methane

[culver]

Hello all
I have a few hogs and i would like to pull the methane off the dung heap. Can someone direct me to onfo on catching it, storing it and converting moters to run on it.

[kawalekm]

Hi Culver
Try searching with the phrases "biogas generator" or "methane digester". *You'll find numerous sites outlining the process and how-to sites. *My understanding of the process is that you need to carefully control the temperature of the process to ensure success. *The best bacteria for methane production are thermophiles that grow at 110-115 degrees F. *So, keeping your degester tank at that temperature is the toughest part of the process.
Michael

[culver]

thanks Michael
mountains of info.

[SolarGary]

Hi,

There are some plans for homebuilt methane generators here:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/BioFuel/biofuels.htm#Methane

The articles by Al Rutan on ESSN are very good for getting started.

Gary

[HockeyFan]

My wife claims that I'm a pretty efficient methane generator.

[Drawbar]

I have often wondered about this myself. I know here in Maine walking across the ice over a swamp can sometimes be treacherous because the ice underneath is not always very thick. Its the same when you are cutting wood in a boggy area with a tractor or other equipment, and that is because the methane and decomposition in a swamp generates constant heat and keeps the ice and ground from freezing like other areas on your property.

I have often wondered if it would be feasible to draw the methane off these swampy areas to run engines or heat your home? Barring that I wondered if you could use the extra heat generated in a geothermal type of way? Where I live, (Maine) the average ground temp is only 47º so geothermal heat is not all that efficient, but perhaps gleaning the extra heat off a swamp might be doable for a home built with the right proximity to a swamp.