New Ideas

I am currently working on finding new organic waste to put into the digester that will yield more methane gas. The waste that I have used as of now has not created the methane levels that I am looking for in order to produce a flame.

Now that I have done more research I am learning that methane is actually a pretty dangerous gas. It is about 20 times as worse a green house gas as carbon dioxide. Because of this, it is very important that any methane that is produced is burned.

Small-scale Digester Plan

Once I determine how to attach a hose to the methane container, I will fill the digester with the organic matter that I have collected. The gas that is produced immediately is primarily oxygen. Once the oxygen is removed the digester will begin to produce methane and carbon dioxide – the two gasses that can be burned.
My plan for this small-scale digester is to produce as much methane and carbon dioxide as possible. Once I have collected these gases I will use a six-inch metal pipe that will have two openings. One opening will be approximately 1/16 of an inch in diameter and the other opening will be approximately ½ inch diameter. This pipe will allow the gas to exit the containment jar with higher pressure – allowing me to burn the gas. This pipe will essentially serve as a very small butane burner.

Small-scale Digester Complete

My small-scale anaerobic digester is now complete. I let the the first batch of organic matter sit in a saran wrapped bowl in a very warm room of my house. I thought that this would let the organic matter begin breaking down and digesting before I put it into the digester. The organic matter that I have used is left-over salad, onions and carrots.
I am currently stalled in the process of digestion because I need to find a way to let the methane gas out of the container. This should be an easy process. I just need to attach another section of hose to the containment jar with a removable plug.

First Blog - Project Update

I have started working on my project blog. I have put the basic information about my project on the blog and I am now trying to customize my blog site.