smell, etc.
• Traditional waste pickers are being exploited by waste
management companies to maximise their profits.
• ARTI’s 2006 Ashden award winning technology allows
conversion of kitchen waste into biogas, even at single
household level.
• biogas can be used for cooking, electricity generation, or
running any IC engine for applications like water pumping.
ARTI Compact Biogas Plants
ASHDEN AWARD FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, 2006
ARTI Compact Biogas Plants
• ARTI Compact Biogas –
Terrace Model:
• Size: 1
m3
digester
• ARTI Compact Biogas –
Balcony Model:
• Capacity: upto 2 kg kitchen waste
• Size: 0.5 m3 digester
• Quantity of gas produced: upto 1
kg biogas, capable of replacing
250 gm of LPG.
• Capacity: upto 1 kg kitchen waste
• Depending on type of cooking
done, one meal can be cooked
entirely on biogas.
• Requires space on open terrace
with good load bearing capacity
or open to sunlight area of land –
about 2-3 m2.
• Quantity of gas produced: upto 0.5
kg biogas, capable of replacing
about 100 gm of LPG.
• Depending on type of cooking
done, tea, snacks, etc. can be
cooked.
• Can fit into a balcony.
Large ARTI Biogas System
Capacity: 7000 ltrs. Digester
(plastic tank or masonry work)
5000 ltrs. gas holder (plastic tank)
Unit Cost: Approx INR 2,00,000
Pay back period: 3-4 years
Operating cost: Electricity for Food Pulper, 1 hp
Labour 2 hr/day (at actual)
Gas production: 2.5 kg LPG eq/day or 75 kg/month
Additional benefit: Spent slurry in watery form can be
used directly as liquid fertilizer (100-125 lit/day).
Requirements:
Area open to sunlight throughout the day 10sq.m.
Water ~ 100-125 lit/day
Feedstock: Food waste, pulped, 40-50 kg (cooked food,
overripe fruit, peels of banana, papaya, mango, etc.)
Biogas –
a versatile energy source
Cooking fuel - for household or
commercial establishments
Fuel for a generator for producing
electricity – for household or
community
Fuel for running any IC engine – for
household/community applications like
water pumping
Source of methane (natural gas), an
already well established fuel
Numbers…
1 kg of green biomass = approx 0.5 kg of
biodegradable waste on dry weight basis
0.5 kg dry weight of biodegradable waste
 approx 400 g biogas
=100 g methane + 300 g carbon dioxide
1 kg of green biomass = 100 g methane
= 100 g LPG or 0.5 kwh energy
Potential for ARTI Biogas in India
Rural and Urban
Organic waste available
in India
~ 1000 million tn
~ 100 million tn
methane
500 million kwh
of potential energy Source!
Biogas Effluent
to be used as
organic fertilizer
100 million tn
of fossil fuel import
potentially avoided!
For more information:
Priyadarshini Karve
pkarve@samuchit.com