BIOGAS

SUSTAINABILITY
DESIGN GROUP

Engineering Report
Jake Schmidt, Andrew Rice, & Justin Keizer

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Table of Contents
1 ….. Title Page

2 ….. Table of Contents

3 ….. Problem Definition

4 ….. Design Requirements

5 ….. Evaluation of Alternative Concepts

6 ….. Alternative Concepts

7 ….. Alternative Concepts

8 ….. Performance Testing

9 ….. Performance Testing

10 ….. Detailed Design

11 ….. Detailed Design

12 ….. Detailed Design

13 ….. Performance Evaluation

14 ….. Lessons Learned

15 …. Special Thanks

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Problem Definition:

Early in the school year, our group decided that the best way to go above and beyond

with our capstone project was to make something that would actually help and strengthen our

school community and possibly further. Since the lack of electricity in certain areas of the world

is such a huge problem in today’s society, our group wanted to find a solution to combat this

epidemic. Once our brainstorming process concluded, we came up with the idea of a biogas

digester. By choosing to build the digester, our group was able to agree on a project idea that

satisfied all the criteria that we found necessary; an impactful project that is both low cost and

applicable in our community. Through producing the methane gas from the digester, it can be

used to power bunsen burners, heat our school’s solar studio, or used for a biogas barbeque.

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Design Requirements

When projects are at school there have certain boundaries and limits for what can be

built and how it can be built. For our particular project, there was a need for a lot of space and

the material that was used can be very odorous. The group needed to figure out how to

successfully construct a smelly large biogas digester at school. Beyond the logistical issues, the

group ran into the fact that they also had no idea the kinds of science that were yet to come.

There was chemistry, physics, and all sorts of branches of science. With these obstacles in their

way, the best course of action was to talk to people who had a much larger wealth of

knowledge. This is when the mentors came along. They called Chris Finton, a manager at the

Central Marin Sanitation District. He deals with this type of biochemistry on a daily basis making

him an obvious candidate to help work on the project. Next, the group looked for an internal

source for help. A mentor that could be found at all times during working hours could prove to

be extremely helpful. Out of all of the science teachers at San Marin, the best option seemed to

be Ms. Matthews. She seemed eager to help with the project and had just recently finished

studying Biology at Boston College. For further contact with the people that made the project

possible.

Ask for Chris Finton at the Central Marin Sanitation Agency

Check the office and ask for Shaelyn Matthews

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Alternative Concepts:
To complete the engineering process we need to compare different designs to come up

with the best possible way to build our project. Below is the description of three different design

concepts and after the best design will be described.

This is the simplest design. It has the 1000 liter tank for the cow manure. A big take

away from this project is the weight of cow manure. With 1000 liter of cow manure comes large

mass. It will be hard to carry and transport this project. However, it will create ample methane

gas to use an convert to energy.

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 Here the design is similar to the one above it just has two tanks. This would be the most

practice for a school campus since the amount of compost that will be created will be in large

quantities. The two tanks will allow us to capture and use all the compost created on school

grounds. With two tanks through the transportability of the project will be at an all-time low. The

group will not be able to move the project at all which can be harmful if the project is in the way

of other aspects of campus life.

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 This design is the smallest scale the group created. This would be practical for home life.

Since one can move it easily and the tank is small. At home, the amount of compost being

created will not be in mass quantities so the small tank will be able to handle the compost. It will

also be easy to transport and move. This would be best since yard work and other things

happen and the project would need to be able to move.

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Performance Testing:

Once we decided on the design of two 14 gallon buckets of cow manure we ran a small

performance test for two weeks to make sure the design would produce biogas. Below is a

picture of the small scale project. We used 28 gallons of cow manure, a small 2 inch PVC pipe

of compressed steel wool to filter out the H​2​S, and a 5-gallon bucket of water to filter out the

CO​2​ and water vapor.

One the next page there are graphs comparing the rate of reaction for two weeks. The

collection totaled 2.3 liters of methane gas. The second week was hotter increasing the rate of

reaction so more gas was collected, but only by 0.3 liters of gas.

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Detailed Design

Storage: (14-gallon manure buckets)

In this section of the project, our group will specifically focus on the storage of the

manure in the tanks as well as the processes that occur. Originally, when we conducted this

experiment the initial time, our group used two 5 gallon buckets to hold the manure. As time

went on, our group saw very little progress in the production of methane from our original

digester so our group decided to upgrade the overall size. By refilled two new buckets that were

both filled with 14 gallons of manure and let the two different types of bacteria work together to

produce the gas our group needed there was a clear increase in gas production. The initial

bacteria in the digester eats the manure and creates an acid while the second bacteria eats the

acid and produces the methane gas along with other impurities. During the week when our

group tested the digester with the bigger buckets, the overall efficiency of the methane

production increased drastically compared to the original experiment.

Bubbler Storage: (Garbage can manifold)

For the secondary storage, the main function for this part was to separate impurities from

the raw methane gas and turn it into a more refined gas. The way the separation worked was by

pushing the gas through a manifold and bubbling it through water that would lead out the top of

the storage tank (garbage can) These parts will be essential for the purification of the gas. It

purifies out the water vapor and CO​2​.

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Gas Collection: (compressor and propane tank)

The last part of the digester is the compressor and propane tank. This section worked to

actually turn the methane gas into usable fuel that the group could use for things like starting

barbecues and heaters. The compressor works to funnel the gas into the propane tank through

a series of tubing then once inside the propane tank the threaded connector.

Pipes: (PVC Pipes and steel wool)

PVC piping is the main source of transportation for the project. Throughout the digester,

the pipes allow for the smooth flow of gas to storage. There are pipes from the initial storage

tanks into the bubbler and from the bubbler to the compressor. The seals are created with PVC

cement and soldered at the connections. The steel wool aspect of the project works to get rid of

the H​2​S (Hydrogen Sulfide) which could potentially ruin the methanes use as fuel.

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Performance Evaluation:
Hopes were high for this project. Determination and eagerness were apart of the group’s

mindset. Once the first experiment occurred, hope dropped. The failure showed the group how

hard this was going to be and how slow it was going to occur.

Once the first experiment was scrapped the group had to move on due to time

restrictions. The group upped the scale in hoped of more methane gas production and

continued on. The performance testing brought hope back into the group. This is where a visible

amount of methane was produced. The group was able to see results and finally know the

project worked successfully.

Moving on to the largest scale, it was again a slow process. The amount of methane

produced was not as much as the group desired. In ways to fix this problem, the group could

add a catalyst or continuously keep the heat high. This could be done by adding piping into the

cow manure to keep the rate of reaction high.

In regards to the build process, the hardest part was transporting the cow manure.

Twenty-eight gallons of manure is extremely heavy. Moving it 5 feet is a process and causes

strenuous pain within the group members. For building the actual project, the group planned

well, had the blueprints correct, and could build quickly

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Lessons Learned:
The two largest takeaways from this project is how the group learned how to connect

and network with adults and how to manage time.

In regards to networking, the group had to learn how to talk to adults. Not just teachers

though, the group had to learn how to talk to working adults who have their own lives. Especially

with Chris Finton. The group had to gain the courage to reach out, find time to meet, and have a

plan for the meeting so Mr. Finton’s time wouldn’t be wasted. Mr. Finton was kind enough to join

the group and give helpful insight to the biogas production.

For time management the group learned devices like Gantt charts and timelines really

help keep the focus on work. When you see the work in such a clumped view it makes the work

seem impossible. This whole class was an introduction to a professional workplace. The group

learned how to become successful employees and how to be good coworkers. Without this

valuable life lesson, the group would have learned it at a later time in life and that could have

affected our professional lives.

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Special Thanks

Finally, we would like to give a special thanks to our three incredibly devoted mentors:

Russell Galli, Shaelyn Mathews, and Chris Finton. They were extremely helpful all throughout

this project to our group and were able to help guide us through difficult aspects of our project.

As well, we would like to thank Dermot Rice, Sydney Keizer, and Mark Schmidt for both

fundraising and helping with the product design/marketing. Finally, we’d like to show

appreciation for Mr. Tronconi for being a great outlet for support in class during our project and

teaching us how to properly behave in the workplace.

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