Kathmandu University’s (KU) researchers have successfully investigated the Biomass Gasifier’ technique used in creating electricity from smoke.[break]
This technique uses the smoke from the burning of bits and chunks of wood or firewood and husk, and by the means of filtering, converts it into blue gas after which it is put into a modified engine.
The generator connected to the engine then starts to produce electricity. A motorcycle engine is used for low-capacity electricity whereas a Kirloskar engine is used for high-capacity electricity.
This method uses Rs 10-12 per unit to produce electricity, states research engineer Suraj Pandey, adding, “1,200 grams of firewood/pieces of wood can produce one unit of electricity.”
Presently, the research assistants of the mechanical sector of KU’s School of Engineering, Anant Bhushal, Adarsh Upreti, and research engineer Pandey are continuously working on the analysis and inspection in the laboratory after the development of the technique.
This investigation is supervised by activity leader Sunil Prasad Lohani and team leader Dr Biwek Baral with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) as well as Renewable Nepal.
The Biomass Gasifier technique needs an investment of Rs 55,000 for 3.5KVA, Rs 225,000 for 5KVA, and Rs 275,000 for 12KVA of electricity. Solar energy needs around Rs 15,000 to create 20 watts of electricity.
This technique creates three kilowatts of electricity through an investment of only Rs 55,000. A study by the Pulchowk Engineering Campus shows that electricity production through diesel costs from Rs 38,000 to Rs 44,000 which also confirms that Biomass Gasifier is four times cheaper than the diesel method.
When firewood or husk is limited, the biomass gasifier technique is designed in such a way that diesel can also be substituted to operate the engine.
The researchers of this sector also found in 2010 that if only 10 percent of the rice husk produced in Nepal was used in creating electricity, the annual amount of electricity produced could be 800MW.
“Ash from rice husk can be used as fertilizer. The precipitated silica from the husk can be used as raw materials in shampoo and toothpaste,” says Pandey, adding, “Unilever can become a major customer for the silica.”
Dr Baral and Pandey, who developed the low-capacity model of the technique, have recently returned from a trip to South India with the purpose of creating a large-capacity model.
They informed that through the assistance of Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science, biomass gasifier units with the capacity of one kilowatt to 1.5 megawatts have now been developed.
“A pencil company in Tamilnadu has utilized the leftover bits of wood from making pencils to produce electricity. Right now, the company created about 500 kilowatts of electricity but is now producing about 1.5 megawatts of electricity of which it sells one megawatt to the government,” Pandey informs.
“There’s a possibility that the Nepali wood industry can also create electricity in the same way.”
The researchers say that in Nepal, the focus is only on the conservation of the forests and not the utilization of our resources in a sustainable way, like in India where the South Indian government has been encouraging the people to plant eucalyptus trees.
These trees grow from three to four inches in diameter in only eight months which is a great way to create firewood as well as produce electricity.
The technique developed by KU is aimed to be used by wood-related industries and businessmen. Dr Bhola Thapa, Dean of the School of Engineering (KU), says public-private partnership (PPP) can help promote and develop this technique, adding, “Some wood industries which are members of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce have shown some interest in the technique, and other models, which are more efficient to use by industries, are soon to be developed.”
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