The Open Waste Management Journal

2009, 2 : 1-5
Published online 2009 February 11. DOI: 10.2174/1876400201002010001
Publisher ID: TOWMJ-2-1

Bio Gas from Textile Cotton Waste - An Alternate Fuel for Diesel Engines

C. Sundar Raj , S. Arul , S. Sendilvelan and C.G. Saravanan
MGR Educational and Research Institute, MGR University, Chennai; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bharathiyar College of Engineering and Technology, Karaikal, Pondicherry 609 609, India.

ABSTRACT

Methane was generated from cotton waste, while considering its pollution in textile industries. Cotton waste includes solid content and is rich in cellulose having a moisture content of 8.8%. It is difficult to form slurry as the waste float on water and hence an experimental set up has been made like a batch type digester and experiments were conducted with a different proposition of water with or without addition of seeding materials. It was found that cotton waste with 5 to 7.5% seeding material like cow dung or pig dung at temperatures of 30 to 350C generated bio gas continuously, with a reasonably high yield from the tenth day after feeding. The gas contained rich methane and was tested in a single cylinder diesel engine as a dual fuel had the tendency to save 60% of diesel.