Development of ASPEN Plus Model for Assessment of Surplus Biomass Power Potential in Northern India

Biomass is a renewable energy source that contributed around 7% of the world’s total primary energy supply in 2021. In this biomass energy contribution, India has a substantial share, and around 18% of India’s total primary energy supply comes primarily from conventional biomass. India possesses around 774.38 billion tonnes of biomass, of which 228.52 billion tonnes are surplus biomass after use for domestic uses, animal feed, manure fertilizers, etc. The majority of the excess biomass consists of paddy, sugarcane, and maize, which are produced as annuals in northern India, such as in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. However, the biomass-to-product conversion ratio in northern India is quite low due to economic constraints, underdeveloped infrastructure, a weak supply chain, inadequate storage facilities, etc. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the energy potential through a gasification model from surplus biomass in the northern states of India. The chapter will develop an ASPEN Plus downdraft fixed bed biomass gasification model. The chapter explored models for major agriculture crops in seven north Indian states, namely Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The maximum energy potential of surplus biomass in Uttar Pradesh was calculated to be 42830.31 GW per year, followed by Punjab (41248.43 GW) and Haryana (21598.10 GW). The optimal combination was evaluated using the statistical software Design Expert. To increase the robustness of the model, the study evaluated variations of twenty percent in surplus biomass residues simulating real-life fluctuations in the yearly production of biomass residues. In addition, the chapter also assessed the demand-potential scenario of the Northern Indian states. The present work will aid the government, policymakers, industrialists, consumers, and environmentalists to calculate and harness the surplus biomass power potential in Northern India.