Biodigester - Methane as fuel

Methane is a naturally occurring Green House Gas, which can be harnessed for use in every household. Using basic engineering and chemistry theory, it is possible to create "biodigesters" such as the one in this video, to supply a source of gas that is far more environmentally and economically sensible than non-renewable alternatives.

[@madaboutvoice]

I am not sure if you know the person in the video but he forgot to mention something very obvious but not to those who are not familiar with methane digesters: the wide inlet pipe at the top must be long enough to go down inside the tank all the way to about 3/4s of the depth so that every time you remove cap to add more manure mix (digester food) the gas does not escape :) It is also very helpful to have a plunger-like mechanism to use inside the pipe to push the new undigested manure to ''stir'' the contents to help impeove the digestion process. There is a Danish dual tank digester design where the pressure built up in the lower tank is periodically released (through a pressure regulator valve mechanism) causing the liquid content that had been pushed up in the higher tank to suddenly drain back into the lower tank thereby stirring the contents. They reported a rise in as production by 20-25% as a result of this "stirring" action. Cheers.

[@UPGardenr]

Do you have a web site for the Danish system

[@chinonyeokoro2647]

Good day, I'm a start of, I need a more thorough understanding, step by step explanation of this, for dummies probably Please if you can help me ASAP I will appreciate this

[@madaboutvoice]

@@chinonyeokoro2647 I am pretty sure I answered your question a few days ago, but it seems YT has deleted it!! Maybe because it contained links to other videos on YT???

[@madaboutvoice]

@@UPGardenr Hi, same problem as the reply I wrote to the chap below, YT has deleted it maybe because it contained a link to the Danish website of superflex and supergas???

[@digbudkiss260]

We dont have a lack of resources. We have a lack of innovators.

[@AlexeySherstnev]

We? Who is "we"?

[@A-xv5fb]

No we have a govt. That makes innovation and independence illegal in the u.s..

[@A-xv5fb]

​@@AlexeySherstnevmust not be talking about us we lol bcuz I built an HHO generator for my truck works great lol.

[@Insecthouse]

How long before this is either made illegal or heavily carbon taxed.

[@hugostiglitz6914]

This is one of the better uploads on Biodigesters I've seen. No crap background music and human narration!

[@AsdAsd-ej3wz]

Love the no music

[@lizlane3743]

Well.presented, clear, concise, to the point. Useful. Thank you.

[@TimeSurfer206]

Had just enough personalization to be personal, too, without the "Let me spend 45 minutes telling you Way TMI!"

[@gloobark]

there's definitely crap tho

[@liminalsoup3005]

I was worried he was going to start talking about the different kinds of manure he has and skip over all the details of the digester, but he didn't! +1 Liked the fire arrester as well.

[@decastro81]

The mind is definitely a terrible thing to waste. Nature gives us literally everything.Amazing stuff sir.

[@bradleychilds4387]

A waist is also a terrible thing to mind

[@crisantodumlao7622]

J

[@nixonsmateruby1]

But the government won't let people use their brains because it's hard to tax dreams. Imagine phoning a council in England and saying I'm gonna run my home off cow farts, they would be round like a shot with a clipboard.

[@glennlockey1012]

Be great to see a long term update on this video. Noticed the internal rails to stabilise the inner vessel, a weight on top of the inner vessel would create a small amount of extra pressure for the flame at the burner..... Great video

[@anilbhattarai05]

Hello there: Absolute clarity in explaining the concepts. Thanks to the team involved. :)

[@Wheelabarraback]

This is the best tutorial I have seen on a biodigester. Great set up too ! Thanks for posting

[@timosullivan5684]

Great setup! Nice to see someone doing it properly removing the unwanted byproducts before burning.

[@mohammadsafdar845]

Best video on home biogas set up, very informative and to the point. Thanks for uploading

[@Not_really]

Just a quick thank you for sharing your idea in this very explicit post. Thank you !

[@Brainchild69]

Finally somebody put it all together and showed all the parts and what goes where. Good vid. Thank you for posting it.

[@maherhasna4979]

Very clear and omprehensive information explained in a simple professional and scientific way. Thank you indeed.

[@philliproberts3180]

Brilliant effort. I will start educating my village people in the bio gas field. Am based in Zambia . this really does work as I have experimented on a very small scale. Thankyou.

[@AlokeshBagchi]

Congratulations Sir! Thanks for showing The World your wonderful set up! Regards.

[@theroyalcapra]

I just started looking up biofuels made at home and came across this video. This is awesome! And the cleanliness of the design is something I'm probably going to try myself.

[@kmaheshkadam8570]

Thank you very much for alternate sources of cooking.

[@gogreenlocally]

I think the concept is awesome, as long as you know what you are doing! I have read in articles, that it is important to know safety protocols, as these gases are toxic and some people have accidentally harmed themselves without a full understanding of safety issues.

[@Swartskynsel]

The best description of a methane generator I've seen online so far. 5 Stars from me!

[@dieuhoquang1]

One of the most well done setup!!! Especially closed floating drum! Clean and sanitary. Thank you so much for showing!

[@Daffodil956]

What's the purpose on the floating drum,I couldn't understand

[@dieuhoquang1]

@@Daffodil956 Just a way to store methane gas and raises when full sinks when empty

[@barrydeswardt4391]

Brilliant! You really have simplified the process that makes it understood by anyone.

[@Silver_lad]

This is one of the more refined videos that I have seen. Thank you for the same. Please keep posting.

[@mubasharwarraich2157]

Neat and clean biodigester and simply explained . Thanks

[@amosmu4608]

Very very great video, seven years later! Well done and thank you!

[@cabinlife2347]

Interesting lesson .... another way to work towards removing dependence on the grid. Thanks for sharing. Maureen

[@westhomeservice2097]

Thank you, it was a very detailed description and well designed system. The best I have seen so far. Thanks again!

[@chiprecious9012]

Can u help me answer some questions??

[@eduardoluisoliveiradias6397]

Congratulions guy !! This video was the best i´ve found. Thank u for share

[@fatkhurrahman330]

Very cool and educating :) Waiting for more videos like this

[@arthurmaina3365]

Thank you for the video. Very simple and informative. Interesting info regarding the steel wool in the two processes it's used in.

[@saeedanwar4423]

Good job. You made it simple and all steps taken are technically correct.Best video and best description

[@madaiincubationcenter4947]

Thank u in advance for the unique tutorial video I hv ever seen. these shows how good a u in organic chemistry.

[@Servoengr]

Great video. Good steady flow of explanations on what you did, and nice hardware setup too. Well done.

[@chiprecious9012]

Can I ask u some questions I didn’t understand in the set up??

[@fuhmanaatanga5560]

Great lesson. This can save us a lot of money. Thanks for posting.

[@umwoods]

Is there a follow up video? Things that have changed, lessons, discoveries, improvements etc? Has the safety mechanism been tested yet? We would love to see a video of that experiment as well. Amazing work friends, this is a mechanism that can change society fundamentally! Sending love from Vancouver Island

[@priscamayende2008]

From Kenya bungoma county l have bio gas plant but l don't where get the stove

[@livingstoneeberechukwuuyae863]

Great concept. I would like to see some follow up videos of latest experiments.

[@parahjapheth7920]

I love your video; it has taught me a lot. Good explanation. I think you should always light your match before opening the gas for safety. Very nice video.

[@schwinshavecrotch1935]

Excellent information! Some things I haven’t seen in other methane vids, though I haven’t seen everything out there. Keep up the good work!

[@Godshole]

Aye this is one of the best introductions to a practical home digester I have seen. Wonderful presentation, would love to have some updates if possible :)

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

An update was provided in the comments search for the word update

[@AlokeshBagchi]

Fantastic! Just so wonderful. Thanks for the video

[@simeontjatji3391]

If it was possible I was gonna give this video extra like. This is well explained 10/10

[@charlesadams6069]

Brilliant set up I really like your scrubber and flash back arrester And floating storage Very safe very neat Great knowledge Well done brother Thanks for sharing

[@AYltd]

Thanks to KZbin for keeping it this long for me to see it in Tanzania after yrs...bravo to ALL God Bless Your Efforts

[@nirmal6362]

Short and informative video - thanks for uploading.

[@mattgale3793]

Thank you that was really awesome I was just got through speaking of methane gas today I love it when I observed things that I was trying to discover more of myself

[@mikepaton3614]

Really good and clear setup, and I am sure they will have a water bore hole and solar/wind and solar not just for electricity but to heat water also, possibly ground heat pumps. Pure free sustainable energy.

[@ORizzoli]

This is the best biodigester video I found. A lot of other videos are sketchy, and you don't want to have a leaky system as Methane has more than 25x more global warming effect than CO2.

[@benjaminaregbesola]

I have been researching through the 'Net is recent days for any information I can get on my new interest which happen to be production of biogas. I find this video quite educative and even the discuss that follows it. I will keep in touch. I hope to start building mine pretty soon. I will surely come back for some help. Benjamin (Port Harcourt, Nigeria)

[@mystiquebeinq4236]

Hi Ben, what's your progress with the biogas digester? Would you like to share updates?

[@dragonkukulcan]

Good clean information well presented!!

[@DharmeshKarmokar]

Europe definitely needs to start getting into these methods to heat their homes this coming 2022 winter with the Russia Ukraine war not showing signs of ceasefire. #Europeans start investing in nature. Time to get your hands dirty and build natural biogas digesters. Alll the best and thank you for sharing a detailed video Sir

[@lexi67181]

This by far the best I've seen to date

[@veronicathecow]

Nice system, thank you for sharing the details.

[@davidoutdoors74]

Loves These biogas videos. I create my own biogas right at home a small biogas i built very cheap. i actual run a two small motors with the biogas .

[@ff-ti7nj]

Can you please tell me how much of your energy is provided by your biodigester biofuel?

[@davekauffman8727]

Wonderful concept, THIS is the answer to a lot of energy needs! I first saw it in Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome, I'm very interested in building something like this but there's an issue with the cat litter that will no doubt get in too as the cat-box is the best source of animal waste for me right now.

[@yayayayya4731]

Cat waste doesn't produce methane. Cow dung, rabbit poop, etc does.. cow dung is the best choice though

[@kalpeshb1649]

Thats a great design, if you don't mine I have some suggestions. 1 please paint your digester black, 2 please stop adding cow dunk from now on please add house wast. you will get 10 time greater methane. Add 1 kg sugar every month.

[@danyala.1659]

This produces methane?

[@kathrynfouriefullsome7063]

+Kalpesh B Thanks so much for the excellent practical suggestions. Your suggestions, if I understand correctly are about temperature and feed mix. These suggestions and questions have been raised by a few folk on earlier posts so I have copied some earlier responses here: The anaerobic decomposition seems to be very temperature dependent. I have since added a heat exchange to the digester using 15mm black plastic water pipes and circulating warm water around the digestor in a closed system. The pipes return the ‘cooled’ water to the house roof so it can be ‘reheated by solar radiation’. There is a small plastic reservoir at the high point in the system to allow for any expansion in the water. The pipes around the digester are insulated with old blankets and strong plastic sheets taken from advertising banners. To pump the water there is a small 12volt circulation pump connected directly to a 10watt solar voltaic panel. It seems to work quite well - not sure how long it will last. I have also covered the pipes on the roof with 2litre coke bottle to create a long chain of interlocking mini hot-houses just to give the heat absorption some help! Photos won't copy to this post, so I've shared them on Google+, hope you can see them. I have read that it is ‘best’ to have a mix of organic feed. The reason for this is complex and interesting. From what I understand it has to do with the process of decomposition giving rise to various populations of different bacteria feeding and growing and producing ‘feed’ for other populations of bacteria. There are said to be four main processes during the decomposition: hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis, and these four steps are associated with particular bacteria. Most methane is produced during the final step: methanogenesis. Once again from what I understand a good mix of organic feed at the beginning would allow the populations for each step to flourish because there would not be a limit on their particular feed. Here is a representation of a graphic from the excellent Biogas Handbook which can be found at : www.lemvigbiogas.com/BiogasHandbook.pdf Chapter 3 supports your suggestion best. Also find a useful diagram here: elderslie.wix.com/elderslie#!biogas-cooking/c229f It seems cow dung has a relatively low methane yield on its own so it would be best to begin introducing a feed mix from kitchen scraps and some food waste together with the cow dung, in this way fats and proteins would also be part of the initial feed mix. Another reference form Mike Reynolds (see comments) is an oldie but a goodie: journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/MethaneDigesters/MD1.html#synergy

[@shau78]

+Kalpesh B Why do you discourage use of cow dung please?

[@kalpeshb1649]

+Shau 78 HI I am not actually. Its faster to grow bacteria in house waste rather than cow dunk, because of the sugar content. but you should always start with cow dung as it good for beginning process. all scientific bio digester or CNg producers using the same methods. I like his design it's the most accurate video on web.

[@shau78]

Thanks.

[@skd5432]

Wo... ha... simple and great way of explaining stuff.... good going...

[@MuhammadBilal-pi8sl]

this is one of the cleanest biogas plant i have ever seen

[@johnames1987]

Great set-up and one I may "borrow" in future. I would say for those interesting in building similar, that it is quite unusual for one to work so well above ground... and by unusual, I mean he lives somewhere hot. Those in more northern latitudes need to consider how to keep the digester not just warm, but at a constant temperature. Ideally around 35 degrees.

[@mkhululibhebe7828]

Must be from Zimbabwe

[@MrPherez]

Very detailed, other biogas digesters do not have all this measures in place. would like to have the manual for this and more videos as well for cleaner energy.

[@briangoslett733]

Thanks for the great video! It's a very good system.

[@MrJesseh24]

I would have liked to see you do things while explaining. (IE. Filling the digester with "Fuel", emptying out liquid from the barrel kind of thing) Neat video

[@BlancaReina-qv8fz]

Excelente Servicio y práctico, un gran ahorro económico. Gracias por tan valiosa enseñanza , 👍🙏

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Well covered, this is really a good way to turn that greenhouse waste into a little btt of CO2 and Water. Permaculture principles met: Obtain a yield, and Produce no waste! Thanks for sharing

[@BestYouTubeVids123]

I bet the Gas and Electric companies hate these types of educational videos. lol (Like) 👍

[@UnfiItered]

This video is more applicable more now than ever.

[@Dr.Hammad]

Good way of filtering the SO2. Nice set up

[@gareng5599]

I like your biodigester - biogas system.

[@iawardle]

Hi Wayne. Great video - Thanks. If you were to redo it from scratch, what would you change if anything? Would you make a larger one to get more methane out per day?

[@Thomas-bm9kv]

Echt cool und super für den Hausgebrauch. Geniale Arbeit.

[@techinnovations822]

This is really great. Thank you so much sir for the information.

[@mrsanjayk]

I have found this nice information on domestic biogas which is really helpful. Though i have read most the posts and replies below i would like to know the tentative dimensions (distances) of inlet pipe location inside the digester, exact desired location (elevation) of outlet pipe, max liquid level in digester ( or the distance left for the gas accumulation inside digester. I guess those will affect a lot with production. Also would like to know if we need to drain out all the matter from the digester at some point of time in future. For how much time we can go by adding new material on daily basis?

[@sunandthesoil3736]

Informative and well explained thanks guys.

[@kathrynfouriefullsome7063]

Thanks Philani! Much appreciated :)

[@jwsolarusa]

Excellent job mate and thanks for sharing Sir

[@johng5295]

Thanks in a million. Great content. Awesome. Grade: A+💥

[@mmangla5575]

Wow Amazing information

[@ArshdeepSingh-of4gg]

Congratulations sir, this is by far the best video that I have seen, I have few questions 1. After how much time do we need to replace this Steel wool & water which removes CO2? or how do we know that it's time to change them? 2. How much steel wool do we need if put 100kg waste per day? 3. Can I use copper wool instead of steel wool? 4. can we use bleach in water that removes CO2?

[@chapelchicks8851]

Love the tank in water for indicating how much gas is in there. Brilliant. I'm just blown away with this whole set up. Why aren't people building gas collecting plants over refuse tip vents, instead of it just getting released into the atmosphere and wasting a valuable resource?

[@spadds]

In the developed parts of the world it’s common practice to install gas collection systems in landfill which suck the biogas out of the site for fuel for electrical generation. Several megawatts of power are often generated for 10 to 20 years after the sites are closed. In lesser developed parts of the world the gas vents to atmosphere. 🙁

[@paulmoffat9306]

I suggest that 26 years ago to a Hutterite colony that had a fairly large hog operation. they had a large concrete tank for holding the effulant to 'digest' before being trucked as fertilizer to the fields. The tank was 50 feet across and open topped - I suggested they close the top and collect the methane, filter etc and compress to large pressure vessels, that they could draw from for cooking and heating during the long Canadian winters. Didn't do it.

[@MrJFoster1984]

This is what most of the landfill sites run their generator from. They capture the gas from the decomposing matter, capture the gas for the generator and then power the sites needs partially or fully this way

[@gabrielgabulism2840]

Thanks so much for the shared video, I have learnt much from this. God bless your heart

[@ozzDeveveloperOpenForWork]

Wow. Can you also show how to make one. A smaller version? LOve how one can make such things with knowledge and creativity. Awesome video. thx

[@alimamybangura1399]

Thank you so much for your video. What happens to the gas if you do not use the scrubber and allow it bubble in water?

[@ab_ab_c]

So, to make ~30L to ~35L of methane per day, how much (average kg per day) organic matter do you have to add daily to your digester to get a steady 30L to 35L output of methane? Do you ever have to add in any more manure or does it continue to work as long as you keep the microbes fed? If yes, how much & how often?

[@cofferooster998]

It depends on the type of organic matter you use

[@creatingawareness1947]

It is an ongoing process. Keep the tank filled up for best result. There are other videos on how bio digester works on inside. 👍🏼 thanks for posting this content. Really love the ways that don’t utilize mains gas or electricity. Taking polution done by large corp to feed us energy, down to nothing if we do it ourselves. Creating energy from natures wheel of life. ❤

[@pavel9652]

Your inputs have to be equal to outputs.

[@youseff500]

​@@cofferooster998cow manure. This was specified in the video, OP's just commenting on the logistics.

[@mafftv3801]

Only need manure first time yes

[@MeyTaste]

Very details explaining... Brilliant

[@georgeacenas2349]

The concept is intriguing to me as I'm asking question how to adapt wastewater biosphere to colder climate? I'm also amused his partner chimed in on safety. She actually raises a valid point. As a Yank born Filipino, I'm impressed by the ingenuity of my animal farming cousins. Fascinating video. Magaling ng video mo.

[@ArmandGau]

Wow! Thank you for sharing!!!

[@broekspijp41]

Great video, very neat system and very clear explanation. Could you increase the pressure by placing some extra weight on top of the container in the water container?

[@harigopaladamus9481]

i bet

[@leighbezant]

Best video i have found to date. Well done. Add some video updates plz.

[@kathrynfouriefullsome7063]

Thank you Leigh

[@etienneconod8075]

Nice relaxed video, thanks for sharing :-)

[@Jamesmnl]

Excelente video. Muchas gracias

[@dastanharris]

amazing setup..wow cant believe this quality methane gas can be made at home

[@StefanRMarais]

Incredible! More people should do this.

[@mygug5812]

Great video!

[@aktux]

A very neat setup indeed! Love it!

[@aktux]

Check out mine here: my200ltrcompactbiodigester.blogspot.co.ke/2016/07/my-compact-200-ltr-biogas-digester.html

[@aktux]

Thanks! Did you notice that I copied your H2S scrubber idea ;-) too !

[@sakongphil]

@@aktux how can i reach out for your help huku rift valley

[@aktux]

@@sakongphil Welcome! Mine was an experiment in my small urban backyard. I eventually dismantled it due to lack of space.

[@sakongphil]

@@aktux am planning to make one using kentanks. I need your help on the sketches that i can use.

[@marlonjohnfreyburger6242]

Magnifique. Bravo x 1000

[@kevincustoms7742]

Great project man

[@LongLiveAslan]

Thanks for a great video. A few questions: How did you seal the big pipe with the steel wool. (is it able to open, and how often do you change the steel wool.) How much weight do you put on your gas storage bin to produce enough pressure for the stove. Do you use plastic irrigation valves, and do they seal gas tight. When you drilled out the holes for your stove, was it the jet nozzle or the burner holes or both. Roughly how much bigger did you make them. Thanks, Werner - Cape Town.

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

@Wayne Peddie great work

[@appallokelley3207]

I love this system and I cannot wait to build the exact same setup . South Africans really know how to do off grid projects.

[@mpumelelolindanimchunu746]

we did that over the weekend at Vaal , it was interesting

[@hughjaass3787]

Nice. We've known about this for decades, but guess what industries have fought this tech the most? Oil. Petroleum. Power. Automobile. Gas. Because they will not allow competition despite it being a MUCH greener gas.

[@jwwm2]

That's the cleanest methane flame I've ever seen from a biodigester. How often do you need to change the steel wool? Also, do you think there's a practical way to store the gas in fairly large quantities?

[@andrewpaczuski6381]

Rusting is an exothermic process and can easily get out of hand.

[@cristianrojas4969]

Dear Wayne, I asked myself the same question and wonder if that could be possible to do the filter of some kind of clear plastic (or even glass) material in order to visualize the reaction between the Fe and the H2S. This could be a good parameter to decide when to change the wool. What do you think?

[@iotelectrical]

On landfills where they run the gas in to large engines i think they use carbon to clean up the gas before it gets to the engine.

[@huberthubert860]

And?

[@whatwereyouthinking]

I've installed systems that don't have a scrubber, and the flame is a little less blue, so I think something in your cleaning process is working. Does the gas have an odour? Water vapour( and amonnia) is present in the gas produced. Some water may be removed by oxidation of the steel wool, but water vapour would be reintroduced in your water trap. Despite this, do you think the steel wool might last longer if the scrubber was installed after the water trap? Do you get water blockages in the pipes run along the floor? Many more questions!

[@user-qr6qs4ox2z]

Cool setup..

[@mikereynolds8804]

As others have said, this is the best practical methane digester application video on KZbin. For a research project, if you really want to know how it works, look up L. John Fry's book on the journey to forever website! Mike

[@otlhabanekeresepe839]

@Wayne Peddie thats a great project, can you reach me at [e-mail] i have a few questions for you

[@kenethpuerto3637]

We want to make a replica of that that would exempt me and my companion for the second grading exam

[@arturomora9807]

Good job my friend

[@byamukamamathias7289]

using steel wool to remove H2S sounds great. Thanks for sharing

[@chiprecious9012]

Please What does the steel wool look like??