[Digestion] Manure biogas worms

[David Fulford]

Hello Paul, Wayne and listers,

SKG  Sangha  in South India has a very good system
that  links  biogas  and vermi-composting. The wet
slurry  from  a  biogas  plant  is  mixed with dry
biomass  (straw,  dried leaves etc) and allowed to
compost  for a few weeks. This is then placed in a
container with worms, which produce worms casts on
the  surface.  The  surface of the compost is kept
damp and shaded from the sun.

The  best  compost  comes  from  sweeping the worm
casts  off the surface each day and collecting it.
It can be dried and bagged and fetches a very good
price, almost the same as inorganic fertilizer per
kg  (or  pound). The Indian farmers claim they get
1/3  more production for many crops: e.g. carrots,
ginger,  cauliflower,  even  coconut and oil palm.
They  claim  they also get 1/3 more when they sell
the  crops  in  the market, as the quality is that
much higher.

See   www.Ashden.org  for  details, under winners.
VK   Nardep   is  another group in India that  has
used  this approach and won an Ashden award.

-- 
Best regards,
 David
  mailto:davidf at kingdombio.com

Monday, September 3, 2012, 8:00:51 AM, you wrote:

> Sent on behalf of Wayne,

> G'day all!

> I've come across an interesting case study using cow manure and
> vermiculture. Unfortunately, this list won't
> let the link be included. 
> Just google Large-Scale Vermicomposting of
> Dairy Manure (I hope this is 
> the link Wayne meant - 
> http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/1/1a/07decPPherlihy.pdf)

> Apart from the obvious digesting of what they
> pump off to the aeration 
> lagoon, I was wondering is if is possible to replace their
> Pre‐Vermicomposting Conditioning (composting
> active aeration) stage with 
> (probably high solids) anaerobic digestion? The goal would be to get
> some energy/biogas out of this input
> material/feedstock but leave enough 
> food for the worms to eat. That we get biogas,
> biofertilizer and worms 
> (as a high protein feed supplement) and well as serious odour
> elimination. If it is possible that what sort
> of retention time are we 
> looking at optimally?

> Blessings,
> Wayne



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Dr David Fulford CEnv MEI, 15, Brandon Ave, Woodley, Reading RG5 4PU
d.j.fulford at btinternet.com, Tel: +44(0)118 326 9779 Mob: +44(0)7746 806401
Kingdom Bioenergy Ltd, www.kingdombio.com, davidf at kindombio.com
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