ASTRA
/ Centre for Sustainable Technologies
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore 560 012
Phone: 91-80-2293 3046
Email:
Area of interest:
Carrying
out R,D & D on decentralized
energy technologies (biogas plants and peripherals)
and energy system integration into rural life
from 1980. Early studies had revealed, being energy
resource deficient, rural South India will continue
to depend on biomass as the primary energy resource
- biogas option has a great potential to convert
all compostable organics to fuel gas and rich
organic manure. Cattle dung based biogas plants
have already spread but have finite potential.
Thus new processes / technology for other biomass
have to be developed. This is my conviction. Biomass
biogas plants can be built to meet all current
and future base-load energy needs in villages.
Unless such plants are built, operated and managed
by people in rural areas, there is not likely
to be major impact on policy. My efforts is largely
in R&D on biomass biogas plants, demonstrating
their use in various areas, making them more attractive
to end-users and finally pushing towards a green
bio-energy policy. R,D & D efforts are spread
over four areas, namely
BIOGAS:
Semi-continuous Solid Phase and Plug Flow type
Biogas Fermenters for untreated herbaceous
biomass, USW other fermentable wastes. Low cost
plastic film bag type biogas plants, Resource
and Cash Recovery Techniques from spent biogas
plant feed stocks e.g. mushroom, vermin-compost,
safe pest repellants, etc. Biogas production
from agro-processing wastes: whey, coffee
pulping, small-town sewage etc; Sand-bed filters
for water recovery from biogas spent slurry:
Evaluation and policy recommendations.
DECENTRALIZED /
SUSTATAINBALE RURAL ENERGY:
Micro-planning Sustainable Biomass Energy
Planning for village agricultural ecosystems -
total biomass energy villages, Bioenergy-based
irrigation in semi-arid areas - equitable access
and sustainable use models.
WATER PURIFICATION:
Low cost rapid fecal contamination test,
drinking water purification with silvered
surfaces: low cost water purifier for rural
India.
APPROPRIATE AGRICULTURAL
TECHNOLOGIES: Participatory Technology
Development, technology acceptance and adaption
among rural areas especially among resource
poor farmers.
New design biogas plants are
at different stages of field testing, demonstration
and dissemination phases - depending upon the
sector's affordability. At least three different
types of biomass based biogas plants are being
disseminated - the plug-flow like biogas plants,
solid-state stratified bed (SSB) biogas fermentor
and biomass immobilized bioreactors for coffee
and agro-processing waste waters.
