Comparison of Difference Waste to Energy Process from Various Biomasses in High Altitude Areas of Nepal

Abstract

The high altitude of Nepal has a harsh climatic condition characterized by cold winter. Most of those areas are not connected with the electricity grid. However, there are abundant biomass resources in terms of forestry and agricultural residue that can be used for cooking and lighting purposes using proper conversion technologies. This paper compares two alternative energy conversion technologies, i. e., anaerobic digestion and thermal gasification of biomass. Both of these technologies produce combustible gases that can be used to generate electric power. For the gasification process, a survey was conducted in Moharigaun, Jumla in western Nepal to know about the population, fuel wood, energy status, demand, and need in the study area. And, for the fermentation process, biogas was generated from animal manures using anaerobic digestion. It is seen that anaerobic digestion produces very few biogas during the winter season making gasification to be a more effective process to convert biomass into fuel gas. However, to compare the two technologies in a fairer way, the quality of energy should also be analyzed.