Biogas Digester troubleshooting // No Gas, What's the issue?
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- My biogas digester has been up and running for a month now and after a promising start progress has stalled. I am not getting any gas, so what is the problem. I go through a few options to find out.
As always the equipment I use in this video are below:
Universal pH Test strips
Any questions or suggestions let me know.
Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by. If biogas isn't your thing I have started work on a rocket stove water heater ruclips.net/video/m5EFKcG2zuI/видео.html
I've got three digesters. Time is a huge thing in biogas making . It could take as long as 5 weeks before you get the first biogas flame. Nice video
Thanks very much! 5 weeks?! Wow, I have definitely been a bit impatient. Cheers
@@GetMeOffGrid_ These guys are definitely fussy when it comes to making biogas. If you want check my channel out. I’ve got a lot on my biogas setup. It’s in my alternative playlist. Not trying to promote my channel here just trying to help out a fellow free energy guy.
Hi David. Just checked out your channel, nice stuff. I was toying with the idea of using a starter like you did. Seems like a simple, less messy solution.
Hi, I have been running a biogasdigester for about half a year in a IBC-tank (1000 l) in my garage. Initially I put in 250 litres of cowmanure and another 250 l of water. After about 1 month the gas production has started. I kept the temp. at about 30 degrees and fed it fallen fruit, grassclippings and food- and kitchenwaste. My insights so far: Make sure all joints and seals are 100% tight. (Lately a gas-detector tool has been helpful). Feed it regularly, i.e. twice a day. I macerate the input with a food macerator for optimum surface. The process likes a mix of different substances. I have thrown in porridge oats, ground cornmeal and sometimes 1 kilo of sugar. To get enough output for cooking I have to feed it at least 2 to 3 kilos. I like your video, thanks for sharing and keep it up, best, Etienne
Thanks so much for the info, really really useful. I am hoping to get mine up and running again next year. Electricity prices at the moment means its not viable to heat during the winter. What gas detector do you use?
@@GetMeOffGrid_ ..anytime, its a pleasure :-) The detector is RIDGID MICRO CD-100, American design, made in China, cost CHF 140. I gauge the energy which is used to drive my two aquarium heaters and at the moment it is between 2 and 3 kw per day. (min: 7, max: 13 degrees approx.) Also, my PH is about 7.2. You can have a look at my channel where I explain things. Cheers, Etienne
Have you had any success since? Appreciate your videos. You are right not everyone on the Tube shows the bit where it does not work.
Not over winter, no. I stopped heating it during the winter because the pond heater was to expensive and couldn't get the rocket stove heater to work as I wanted. I'm waiting for the air temperature to heat up a bit it try again. I'm also going to refit the digester with a waste pipe at the bottom as I realised moving it when its full is not possible.
You have probably got this sorted by now, but...
You over-fed it...
To start gas production You add your initial slurry and then leave for a good 3 to 5 weeks, testing every few days for any flammable gas. Once you have purged all the air and CO2 and are producing methane THEN you start to capture the gas and start gradually feeding with food waste.
You did the usual thing of rushing into feeding and not waiting patiently for your initial slurry to get working and purging out the air.
Hopefully you have got it working properly by now.
Hugh
Yeah, you're right. Going to give it a bit more time this time. I got a been over excited and inpatient first time round 😂
Im sure you are up and running but just a few observations. If you can run your temperature a little higher in the mesophelic range (37-39C), you will see faster conversion. You shouldnt swing the temp any more than .5 degrees c per day. Methanogens are very sensitive to sudden changes in temp, feed rate, ph, etc. The low ph you experienced is normal when startung up a tank. Acid forming bacteria have to perform thier work before the methanogens can finish things off. You can add alkalinity with sodium hydroxide, you should carry a minimum of 2500 mg/l alkalinity. Of course a complete mix system would be ideal. Good luck
Hey Tom
Are the cows you're getting the poo from organic? Most livestock are treated with avermectins a deworming agent which might be killing some of the bacteria you're hoping to get? Organic cows or those used in conservation grazing shouldn't be treated and as such their poo should contain far more bacteria
Vids are super interesting keep it up!
Hey Connor. Yeah they are cows that are out on the New Forest so I am assuming they are organic, but I am not sure. Thanks man!
All cow dung will have methane producing bacteria. If cow is alive, breathing and eating, then it has the bacteria desired. It doesn't matter if its orgasmic or not. In fact to produce 1l of milk cow has to run 500-600l of blood through alveoli. If cow is to produce 30l of milk- that's a lot of protein. Cow will not get that amount of protein from orgasmicly grown hay or corn. Cow will get it from bacterias that ,,eats" that hay. So yes, essentially cow is a carnivore and it doesn't really matter if its orgasmic or not as today you have to vaccinate on regular basis otherwise your milk wouldn't be bought. There is no such thing as ,,organic" cow. At least not in Europe..
East indians are the masters biogas digesters, consult one that is the expert in this field.
Thanks. Yea I am trying, if you know any could you share this video to see if they have any ideas?
Similar problem here. Lots of gas but very little methane. I have been tryinging different solutions and hoping for the best. One thing is for sure: It is definitely a complicated process.
Yeah for sure! More complicated than most videos make it look.
@@GetMeOffGrid_yesterday, I had my first decent combustion in weeks. Still don't know what fixed the problem.
I have the same problem, have you found solution?
@@geraldyluhunga7648 I found out that the slurry was acidic and I added lots of sodium bicarbonate to neutralize it. I strongly believe this fixed the issue. I also added rich sugar content after that. That must have kickstared the process that might have taken a lot more time otherwise.
@@kadirunaloglu523 thanks, let me work on it, i will give you a report on the progress.
Thanks for posting the video, I'm building one very similar to yours, struggling with some parts here in Ireland, where did you get the gas bag and uniseals from?
Yeah gas bags are difficult to get. I got mine from Alibaba, really good quality and not very expensive. Uniseals come from here: tinyurl.com/3ahz75za Hope this helps. Cheers
On Info Studio the man puts into his tank fresh leaves then doses it with a pail of powdered limestone followed with a pail of water. He produces unscrubbed gas in 72 hours or so. Perhaps the lack of biogas is more of a missing chemical reaction. Powdered limestone did the trick and seems fairly passive.
Do you have a link to that video? I'd be interested to see it. From what I know the reaction you describe wouldn't produce anything as limestone or chalk is inert. What we are trying to use here is not purely a chemical reaction its a biological reaction, where the bacteria do the chemical reaction internally. But I'd be interested to see what type of reaction this channel is using.
Hydrated lime also works same as you use for building acts as a buffer for the bacteria. We have a ad plant at work we feed ours grey starch, bread scraps, rye grass or maze. Then liquid wise we use a exstract from cheese making called perm acidic with natural sugars for the bacteria to use. Heat is a key factor there are two bacteria zones one thirve around 20 to 30 degrees we use the higher zone of 50.
Agitation also helps to the digest-ate not so sure its possible in a bag.
Chopping your feed prior to it going into the bag will help massively too 10mm is optimal size
Hi, respect for your tries!
But with respect I don't really understand why you don't use panels to heat your digester?
2x 250w on the roof of your shed.
Then I have to point that the insulation is insufficient. If you are from UK you know how the hated hot water cylinder is and always was insulated. With closed cell foam. The r rating of closed cell is diametrically different to mineral sound insulation.
But further more is the heating. The efficiency of loop inside is nowhere near of the simple resistive heating element- about 95%. So if I may, I know you've gone a long way, but I would rebuild it. Small and big drum. Small one suspended in the big one is your normal biodigester. The big one is filled with water. Creating water jacket around small one. On the bottom of the big one are two or three spacers (preferably stones as they retain heat). In amongst them is 300w 12v imersion heater. Heating the water that transfers to biodigester. That way the element doesn't corrode as easily as it would inside of digester and you don't have to keep cleaning the element. Then place the drums in that small space and fill it up with insulating foam.Creating foam coating just like on hot water cylinder.
You can use the battery with ,,charge controller". Not your common solar charge controller. Wouldn't work. But you can also directly connect them to the heater and thanks to all the insulation it'll stay alive for so much longer. Just have to find right ratio of panels to your amount of slurry. Am plumber and electrician if you need help just ask.
Hi, thanks. Yes there are 100% much better ways to do what I have done. Its all a learning process. I have rebuilt already, so always happy to think about new designs if they are going to improve it. I like your idea about the water jacket, the only issue is the practicality of doing that with this or anything larger. I don't think a barrel inside a barrel is the right way to go, maybe a kind of tank to sit the 200ltr barrel in, like a hot tub, possibly using an IBC as the shell. Not sure the dimensions of a IBC would work with the barrel though...what do you think?
We are having the same problem. Watching closely.🙃
The problem, on this occasion, was the digestate had acidified and therefore had killed the good bacteria. It was caused by over-feeding it. I got impatient. Ooops
Another option could be a heat left used in brewing beer.
I'd love it do that. One day when I have a better suited place
@@GetMeOffGrid_ this might be a daft question but when the generator is eventually running, could it run its own heater.
Yes I am going to, hopefully, get to that. Definitely a good idea. Fingers-crossed!
@@biggusdiggus3337
Yes. You can use it to power a generator that will power the heater.
Hey chap. Me again. Can you share your RPI circuit and code. I am more familiar with Arduino but I do have a PI which was going to be a farmbot but that project has ground to a halt so it’s all collecting dust now. I love the data side of your system and would love to replicate it. Cheers. Tanc
Hi Tanc, I sure can. I haven't used it in a while but I did have it on github. I'll have to run through it to make sure its useable though. I won't have much time in the next few week (moving house) but will get to it in July. Gives me a push to get my system setup again as well. Cheers
@@GetMeOffGrid_ hey chap, so here is a funny thing. I set the temperature controller to 35, All good but now the sensor is reading 45! Is it normal for a veery well insulated digester to generate heat?, If it keeps going up do I need to cool it? Could this be an unexpected water heater? Anyway, hope you are well. I have done a bit more reading and it seems that damp wood ash is a suitable co2 scrubber. Todays job is try the fridge compressor bottling plant.
@@itanc1 From what I know it shouldn't be generating heat, not in the range of 10C anyway. How is your temp controller setup? Nice about the damp wood ash! Let me know how you get on with that. Ah I can't wait to get to the compressing stage, literally the thing I am most excited about. All the best
@@GetMeOffGrid_ so it’s a 24v switch mode psu and a Chinese pid controller withe the heater at the bottom and the thermocouple at the lowest point of the effluent tube. It is possible I suppose that the sun could be heating the effluent tube more intensely and that is what I am reading. On the compression front I am going to try a fridge pump into a blow torch bottle and then an lpg cylinder. Methane needs 185 bar to liquify so storing it at 10 bar in a propane bottle will last 1/30th of the time that the same bottle of lpg will but hey it’s free!
@@GetMeOffGrid_ hey chap. Here is a link to the compression film I made. I have not made it public as I think the practice will attract unwanted attention but you are a different case. On another note I am looking for partners to promote biogas and am applying for funding to do it with. Would you be interested ? Cheers. Tanc