New Digester

My medium-scale digester is now complete and I have put the cow manure into the container. The cow manure was not hard to work with but when it was right up in my face combined with the smell, it made stuffing the manure into the container a little strange. The digester is now in one of the warmer areas of my garage so that it begins to work as quickly as possible. I will have to wait for a few days for the bacteria to consume the oxygen. Once the oxygen is consumed the bacteria will begin producing methane.

My research has shown me somewhat of an outline of how anaerobic digesters work.

1) Bacterial hydrolysis (chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water) of materials --> breaks down insoluable organic polymers (carbohydrates.)

2) Acidogenic bacteria convert sugars and amino acids to carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia and organic acids.

3) Acetogenic bacteria convert these organic acids into acetic acid and more ammonia, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

4) Methanogenic bacteria convert ammonia and hydrogen to methane and carbon dioxide.
(http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Anaerobic-digestion)