How to Build a Biogas Generator

A biomass generator is an alternate energy source. When bacteria digest and consume organic material the byproducts produced are methane, carbon dioxide and other trace amounts of gases. Methane is an energy source, which can produce power when burned. As energy costs rapidly increase, biomass is becoming a viable alternative to standard means of producing energy. You can build a biomass generator yourself; here is how.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Identify the source of biomass that you will use in your generator. Determine this in part by the types of biomass available to you. You must also determine that the source that you select will have the ability to produce the amount of power that you require.

2. Collect the parts together to construct your generator. The larger the generator dimensions, the greater the amount of methane you will produce. As this burns, it will determine the power output that is available for use.

3. Assemble the generator and add your biomass to the generator with a large amount of distilled water. Stir the mixture to evenly distribute it and close the container. Make sure the airtight seal is in place. After the oxygen is used, the process will change from aerobic to anaerobic. Anaerobic processes are the ones that produce the methane byproduct.

4. Warm the generator tank gently to keep the bacteria in a beneficial environment. Periodically feed the "brew" with new food. Just about any type of organic matter will serve as a food source for the bacteria.

5. Make sure that the output of the generator flows to either a floating tank or an expandable balloon for storage. Compressed gas storage requires large amounts of power to achieve, which defeats the purpose of the biomass generator.

[biogasman]

on 7/4/2008 I'm running tests on a petrol generator running on biogas and trying to find if there is an optimum pressure for power production? Should increasing the pressure of the gas increase the power output significantly? My experiment results are proving inconclusive at the moment. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. ([e-mail])