ARTI, India, Biogas from food waste - Ashden Award winner

This video can be downloaded here: http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/arti06

ARTI won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2006.

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The Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) in Pune has developed a biogas plant which uses food waste rather than manure as feedstock and supplies biogas for cooking. The plant is sufficiently compact to be used by urban households, and over 700 are currently in use.

Pune is a relatively affluent city in south India, and many people use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or kerosene for cooking. Waste food is often discarded at the side of the road, as in many cities, attracting stray dogs, flies and rats and creating a public health hazard. The ARTI compact biogas plant is made from two standard high-density polyethylene (HDPE) water tanks: the larger tank acts as the digester and the smaller one is inverted and placed into it to serve as a gas-holder. The plant safely digests kitchen waste, food waste or waste flour from mills, thus reducing the problem of waste disposal. A 1,000 litre plant produces sufficient biogas to at least halve the use of LPG or kerosene for cooking in a household, as well as a small amount of liquid effluent which can be used as fertiliser. ARTI has developed the technology, field tested it, and managed the supply of about 700 biogas plants in Maharashtra. Around 100 plants are now being installed every month.

The first-prize Ashden Award to ARTI recognises the enormous potential for using this compact biogas digester in towns and cities, both to supply cooking gas and to assist in the disposal of organic waste.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Appropriate
• Rural
• Technology
• Institute
• ARTI
• India
• Biogas
• anaerobic
• digestion
• food
• waste
• cooking
• ashden
• awards
• sustainable
• energy

[iezzzwan]

how do i make one of these? do i have to travel to india?

[AshdenAwards]

@iezzzwan Have a look at the ARTI page on the Ashden Awards website - there's detailed info about how the system works, and contact details for ARTI. I'm sure they could give you some advice to build your own - they're pretty simple.

[alienbaroque]

What's also amazing is that, no also is it fuel to cook the food, but the slurry is also fuel for the plants (fertilizer). If I understand correctly, as long as the cellulose, etc., is mashed, all will eventually become slurry; there will be no solid waste in the tank, correct? So, basically, you're just "feeding" vegetable and fruit waste, things that will break down into sugars (for fermentation)? 24hr fermentation is not along at all for that much fuel!

[AshdenAwards]

@alienbaroque It's quick to digest because it's food waste. If it was animal manure, it would be a bit slower.

[HeavyDemir]

Does the gas contain less sulfur then methane from dung ?

[AshdenAwards]

@HeavyDemir It's probably about the same.

[siggyuke]

It's technology like this that will save the earth, if anything can.

A solution that can be made by anyone, using locally available materials and that is run on readily available waste products.

Fantastic!

Just think of all the energy / gas currently going to waste, and which could be harvested from human & animal manure, as well as organic waste products.

It beggar's belief that every household one the planet doesn't do this.

[ciceromatrix]

INDIA I AM PROUD OF YOU

[stshah15]

these kinds of activists must educate the public to produce cheep and accessible energy source.

[ThanksgivingWalk]

Our plantet was so amazingly created by our Heavenly Father, that even our natural "waste" is useful. Excellent!

Thanks for sharing.

TGW - USA - Louisiana

[waellerbe]

@cantecleer - I am with you 100% on your comment towards this video. Instead of allowing so much of our food to decompose and create mold, we can implement a process such as this to create a solution for life. I dare say that we can use Biogas to become more SUSTAINABLE in our lives. Energy costs would be decreased significantly, and it would be a blessing to see how one's gas bill could change for the better.

[waellerbe]

@ciceromatrix - SO I am. I can't say enough good things about the Genius that we see from India. It's amazing if you ask me.

[waellerbe]

@siggyuke - You hit the nail RIGHT on the head. We are looking at a simple form of technology that helps to produce a SOLUTION for food waste. It's a shame how we learn to be VERY wasteful in various places of the world. In keeping with the genius in this video, I can help but appreciate this example of Genius from India. As an American citizen, I NEVER want to limit my knowledge to the "American Way." There are many ways to create solutions to save the planet, and improve life by Going Green.

[waellerbe]

@alienbaroque - This is an AMAZING example of genius at work. I first heard about the concept of ARTI Biogas from a post on another YouTube video, and I'm glad that I decided to look up information. What a blessing.

[cantecleer]

-- This is simply inspiring. Kudos to ARTI and the engineers and individuals behind this technology. Also, kudos to the people who are embracing this technology and actually using it, as well as to the Ashden people who recognized such a noble endeavor. The world needs MORE STUFF LIKE THIS! ;D