AT FIRST MY GAS IS BURNING BUT THEN STOP PRODUCING. WHY?

So, when the the first batch of biogas is produced, it showed that your dung starter is already matured and ready to produce next batch of biogas. But it is only the beginning. The number of microbes have already multiply several folds compare to fresh dung. Matured starter can produced biogas faster then fresh dung. However, you cannot jump to conclusion that you can add any waste in any amount. How would you push microbes from dung to suddenly adapt to digest waste from different sources? It is impossible! You have to start slowly introducing alien waste into this matured starter. So that these microbes could first learn to recognize then adapt to the new waste. Introduce the new different waste little by little until the sensitization process is complete. Introducing large amount of alien waste to a new digester will cause your starter became shock and stagnant. Give them time to learn. They are not machine but only living things like us. Have mercy ok.

WHY MY GAS IS NOT BURNING?

When I first initiate my digester with zero knowledge about biogas my favourite question was why is there no any gas produced? So you are very lucky if there is gas production by the new digester because carbon dioxide will come out first in the beginning before then methane. You have to understand that biogas is actually mix of several type of gas like carbon dioxide, methane and other inert gas. Along the process of biogas production, in the beginning of chain reaction, acidification will first occurr thus producing carbon dioxide. It is normal to have carbon dioxide in the very beginning. It is a positive sign that your digester is working well and will produce methane a bit later according to the chain reaction. Unless your digester is continuously producing carbon dioxide after months of starting then you have to start worry there might leakage somewhere along digester system.

Biogas Bag for Storage

Storage using gas bag is easy. Choose bag size big enough for own use or otherwise you will suffer since every time its full then you have to burn or flare the biogas for cooking. A bag full of gas you may not want it to get full to maximum because if it full will prevent additional gas going into it. What happen next is the excess gas will push the slurry out of digester. 

Vertical Biogas DIgester Design

 Source: Joel Canaria

 Observe a typical design of a digester.

Inlet - feeding occurs here having the largest diameter among all.

Gas outlet - biogas produced from the process goes out thru here connected to external storage.

Overflow - where slurry displaced by a new feeding goes out thru here.

Stirrer - to make sure agitation takes place. Optional for some practitioner.

Drain - to let the accumulated sediment to flow out thru to be discarded after operating for sometime. 


















Need Biogas Now?

Horizontal Biogas Digester Design

I would like you to check out this design from a friend, more details please check under the QR code. Usually the blue tank converted as biodigester in a vertical form. This is quite different which someone could try on horizontically.

Source: Jørgen Rasmussen (A Clean New World)


 
Or for more explanation please refer to below video:


Floating drum system for biogas storage

 The system consist of two components:

1. The floating drum that has inlet and outlet for biogas. Inlet will let the biogas into the drum to be stored. Outlet is to let the biogas out when it is needed so should there be valve installed to control the process.


2. The base drum that contained water act as a platform for upper drum to float when there is gas produced. A steel guide installed to make sure the floating drum won't fall to the side.



So both drums are of different volume

a. floating drum is 160 liter

b. base drum is 200 liter

source: Biogas DIY FB Group