Did you know you could use your livestock manure and kitchen scraps to cook on your homestead? You just need to build yourself this simple diy biogas digester.
Not only will you be able to produce gas for cooking, but the left over material can also be used as natural fertilizer for your vegetable garden.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- 40 gal. plastic drum
- 50 gal. plastic drum
- 50 gal. container/tote
- 5″ PVC pipe
- plastic tubing
- shut off valve
- silicone sealer
- box cutter
- water
- cow or horse manure
- kitchen scraps
- hand drill (optional)
This is the simple version of the biogas digester. There is a video below that shows you how to build a more complex version that uses the inner tube of a car tire to collect your gas.
Step By Step Instructions
1. Cut two holes on the top of the 50 gallon container. One should be the diameter of the PVC pipe and the other that of the plastic tubing. These two holes should be on opposite diagonal corners.
2. Cut out half of the bottom section of the PVC pipe which will go into the container. Only half of the tube should remain in this bottom section.
3. Cover the container or tote with the lid and fit the PVC pipe into its hole. This pipe will be used to load the feedstock and kitchen scraps into your biodigester.
4. If your 40 gallon drum has any rims, cut them off. This will allow the smaller drum to slid freely into the bigger 50 gallon drum and collect your biogas.
5. Cut two holes into the bottom of the 40 gallon drum the size of the plastic tubing. One hole goes to the sealed container, the other is the outlet for your gas.
6. Cut your tubing into the required two lengths as mentioned above. The shorter one will be for the gas.
7. Insert the two pieces of tubing into the holes in the bottom of the drum. The longer length should go down the full length of the drum.
8. Attach shut off valve to the gas release tubing.
9. Seal all the connections and ensure they are air tight. Use the silicone sealer and tape. Then leave the connections to dry.
10. Fill the larger 50 gallon drum with water about two thirds full, then place the smaller drum upside down into the water. Make sure you do this with the valve open, only closing it after the smaller drum has settled into the larger one.
How does the biogas digester work? The manure and kitchen scraps will go into the container and will be left to ferment and produce gas. The gas will travel up the tube and into the drums where it is stored for use. Just open the valve to release the gas.
How to feed your digester for the first time? Collect cow or horse manure, place it into the bottom container and stir it well. Grind your kitchen scraps and drop them in there too.
Wait for about 4 weeks for your first batch of biogas to be produced. After that, you can feed it weekly with your kitchen scraps. Try keep the digester in a warm area that is at least 64 degrees F.
You can watch the video below on how to build this biodigester…
You can watch the video below, for a more complex biodigester design…
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