[Digestion] Early history of biodigesters

[Chris Hearn]

Hi Nicole

Was not aware of this but only been in Dunedin for 15 years.  The firm I work fro came from the NZ government research into vehicle fuel from biogas from fuel crop digestion and AD of primary industry wastes but in the 1970s.   This was often referred to as the "Invermay" work (the name of the Agricultural Research Station we were based at.

Possibly the reference is a mistake.  In the 1830s and 40s we had shore based whaling stations on the Otago Peninsula and at least one had a Steam Digester for whale oil extraction.  Real settlement did not start until 1848.
Otago is the name of the region (was a province).  Also the name of the peninsula.  It is a corruption of a Maori name for a settlement out on the peninsula when the whalers arrived.

Unfortunately I am away for the next 3wekks or so commissioning varuious large scale Pond based digester in Indonesia, Argentina and Brazil.

I will try to find out if there was any AD work done in the 1840s in Otago when I get back.

Regards


Chris Hearn
CPG New Zealand Ltd
T +64 3 470 7814  | F +64 3 479 2249  | M +64 21 912 096
Level 1, John Wickliffe House, 265-269 Princes Street, PO Box 910, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
cpg-global.com<http://www.cpg-global.com>

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
The information contained in this email communication may be confidential. You should only disclose, re-transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the information if you are authorised to do so. Any views expressed in this email communication are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of CPG New Zealand Ltd. CPG New Zealand Ltd does not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained nor that the communication is free of errors, virus or interference.
From: digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:digestion-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Nicole Labruto
Sent: Saturday, 8 October 2011 9:04 a.m.
To: digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Digestion] Early history of biodigesters


Hello,

I am a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and I am researching biodigesters and waste conversion. I am trying to discover the origins of this technology. From Paul Harris's useful website (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/history), I was able to find out that the earliest known examples of its construction were in Otago, New Zealand, and at the Matunga Leper Home near Mumbai, India. It has been difficult to find more information about these places, or other examples of its use.

If anyone has any information about either of these scenarios, or other instances of early biodigester construction or research, I would greatly appreciate your help.

Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Nicole

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org/attachments/20111008/6ea58d72/attachment.html>