APIX Pilot Plant Design Project – Recycling Wastes

Greetings to every one on World Environment Day!

It is now exactly one year since the Website registration for our AGRO-BIOGENICS was granted, and our initial website was also hosted, within another few days, as seen here: http://www.agro-biogenics.com. However, our attempts to obtain a Limited Company registration in India got jeopardized, in view of certain drastic changes that were brought about by our Government in India (during 2007/ 2008), which mandated that the Limited Company should have minimum authorized shares (to be paid up shares later) to an extent of Rs.10, 000, 000 (about US $200, 000). The value prescribed earlier was the equivalent of $2, 000 (increased one hundred times now!). Additionally, the Government Registration department has so far refused to recognize the name – AGRO-BIOGENICS – as an approved Company name; their reason being that it is a "generic word"! All our "fast-track" actions stopped, and it was thought appropriate that we bide time till a new Government came up here. But then, we are now witness to the same (earlier regime) forming the Government here, once again.

Inasmuch as we, thus, grapple with the problems of Company formation and related administrative matters, it would also be prudent on our part to Standardize a Module for APIX-SEP (Agro-Polymer Industry Complex-Sustainability Engineered Projects). The idea is to arrive at an averagely useful Module that could be the standard "start-up" module applicable in any tropical/ developing nation (Nigeria, Haiti, Trinidad, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other such developing nations). This module has now been conceived, after initial study of certain village level farm activities were studied and analyzed, in certain regions of the Southern Indian States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The following environmental situations have been noted in most such regions (covering a total area of about 330, 000 sq km):

• Average temperatures ............. 42^o C max and 15^o C min
• Average Rainfall …................... 900 mm to 1350 mm
• Major cultivation …. Rice, Gram, Bajra, Rapeseed, Rye, Peanut, Cotton, Potato, Sugar-cane, Banana, Coconut, Vegetables, Capsicums, and Local fruits (Guava, Grapes, Jack-fruit, Pomegranate, Mangoes, Papaya ...)
• Non Agro-resources …...... Sisal, parthenium, water hyacinth, grasses, and various weeds
• Average vegetation growth …....... 45 T to 60 T per annum per ha

The Optimized (primary) APIX-SEP Module has been defined based on average Agro-Biogenic systems within a small area of 30 ha. And we shall name this Standard APIX_Module as: APIX_30_PILOT. A separate Blog elsewhere presents some of these data; but we shall present the basic factors here so that all of CR4 could view and interact, here. The said blog may be seen at: http://sustainabilityengineering.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/piloting-sustainable-%e2%80%9cgreen%e2%80%9d-development-an-overview/ and at: http://sustainabilityengineering.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/sustainable-%e2%80%9cgreen%e2%80%9d-development-an-initial-practical-pilot-plant-%e2%80%93-apix_30_pilot/

We now call up on the entire Engineering community (especially the effervescent young Engineers) to come forward with ideas and concrete Designs for the various systems and sub-systems involved in APIX_30_Pilot, finally arriving at "Knock-Down" Engineered systems for any group to take up the project at the filed level. The solutions would involve a whole gamut of Engineering. Our ultimate objective is to make available such Engineered GREEN Technology Solutions to the developing nations, through Open Source Engineering Design (OSED).

The Illustration could be better understood here:

http://sustainabilityengineering.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/schematic-apix_30_pilot.gif

The schematic illustration here portrays the different techno-commercial processes that create value additions to every gram of agro-bio materials (agro-biogenics) in village regions. Although Food Processing would also be undertaken, the illustration does not portray the same.

The following INPUT/ OUTPUT material balance may be noted:

INPUT MATERIALS

A. RENEWABLE RESOURCES (vegetation systems, rain water, atmospheric oxygen etc)

1. Non-food vegetation materials ….. 1225 T
2. Food materials ……………………… 275 T
3. Organic wastes …………………… 120 T
4. Rainwater ……………………… 2, 750, 000 L
5. Atmospheric Oxygen for Methane burning, obtained from 900 T of Air (at standard pressure conditions)

B. OTHER EXTERNAL INPUTS

1. Slag/ Pozzolan Cement …………….. 142 T
2. Ferric Chloride (Inorganic Chemical) … 15 T
3. Polymers/ Bio-Polymers …………….. 150 T (50% solids)
4. Calcium Chloride (Inorganic Chemical ) . 12 T
5. Salt/ Turmeric/ tamarind/ condiments etc for Food processing (not specified)

OUTPUT MATERIALS (Three Stages)

I. STAGE – I:

1. Food Materials for Processing (after local use) …..… 250 T
2. Vegetation matter for Engineered Composites …. 612.5 T
3. Vegetation matter + Organic wastes for methane gas … 732.5 T (About 30 to 50 local people would have 300 days employment)

II. STAGE – 2:

1. Anaerobically Digested Methane Gas ………. 55 T
2. Digester based Carbon Di Oxide gas ……….. 95 T
3. Digester based Hydrogen Sulfide gas ……… 1.5 T
4. Digester based Sludge Bio-Fertilizer … 1, 395 T (3.3% solids)
5. Cellulosic/ Plant Fibrous matter (dry) …….. 165 T (About 60 local people would have 300 days employment)

NOTE:

1. We are not presenting the data on water usage, as almost all of the water collected (or recovered from vegetation and other processes) would be recycled. The Water in Bio-fertilizer (sludge form) is about 97%, and this entire quantity would be recycled back into the soil (Self Regenerative Recycling – acronym SRR). Thus, only about 50% of the originally collected rainwater would have to be replenished every year, on account of the engineering processes. As much as 50% of rain water collected would be available for personal uses of the local people.
2. The total number of local personnel who would have 300 days work and wages is about 150

III. STAGE – III (MARKETABLE/ UTILIZABLE PRODUCTS):

1. Natural Fiber Polymer Composites (NFPC) … 318 T … Rs.31.8 M ($636, 000)
2. Sludge Bio-Fertilizer … 1395 T (3.3% solids) recycled for local soil regeneration (SRR) … valued … Rs.690, 525 ($13, 810/50)
3. Electricity and Heat generated using Methane gas … 708, 408 units … Fully used for in-house processes … valued Rs.3, 542, 400 ($70, 848)
4. Inorganic Fillers for Polymer Composites … 156 T … Rs.3.12 M ($62, 400)
5. Intermediate Inorganic Chemicals (in solution) … 12.8 T … Rs.96, 000 ($1920)
6. GREEN Sulfur … 1.4 T … Rs.56, 000 ($1120)

1. Processed Foods … 312.5 T … Rs.23.4375 M ($468, 750) (MARKETABLE VALUES ……… Rs.58, 509, 500 = $1, 170, 190)

A FEW OBSERVATIONS

1. The estimated Capital investments for APIX_30_PILOT is about Rs.30 M ($600, 000)
2. This APIX-SEP (Agro-Polymer Industry Complex-Sustainability Engineered project) Pilot plant, by itself, is Technically feasible and Economically viable. While the Technologies involved are tried/ tested systems (anaerobic biogas generation, chemical cleaning of biogas, chemical separation of biogas constituents, conversion of cellulosic fibrous matter into Polymer Composites …), the estimated ROI (before taxation) is about Rs.12 million ($240, 000). This is 40%
3. The project would be supported by various GREEN "channel supports": Carbon Credits and Government Tax concessions.
4. Unlike many GREEN projects, APIX-SEP units would be totally Self-Sustainable, and these would be "self-perpetuating"
5. The APIX-SEP group would not own any land; but the entire operations in the farmlands would be "leased out/ outsourced" to the group. The farmers and other vegetation material owners would be paid the values of these vegetation (Rs.1000 = $20 per "green" ton of non-food vegetation and one-half market value of other crops. Etc. Even organic wastes would be offered a value @ Rs.1000 per ton)
6. The biggest draw is that every Pilot project such as APIX_30_Pilot in remote villages would be welcomed by the local people, as almost the entire employable people would have "full time" jobs … in home environment. This would be a boon to every individual, as there would be no need to travel far away into alien lands/ towns/ cities, in search of livelihood. Each such APIX_30_Pilot plant system would employ not less than 150 local people for the various works needed to be carried out

Note: Each such APIX_30_Pilot could by itself form a commercially viable unit, and about 30 such Pilot units would finally be integrated in an average of 1000 ha farmland, finally arriving at our long-term concept of APIX_1000. The ultimate Techno-Commercial values in each APIX_1000 would be a whopping $30 Million businesses … India alone having a Potential of not less than 140, 000 APIX_1000 units netting a total of $4200 billion in business values! Even if we finally achieve ONLY One-Third of these, it still becomes an astronomic economic operation, bereft of environmental damages, offsetting shifting populations.

We need to discuss the various "pros" and "cons", logistics involved and also the techno-commercial and environmental management of such APIX-SEP units.

The Photo-illustration bellow shows a few of the different vegetation systems available (both Agricultural and non agro-vegetation systems)

Our Tags Concepts for this Project: Agro-biogenics, Alternate Energy, Alternate Engineering Materials, APIX Pilot plant, Appropriate Technologies, Clean Technology Design, Clean Tech Solutions, Developing Economy Engineering, Environment Friendly Design, Global Warming Challenge Solutions, Green Chemicals, Green Products, Green Technology, MDG Solutions, Optimized Engineering Systems, Poverty Alleviation, Sustainable development, Sustainability Engineering, Zero-Waste Engineering, Zero-Waste Zero-Carbon Business Model