Bio-digester Project
Mt. Hood
Community College
Prepared by: Tatcher Jean Pierre,
Yessie Rodriguez, Douglas Garcia
Raquel Granados and Antonio De Leon Ceto
Undergraduate Natural Resources Student
Submitted to: Shadia Duery
Spring 2014
June 5, 2014
Introduction
The project intent is to create a model of
bio-digester in order to decrease the indoor air pollution, improve the locals'
heath and provide them another alternative energy source. According to World
Health Organization around 3 million people cook and heat their house with
wood, over 4 million people pass away from disease and 50 % of pneumonia deaths
among children are attributed to
household air pollution from cooking with wood. The introduction of
bio-digester in these communities would help to reduce the impacts of these
issues.
The bio-digester is going to convert agricultural,
animal and kitchen waste from local farms into source of sustainable energy
that can meet the daily needs of households in developing countries in Central
America and the Caribbean. This project envision the active involvement of the
local citizens especially those who are affected directly by the health problem
and environmental issues caused by the use of wood for fuel. The materials
chosen to build this model of bio-digester are expensive and can be found in
from any seller of construction material.
Objectives
●
Helping low-income
families to produce their own alternative sustainable energy source while
decreasing the volume of wood burned to make fuel.
● Creating a safe environment for the local
citizens
● Increasing the capacity of compost, managing
waste and reducing the greenhouse gas emission.
● Reducing
the volume of waste dumped in the landfill.
● Raising
awareness about the health problem caused by burning wood
Bio-digester’ materials and tools
Here is the list of materials that were used to
build the bio-digester. These materials can be purchased from any seller of
construction material. These materials cost about $ 80 U.S , and some of them
can be found in residential waste.
1. 2 inches x 2ft ABS Pipe
2. ½ ABS pipe
3. 2 inches ABS Cap Hub
4. 1-1/2 x 1-1 ABS Trap Adapter
5. 1-1/2 inches Sant Tee HXHXH
6. 2 inches ABS Trap
Adapter HXSJ
7. ½ ABS cap Hub
8. 3 meters of clear hose
9. Poly inserts Tee 1x1
10.
2 ½ Gas Ball FPT
11. A
barrel
12. 1 PVC
Glue
13. 2 ½
Flare Union
14. Burner
15.
Manure
16. A Saw
17. Marker
18. Meter
19. Screwdriver
Methods
A barrel was taken to make 2 holes one on top
and one at the bottom. When the top Hole was done, a trap adapter was placed with an amount of PVC Glue. Ten centimeter long of ABS Pipe 2 inches x 2ft was marked
and cut with a saw and put into the
top hole, and after that an ABS Cap Hub
2 inches was put.
Hole made at the
bottom, after that a 1-1/2x ABS Trap
Adapter was placed with PVC Glue.
One 1-1/2 inches ABS Sant Tee HXHXH was put
after the 1-1/2x ABS Trap Adapter placement.
One piece of ½
Figure 1: Setting up the trap adapter to the barrel
ABS CAP Hub was
placed, and after that an ABS pipe was attached with a surface of the 1-1/2 inches ABS Sant Tee HXHXH with an
amount of PVC Glue cement. A small
hole was made on top of the barrel to connect 1 ½ Gas Ball FPT with
attached with 2 ½ Flare Union with PVC Glue Cement. 2 meters of clear hose were connected to 1 ½ Gas Ball FPT. One Poly
insert Tee 1x1 was connected with
the 2 meters clear hose 20 centimeters of clear hose were connected with a 1 ½ Gas Ball FPT.
30 centimeters of clear hose connected to a Burner and the purpose of connecting
the hose to the tire is to storage Methane Gas. 30 Pounds of cattle manure were put inside of the Bio-digester. (Methane) CH4 will be created during three to four weeks when is done for
first time; the percent of Methane that can produce could be about 50% to 65%.
When the Bio digester has more than
5 months the gas will be produced faster than before.
Figure 2: Dumping the manure and mix it with water.
Results:
Apparently the Methane (CH4) was not
found in the barrel and we conseder that could happened because of the
following observations:
- Time was not enough for producing the gas. At least needs to be one month for the gas to be produced.
- Need
to have a high temperature for a fast gas production.
- Need
to have a diversity of matter for anaerobic decomposition in a free oxygen
environment.
- Leakage
might happen.
- Excess
of water or lack of water.
- Excess
of manure or lack of manure.
Conclusion:
Spending
time in group to build a biodigester enriched us with knowledge. We learned how
to use local resources, and this is one of the things that we can do back in
our communities. In this project we put in practice all skills we have
gained and developed throughout two years at Mt. Hood Community College. Even
though our project ended up with no methane, we learned how to build a
biodigester and how does it work. For a next time we would take in
consideration all the mistakes we made for better results.
References:
1-
World Health Organization, March 2014.
Household air pollution and health, Media Centre. [Accessed on June 3, 2014].
Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/
2-
Build
Bio-digester-(You tube,2013) Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVEZfxGdV5A
Acknowledgment:
·
John
Natural Resource Director: for her valuable help, support and providing us with
manure.
- Shadia Duery: Instructor and advisor during the implementation of this project.
- Janine Shockle: Advisor and supporter
- Project YESS: Offer greenhouse space
- Building Center (facility): Sell second hand materials with affordable price.
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