1. ARTI Compact Biogas: Solution to Urban Organic Waste Management
Priyadarshini Karve

2. 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.

3. ARTI Compact Biogas Plants
ASHDEN AWARD FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, 2006

4. ARTI Compact Biogas Plants
ARTI Compact Biogas – Terrace Model:
Size: 1 m3 digester
Capacity: upto 2 kg kitchen waste
Quantity of gas produced: upto 1 kg biogas, capable of replacing 250 gm of LPG.
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.
ARTI Compact Biogas – Balcony Model:
Size: 0.5 m3 digester
Capacity: upto 1 kg kitchen waste
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.

5. 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 ( lit/day).
Requirements:
Area open to sunlight throughout the day 10sq.m.
Water ~ lit/day
Feedstock: Food waste, pulped, kg (cooked food, overripe fruit, peels of banana, papaya, mango, etc.)

6. 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

7. 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 g carbon dioxide
1 kg of green biomass = 100 g methane
= 100 g LPG or 0.5 kwh energy

8. 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!
100 million tn
of fossil fuel import
potentially avoided!
Biogas Effluent
to be used as
organic fertilizer

9. Priyadarshini Karve pkarve@samuchit.com
For more information:
Priyadarshini Karve