What is Press mud?

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About Press mud

It is often known as filter cake or press cake,
It is the agricultural waste obtained when cane juice is repeatedly filtered before being sent for extraction of sugar.
The filters are cleaned periodically, and the waste is deposited into the yard of the mill.
Nearly 3 to 4 percent of press mud is obtained when per tonne of cane is crushed.
At present, mills recycle this agriculture waste as manure by composting the same and supply it to the farmers in the area.
Benefits
- It can be utilisied as a feedstock for biogas production through anaerobic digestion and subsequent purification to create compressed biogas (CBG).
- It is very useful for agricultural crops and horticulture because of its richness in various micronutrients.
- It has been acknowledged as a valuable resource for green energy production.
Issue with press mud: Storing pressmud proves challenging as it undergoes gradual decomposition, resulting in the breakdown of organic compounds.

What is compressed biogas (CBG)?

It is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste / bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc.
After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
It is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential. With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG.

Q1) What is Compressed Natural Gas?

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), is natural gas under pressure which remains clear, odourless, and non-corrosive. It is also a cheaper, greener, and more efficient alternative to the traditional petrol and diesel fuels for vehicles.

Source: Sugarcane byproduct pressmud can be a sweet spot for India’s compressed biogas sector