20-05-2015, 03:50 PM
biogas recovery from coconut husk retting
A large quantity of coconut husk is retted in the backwaters of Kerala, India to extract coir fibre. Coconut husk retting is a bacteriological process, which decomposes the binding materials that hold the fibres together in the husk. Retting takes place under anoxic conditions. Certain gases, similar in composition to biogas, are produced during this process of retting. Investigations were carried out to explore the feasibility of recovering this gas and using it as a fuel. The study showed that the gas contained methane (65%) and carbon dioxide (30%). This gas was successfully used as a fuel in biogas stoves, lamps, and internal combustion engines