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DIY Biogas
DIY Biogas
DIY Biogas
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DIY Biogas

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A Practical Manual for Making and Using Renewable Natural Gas

 

Make your own homemade natural gas from food scraps, garden trimmings, and animal waste!

Understand how to craft a recipe to make your own renewable energy substitute for natural gas and propane.
DIY Biogas contains complete plans and parts lists to build two different biogas generators that help you learn, understand, and grow your biogas operation. With this hands-on, minds-on guide, you'll gain the knowledge and experience you need to convert waste into energy. Whether you're looking for a unique science project or want to cook meals with your own backyard biogas, this book is the most practical place to start.
With fuel prices and scarcity on the rise, it's time to re-learn how to meet our own energy needs. Start today and harvest your own local, renewable energy resource!

Professional renewable energy consultant and hands-on-off-grid homesteader, Paul Scheckel, has been promoting the use of homemade biogas since 2013 through workshops and publications. The information presented in this book is based on science and real-life experience. Betty Crocker tested all her recipes, and so do I!

Additional material and interaction: https://www.youtube.com/c/HandsOnOffGrid

 

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 26, 2022
ISBN9781736290248
DIY Biogas
Author

Paul Scheckel

PaulScheckel is an energy auditor and consultant who has visited more than 3,000 homes, educating people about energy efficiency, cost-effective improvements, and indoor air quality. His articles have appeared in such publications as Mother Earth News, Home Power, and Vermont Life, and he contributes a monthly energy and environment column to two state-wide newspapers. A frequent radio guest, Scheckel has also appeared as a guest expert on the acclaimed television show “Ask this Old House”. He lives off-grid in northern Vermont with his family in a solar- and wind-powered house.

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    Book preview

    DIY Biogas - Paul Scheckel

    DIY Biogas

    Make and Use Your Own Renewable Natural Gas

    By Paul Scheckel

    First published by Paul Scheckel, 2022

    Parsec Energy Consulting

    Copyright © 2022 by Paul Scheckel

    ISBN: 978-1-7362902-4-8

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. The author has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

    ––––––––

    This book is for entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a comprehensive text on all the intricacies involved in successfully managing the information contained herein. Adequate skills and knowledge in multiple disciplines are required in order to safely approach the subject matter presented. If you do not have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills, seek training, or enlist a competent professional.

    The author cannot be held liable or accountable for how the information in this book is used. Following the advice in this book can lead to fire, personal injury, and damage to property. You alone are responsible for how you use the information presented, and you assume any and all liability for damage to people or equipment that may result. It is your responsibility to determine the suitability of any project, parts, assembly, and any and all results or outcomes, to be used for any purpose whether presented in this book or not. It is up to you to use tools and equipment properly and to take proper precautions with chemicals, mechanical equipment, electrical service, combustible gas handling, associated materials, and procedures. You alone are responsible for injuries to yourself or others or for damage to equipment or property.

    Have fun, be safe!

    Table of Contents

    Introduction: What is Biogas?

    The Basics of Producing Biogas

    Challenges

    Keep it Simple

    How it Works

    Production Rate

    Variables

    Biogas Recipe

    The Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) Ratio

    Calculating C:N Ratio in a Recipe

    Recipe Example

    Table 1: Recipe Evaluation C:N ratio

    Solids and Liquids

    VS and Gas Production

    Digester Care and Feeding

    Inoculation

    Starting Up

    Temperature

    Retention Time

    Loading Rate

    Where to Start

    Loading Rate and pH

    Avoid Indigestion

    Mixing

    So, how much gas can you make?

    Table 2: Recipe Evaluation VS and Gas Production

    Ok, but how much gas can you make, really?

    Types of Digesters

    Batch

    Continuous Flow

    Materials

    What to do with the Effluent

    Using Biogas

    Safe Handling

    Maintain Positive Pressure

    Flame Arrestors

    Respect the Hazards!

    Storing Biogas

    Gas Burners

    Orifice Size

    Table 3: Orifice Diameter Multiplier for Gas Appliances

    Airflow

    Gas Pressure

    Engines

    Purifying Biogas

    Environmental care

    Make and Use a Biogas Generator

    Make a 5-Gallon Batch Digester

    5-Gallon Parts List

    Make a 55-Gallon Hybrid Digester

    55-Gallon Parts List

    Assembly Illustrations

    Non-Energy Benefits

    Cow Manure and Gas Generation; a special case

    Appendix A: Characteristics of Raw Materials

    Appendix B: Biogas Resources

    Appendix C: Quick Unit Conversions

    Introduction: What is Biogas?

    Biogas is a mixture of gases formed anywhere organic material decomposes in the absence of oxygen. Underwater, deep in a landfill, bubbling out of municipal solid waste, or in the guts of animals (including you), biogas (aka swamp gas) is produced through the biological and chemical processes of anaerobic digestion (AD). All that is a long-winded way to describe a fart. Yes, your farts – and your dog’s – are biogas, and they will burn. How much flame is produced depends on what you (or your dog) eat and how efficient your digestive system is at dealing with your diet. This decomposition of organic matter happens without any outside help, but we can assist nature by providing the ideal environment to maximize gas production.

    Anaerobic digestion is the decomposition (digestion) of carbohydrates in an oxygen-free (anaerobic) environment. It begins with a process similar to the fermentation of alcohol, but without oxygen AD continues past fermentation. In fact, oxygen is toxic to the process in that it inhibits the growth of methane-producing microbes, known as methanogens, which are ultimately what we want to encourage in order to produce combustible biogas.

    The main ingredient of biogas produced in this controlled environment is methane. Methane is a hydrocarbon made up of one molecule of carbon and four molecules of hydrogen (CH4). Methane is the primary component of natural gas commonly used for cooking and heating, although biogas is not as energy dense as natural gas. The methane content of the biogas you make will probably range from 50 to 80 percent, compared to about 70 to over 90 percent with utility-supplied natural gas. Natural gas also contains other combustible gases such as butane, propane, and ethane, while biogas does not.

    The exact makeup of biogas depends in part on

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