Bio-CNG Production Yield & Output - Expected Bio-CNG yield
Expected Bio-CNG output in kg/day from a 10 TPD plant for five feedstock types — pressmud gives the highest yield at 1,000 kg/day, while cattle dung gives the lowest at 175 kg/day — with vehicle fuelling equivalents for each.
| Feedstock (10 TPD Input) | Raw Biogas (kg) | Compressed Biogas (CBG)/ Bio-CNG (kg) | Can Fuel (Daily) |
| Industrial (Pressmud) | 1,400 kg | 1,000 kg | ~25-28 Commercial Buses |
| Agricultural Waste | 1,200 kg | 850 kg | ~20-25 Commercial Buses |
| Energy Crops (Napier) | 1,100 kg | 750 kg | ~15-20 Heavy Trucks |
| Municipal (Wet) Waste | 950 kg | 600 kg | ~12-15 Heavy Trucks |
| Animal Waste (Dung) | 250 kg | 175 kg | ~40-50 Three-Wheelers |
Beyond definitions
Planning to start a CBG business?
Get the full business understanding — capex, regulations, machinery, vendor questions, and risk checks before you commit capital.
How to read this table
- All figures assume a 10 TPD input — to scale for a different plant size, multiply proportionally (a 20 TPD plant would produce approximately 2× the kg values shown).
- Raw Biogas (kg) is the output at the digester outlet before upgrading. CBG (kg) is the final compressed product after gas cleaning and upgrading.
- The Can Fuel (Daily) column assumes standard vehicle tank sizes and typical CNG fill volumes for each vehicle type — it is an indicative equivalent, not a guaranteed fuelling contract volume.
- Feedstock rows are ordered by CBG yield, highest to lowest.
About this table
For a developer planning a Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant, the most practical question is: given my available feedstock, how much gas will I produce per day? This table answers that question for a 10-tonne per day (TPD) input plant across five feedstock types, showing both the raw biogas produced before upgrading and the final CBG output after upgrading losses — along with a vehicle fuelling equivalent to make the numbers tangible.
Industrial pressmud is the highest-yield feedstock by a significant margin: 10 TPD of pressmud produces 1,400 kg of raw biogas, of which 1,000 kg becomes CBG after upgrading (a 71% conversion efficiency reflecting upgrading losses). This output can fuel approximately 25–28 commercial buses per day. Pressmud's high yield comes from its sugar-rich composition and low lignocellulosic content — the sugars are rapidly accessible to methane-producing bacteria without extensive pre-treatment. Agricultural waste produces 850 kg of CBG per day from the same input weight — 15% less than pressmud — because lignocellulosic crop residue takes longer to degrade and requires pre-treatment steps that also add processing losses.
Energy crops (Napier grass) yield 750 kg CBG/day. The vehicle equivalent shifts from commercial buses to heavy trucks, reflecting the fact that 750 kg is below the threshold for large bus fleet fuelling at most CNG dispensing volumes. Municipal wet waste yields 600 kg/day — roughly 40% lower than pressmud — due to the variable organic content of MSW and the sorting/contamination losses during pre-processing. Animal waste (cattle dung) is the lowest-yield feedstock at 175 kg CBG per day from 10 TPD input, suitable primarily for fuelling smaller vehicles like three-wheelers or supporting a mixed-feedstock blended plant rather than standing alone as the primary feedstock at this scale.
The gap between raw biogas and CBG output (approximately 28–30% across all feedstocks) represents upgrading losses — primarily the CO₂ content of the raw gas that is vented or captured, plus minor methane slip. This gap is consistent across feedstocks and reflects the upgrading technology's efficiency rather than the feedstock's properties.
Key insights
- Pressmud produces nearly 6× more CBG than cattle dung from the same input tonnage — making feedstock selection the single largest driver of daily CBG output.
- The upgrading conversion rate (raw biogas to CBG) is approximately 70–72% across all feedstocks, meaning about 28–30% of raw gas is lost in the upgrading step regardless of what went into the digester.
- Municipal wet waste yields 600 kg CBG/day — less than half of pressmud — partly because MSW requires more pre-processing steps that reduce effective input mass reaching the digester.
- Animal waste at 175 kg CBG/day from 10 TPD input is commercially viable only as a component of a blended feedstock mix, not as the sole input at this plant scale.
Methodology & sources
Yield figures are indicative estimates based on typical volatile solids content and biogas conversion rates for each feedstock category, consistent with MNRE assessment data and published CBG sector studies as of 2024. Actual output depends on feedstock quality, Total Solids percentage, Hydraulic Retention Time, digester operating temperature, and upgrading system efficiency. Vehicle fuelling equivalents assume approximate CNG consumption of 35–40 kg per commercial bus per day and 3.5–4 kg per three-wheeler per day. Values should be treated as planning estimates; site-specific mass balance modelling is required for project finance.
Related data tables
Bio-CNG Production Yield & Output - Quantity Breakdown (Based on 10 TPD Input)
Daily digestate output split into solid Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) and liquid FOM for four feedstock types in a 10 TPD Bio-CNG plant — the numbers a developer needs to plan digestate storage and off-take.
Difference between biogas and compressed biogas
Side-by-side comparison of raw biogas and Compressed Biogas (CBG) covering methane purity, calorific value, impurities, and how each gas is transported — the two states of the same gas after the upgrading step.
Feedstock Categories for Bio-CNG Production
Five feedstock types for Bio-CNG production mapped against sources, Indian regional availability, seasonal patterns, and gas yield — a practical reference for site-specific feedstock planning.