Homemade Biogas Generator

[vox1philippines]

NICE...

[MTERM775]

nice dude!! can you use human waste for this biogas generator??

[BasementBen]

@MTERM775 deffinettly would be potent :P

I have heard that human waste generates hydrogen sulfide, which can damage engines perhaps. Not sure, that is something to look into for me.

Ben.

[BasementBen]

@MTERM775 deffinetly, although I have heard human wast generates hydrogen sulfide, which could damage engines, not sure, something to look into :)

Ben.

[sirbananaman2]

nice! can u make a vid w/ a much larger container that can actually use the gas as a propane

[BasementBen]

I am interested in that very much, I need a place with alot of space to do these things =[ Thanks,

Ben.

[oleczuz]

thanks, it is necessary to use plastic bottle to use as a reserve tank? or i can use big container...

[BasementBen]

any reserve tank is good, to hold the gas thats made, and you dont have to use a bottle.

[bluefox216]

could biogas be used to run a generator that powers an electrolysis machine to generate hydrogen and make a 100% efficient generator?

i know pure hydrogen burns with a lot more energy than methane but i'm just wondering if it would be 100% efficient or would it be better to just use power straight from the generator running on biogas?

[BasementBen]

You sure could do any of that, I wouldnt convert energy sources more than you have to, losses are going to happen with engines, generators, ect.

Ben.

[nebulasxtv]

@bluefox216 I like your train of thought,I am researching if ocean water can be boiled there for desalinise it and what alkaline level and if its still toxic.

The search for power water continues...all the bes

[99TitsMcGee99]

How do u measure the amount of methane?

ps thanks so much for all your help

[BasementBen]

No problem,

I don't know a way to measure the methane, but it is usually mixed in with

Co2, from the digestion. Just ignite what you have made, if it burns then your good :)

[99TitsMcGee99]

aight, and wat did u use to make the bubbling gas?

[BasementBen]

Just another plastic drinking bottle, Silicone Sealant, Vinyl tubing, and fill it with waste products, preferably manure.

Keep it warm too.

Ben.

[99TitsMcGee99]

I are doing thsi for science fair, wat is the bubbled gas in the middle bottle do?

[BasementBen]

That is a reserve tank, it will fill up, and force out the water in the the third bottle.

Ben.

[99TitsMcGee99]

ok thx. Also, wat did you use for the bubbling gas/how did u make it

[BasementBen]

Version of What?

[gscarecrow]

Notice that the 2 litre bottle is creating pressure into both other bottles at the same time. If the PSI was increased too much by a bigger bottle, won't it affect the first bottles output, masking your potential output. Maybe collecting the gas first and then taking it away for PSI with some help with taps should ensuring your zero introduction of air. This might help you progress further. Thanks for the film it looks great!

[BasementBen]

Oh i see!

There is pressure into the biogas bottle.

Thanks!

Ben.

[scientificallygreene]

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[fernandesilyt]

Some peaples saw to you 'how to remove the CO2 and H2S', I have a simple idea, to remove the H2S you can make 'pyrolysis', you need to warm the H2S, with little or none O2: 2 H2S+ O2 = 2 H2O + S. To remove the CO2 u can use caustic soda: 2 NaOH +CO2 = Na2CO3+ H2O. The H2O can be condensed.

search on wikipedia.

[BasementBen]

Interesting, so warming the gas using oxygen will reduce the hydrogensulfide?

Thanks for your info, I will like to look at this in wikipedia =)

Ben.

[HomeDistiller]

have a look at my 55 gallon drum digester, it has a few problems and i will be posting a video about them soon, (outlet for waste gets blocked due to it being too small and keeping it warm enough to produce), also to remove CO2 and H2S you can use an air stone and a alkaline solution (both CO2 and H2S are acid so will react and form salts) you will be left with clean and (more) pure methane. you could also add a small iron filling scrubber to remove the H2S (as mentioned in a comment bellow)

[BasementBen]

Ill have to take a look at your video, thanks.

Ben.

[afthefragile]

I'm gonna so try this!!

Hey could you tell what bacteria you've used for the digestion and where I could find it??

[BasementBen]

I didnt use artificial bacteria, just the pet wastes had the bacteria in it.

[afthefragile]

Cool, i'm gonna try this now!!!

[BasementBen]

:D have fun!

[MarkRadioSoo]

Thanks a million! I want to implement it in a farm in South America, just for household use. Once in a while I might come up with some questions.

[BasementBen]

Sounds great, good luck!

[shawandrew]

A little more about compression. I am not sure, but I think you want to get rid of the H2S and the H20 before you compress and store it (to avoid condensate and corrosion). I'm not sure how to get rid of the H2S, but for the H2O you could run the gas through a chilled coil with a pot to catch the condensate at the bottom.

[BasementBen]

Oh, hydrogen sulfide? I heard that stuff might harm engines :(

This is getting complex with all these gases to purify, its a good research.

Thanks for your help,

Ben.

[shawandrew]

Yeah, sorry, I may have gotten confused since I was talking with a few different people about biogas. Recently I did some research and I concluded that compression and storage is not feasible for a home operation, unless you use inflatable tires and low compression. Also the gas needs to be purified and have a bunch of stuff removed such as CO2, H2S, H2O, and maybe PO4 before it can be put in an engine. Better to just burn in in a stove.

[shawandrew]

OK I replied like 2 days ago but it never went up for some reason. Compression, storage, and use in a motor is not really practical for the home user. Best to store it in inner tubes if at all, and if you use a pump there may be some danger of corrosion/explosion. Better to keep it at fairly low pressures and use it everyday as its produced in a burner, but be prepared to eventually replace your pipes unless they are stainless steel.

[sumgai777]

A) A chilled coil is expensive, energy-wise.

B) Gas driers are common accessories for air compressors, for the same reason (corrosion).

C) To filter out H2S, run it through a bed of Zinc Oxide or "iron sponge" (iron oxide - rust - on woodchips).

(My company does this kind of thing, with 2 digesters of 250,000 gallons, each. But our ZnO sorber - for the H2S - is only the size of a trash can. You don't need much. ;-)

[BasementBen]

Thank you. :)

[shawandrew]

I have been watching videos on biogas, and the one thing that seems to be lacking from every home operation is a compressor and storage. It leads me to speculate that compressing and storing the gas could be the most impractical aspect of this operation. Anyone want to comment on that? I would honestly love to find out I'm wrong about that.

[BasementBen]

I don't know if you mean impractical, but that is a good point, I also wish to see more of that. I have modded a compressor to do such a thing, Although I have not found out about the dangers of that, and how to get rid of other gases to get the pure methane.

[oggmttkmbbms]

an easy way to utilise the gas is to burn it to run a steam engine or BBQ. Then you dont need to store it. Just use it as it comes

[BasementBen]

Yes, if a large gasifier is used. That would work good

[oggmttkmbbms]

yes your right , biogass does not compress well, however to store large amounts you need to chill it, then you can get more volume.

[BasementBen]

oh, that is good idea ,maybe cold basement, or underground tank.

[shawandrew]

You know what? I did just now remember I saw a video of someone with wood gas stored in a balloon. I think that could work as a form of temporary storage for small quantities of biogas. However keep in mind that's not the safest measure.

[BasementBen]

Yea, this fuel is hard to make usefull, unless expensive machines and stuff is made to purify it, and mass produce it. A stove or torch is all I can think of a good use, good idea.

[yourboycal]

its not hard or expensive they already have kits availble for your home.. this technology is 100 years old .. the kits are about 190 pounds .. mostly in india .. very cheap effeicient easy to install kits availble =) check my vids and subscribe !

[afthefragile]

Usually the best form of compressing and storing it by placing heavy weights on the container is it collected in. its hard to describe but its like the collector is like an upside down bottle/barrel in water or something else with no space for the water (or it could be the digester itself) to escape.

As the gas collects in the collector, it pushes the barrel upwards but adding heavy weight on the barrel pushes it back down compressing the gas...

[BasementBen]

I understand the underwater collection technique, but I have never thought of weights, that is a really good idea! 50 pounds on top would be lots of psi, great idea. :)

[ccoasterdesigner]

I'm am going to try to get our schools science club to experiment with doing this! We were just going to compost our cafeteria waste regularly but this might be even better! Also does the food and stuff turn into soil? TY

[BasementBen]

Hey! Youv'e got a great idea there! That would be a great thing to do in a science club, that ought to be very fun. :0

Yea, cafeteria waste would be excelent to experiment on. And after it decomposes and gasifies, it will turn into a mushy soil, yes like compost. (except in a kinda milkshake consistency if you grind it up. ^_^.)

I have heard the after product is very good fertilizer for plants.

Have fun with your project, and keep it up,

Ben.

[javierlipnica]

very infomative for ecological balance!!

Bless you !!

Javier Lipnica "humaitarian concer"

[BasementBen]

Thank you very much, its great stuff!

Ben.

[orateelmonoxzy]

wihth the methane that you are producing how long can a flame be burning???

[BasementBen]

Hello, it depends how much gas you make. I would say you could get a nice flame burning for a while if you wait overnight for a good generator to gas and collect. :D

Ben.

[ssafarisu]

hey...i was hoping to try this exp for my science project...i just wanted to know if ur heating the first bottle which contains the organic material...cz i read somewhere else that it has to be heated!!can u pls help??

[ssafarisu]

could someone pls give me a detailed explanatin of the apparatus required...i would like to attempt this for a science fair...what all do i nedd??

[BasementBen]

Sorry, I have been dealing with comp viruses, -.- lol>

Back up and running.

Well, I am not heating the first bottle, it does help a lot, but biogas tanks naturally heat up, due to the bacterial breakdown of matter. So all this does, is put organic matter in a bottle, seal the bottle cap with the lid, and it has a sealed tube on the top. Then it will start to make bubbles of methane within a couple days, which can be collected under water in a bottle, and compressed.

Thanks for comment. :)

[REDZZGIRLD]

can this experiment produce hydrogen? if can..how it's work?

[BasementBen]

Well, I would have to say I don't think this makes hydrogen. This makes organic gases like methane.

Thanks for your comment :)

Ben.

[simouny]

actually one of the gases produced through bio-digesting is hydrogen but the amounts are minimal because much of it goes to the sludge collected in the 1st bottle. By the way, you should also try to do this experiment with grass shreds, yam cuttings, and use cow manure rather than cat litter because MQ's in cat are more meat loving, where as cow MQ are built for this fermentation.

[BasementBen]

Ahh, you have targeted my problems. I think you are right, I have had no luck lately with vegetable waste, notin at all. Yes a cow or horse would be great. :)

Thanks!

Ben.

[pzsmcrew]

awesome man! i will try it :)

[BasementBen]

Great, have fun and enjoy :)

Ben

[tehnologu]

farts can burn so why not biogas

[BasementBen]

Oh, it sure can! ^_^

Good fuel, burns slow and lots of energy and heat.

[daddeo01905]

What is the chemisty name of this gas Methane(CH4) or methanol(CH3OH(often abbreviated MeOH))?

[BasementBen]

It is methane, methanol is poisonous, and wouldnt be in a natural decomposing of waste. So your right I think its 1carbon, 4hydrogen molecule. So If wat I have read is right, biogas is made up of Co2 and methane. Its good stuff.

Thanks for commenting.

Ben.

[shawandrew]

Methanol can be made from methane, but I don't think that it is possible as a small scale diy home setup. to dadde, The rule of thumb is the ols (eg methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol) are the same except the have an OH attached to them.

[LMBNU]

nice vid dude :P

[BasementBen]

Thanks, Im kinda curious why this one is better than my newer one, lol.

[dmanubuntu]

GREAT VID GOODY HPOE TO SEE SOME MORE

[BasementBen]

Yes, Thanks so much for the comments, keep them coming, and I will promise to make videos, I feel ready to do them now from all these encouragements. ^_^

[dmanubuntu]

hey goody its dman well will be able to work on sciencie stuff 2day cuz mya ACOUNT IS WORKING AND U HAVE CAMERA

[BasementBen]

YAY! Thanks so much Dman for choosing to do this, it really means a lot to me. I can't wait to get to work on stuff. Hope to talk to you more.

[daddeo01905]

a+, outstanding presentation.

now how would i compress the gas/

[BasementBen]

Thank you very much. About compressing the gas, I found out a clever way to do so. I went and bought a cheap $5 air compressor (the 12Volt ones for cars) and I took it apart, and atached a vinyl tube to the intake hole in the top of the piston, and silicon rubber sealed it. So now, any input through the tube will be an output that is compressed into a tank or bottle (up to 250 psi max!! :)

Thank you very much.

Ben

[kjaks]

I guess the bottle with the waste gets slightly warmer than the other ones?

Also I guess the large-scale gas production facilies use some kind of chemical (enzymes, bacteria) to make the process go more rapidly.

Altho your small-scale model is excellent for explaining the princip.

[BasementBen]

Yes, I beilive I did notice is got a little warmer than the other bottles. And I do think they use enzymes for high production. That would work, but I am cheap and I only like free stuff... Yeah, this small scale video was good, thanks. But I got some more work coming hopefully. My new idea is to go big and get a large tank or container, and fill it with junk, and then make much biogass to compress it into a gas tank, and then feed it into a mower to mow the grass, since gas is like $4 a gallon.

[BasementBen]

Ran out of space, thank you for comenting.

I appreciate your interest in alternative fuel.

[teddybear114]

THats really tight!!! I wish i could make one!!

[BasementBen]

Yea, all you need is alot of organic junk and you can make fuel!

[ismaeltaki]

hi mate thanks for the simple idea and it is very important for novice who want to experimenting ,pls tell me after how long putting it together you will see gas bubbling in bottle,i am using 2 separate digester ,1 filled with cow dung slurry and 1with household waste ,left over food old mushed up fruits,its been 9 days has gone and i cant see any bubble yet ,where have i gone wrong pls rep ,thanks

[BasementBen]

In my case, I saw it start gasing right away, or within a day or so. I would have to say that if your biogas digester is not making any gas, it must mean to me that a tube is leaking, the digester is cold (outside), or the digester has a bad seal. If the bacteria inside have a good environment, they start to break down material right away.

I hope that helps, and I hope your digester will start to work.

Feel free to reply.

-Ben

[ismaeltaki]

thanks i think it more likely to be the cold

environement,i live in scotland where the shed is like a fridge ,i will try to put it in a warmer plce and see,thanks again

[BasementBen]

Yea, it sounds like the bacteria were to cold to produce.

Thanks.

[Careica]

Thanks for your subscribtion to me.

That is nice and just simple way make gas. For free! You can go to junk and take some stuff there, free gas :D

[BasementBen]

Thank you for watching my video. I plan to make a better generator. Then a lot of gas will be made, and I want to compress it into a bottle and feed it into the carboratour of a lawnmower. The only problem I don't know is that the carboratour might shoot a flame back into the pressurized bottle and explode.

I hope to post more...

Ben

[Careica]

Are your lawnmower working on diesel or gasoline? And do you think it will work whit that gas. I know that hydrogen work whit gasoline motor well!

[BasementBen]

My lawnmower is gasoline. I got it for free!

I believe that any gas or liquid fuel like methanol should work in a mower. As long as the mower has the air intake, and a seperate oil tank, it should be good to go.

I would like to try hydrogen, I just don't want any explosions.

Do you know if feeding gas into the carborator (air intake?) would have possible backfires or exploisions?

Thanks.

[Careica]

About carborator question. Yes, it is posible it give fire back. It's called "Flash Back". So you need to to "Flash Back Arrestor". Here in youtube you can find videos how to do them. Just search: Flash Back Arrestor.

[BasementBen]

Ohh, that would be a good idea, and maybe being extra safe would be to bubble it through a bubbler and into a mower.

Now I can feel safe to do that project,

thank you.

[Careica]

Yes, it is good to make. I am now whit Hydrogen and it are much more flamable than methane gas. Actualy it explode. And just think if fire, or eaven small spark go to your bubler, which are full of gas. And then it blow up, big breasure will smash bubler. Ofcorce, you will not take much damage. Only maybe parts from your bubler. But it those small part fly in eye. Whit fast speed. They can damage.

So I will make in my project 2 flash back arrestors. For safety!

[BasementBen]

Sounds good, thanks for your help.

[x3ni3]

how long does it take to produce the gas? and what are the materials needed? i hope you can give me specifics. i would want to have ideas for my science project.. thanks!.. hoping for your reply ASAP!

[BasementBen]

The gas is produced pretty fast. It bubbles about 1 bubble every 12 seconds. All day long it might fill half a bottle.

The materials that are used are just three plastic bottles, vinyl tubing, and water.

The other day I stuffed old macaroni and cheese in the bottle, and it rotted and made more gas than I ever saw before.

Hope this helps, feel free to wright to me more in the youtube mail inbox. I hope I got to you quick enough.

I hope you are succesful with your project.

[BasementBen]

Ohh, I forgot to say I used silicone sealant too.

[MarexArtB]

didn't quite understand the purpose of the 2l bottle.

[BasementBen]

Hi,

The purpose of the two litter bottle is that when the gas is bubbled into the "tank", it will displace water as it fills, and all of the water will displace into the two litter bottle, so when the gas bottle is filled, the two litter bottle will also rise. It basicly holds the gas in place in the "tank" bottle.

I hope this helps, and thank you for comenting.

[MarexArtB]

Good, so basically it is to prove that there is some gas coming. the 2l bottle doesn't have any practical purpose.

[BasementBen]

Well, it does show the gas coming, but without the water in it, the gas would not be contained in the "tank". It would just escape. It is kind of confusing I guess...

Basicly the water seals the gas in, kind of like a hydrolic tube. I guess the only way to fully understand is to build one.

Thank you for comenting!

[Possumlivingdotcom]

The 2L bottle is a reservoir that allows the water in the center bottle to escape. As the gas builds up in the top of the center bottle, it pushes the water out the tube into the 2L bottle.