<div>Dear Paul,</div>
<div>I would like to give an example of what you are saying. We have developed a domestic biogas plant having a digester of 1000 litre capacity, which accepts daily 10 kg macerated green leaves as feedstock. The biogas plant produces daily about 800 litres biogas, which is enough for a family of 4 or 5 persons to cook their daily food with. One requires a plot of only about 50 square meters (7mX7m) to obtain the daily quantum of 10 kg leaves. Depending upon the season, it requires daily from 250 to 400 litres water, which can be the wash- and bath water generated by the household. The effluent from the biogas plant goes back into the plot. So one is harvesting the sunlight in this plot of land and delivering it in the form of methane into the kitchen.</div>
<div>Yours</div>
<div>A.D.Karve <br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 7:58 AM, Paul Harris <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:paul.harris@adelaide.edu.au">paul.harris@adelaide.edu.au</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">G’day All,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">As a generalisation Westerners tend to have “tunnel vision”, so only concentrate on one thing (I know this does not apply to all members of this group!). This is from my observations and I don’t have too much experience in other cultures for comparison. I think it really results from our “reductionist” approach, or maybe the approach is a result of this limitation.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">As a result some people see AD as “biogas”, some as “Carbon”, some as “waste disposal”, some as “pathogen reduction” and some as “fertiliser”. What we really need to do is see anaerobic digestion as all of the above and as part of a larger system. This involves a move away from the typical Western “linear” approach (of extract, use, discard) to a more cyclic approach (we have a Reuse, Recycle, Reduce slogan going around, sometimes with a 4<sup>th</sup> R that I can’t remember). I know some areas have been doing this for centuries, and even Westerners used to be better at it (before coal and oil!).</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Happy digesting,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">HOOROO</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Consolas; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt">Mr. Paul Harris, Room S116b, Waite Main Building Faculty of Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB 1, Glen Osmond SA 5064 Ph : +61 8 8303 7880 Fax : +61 8 8303 4386 <a href="mailto:paul.harris@adelaide.edu.au" target="_blank">mailto:paul.harris@adelaide.edu.au</a> <a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/paul.harris" target="_blank">http://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/paul.harris</a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang="EN-US"> <a href="mailto:digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>P M Allison<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, 18 November 2010 6:06 PM<br><b>To:</b> digestion<br><b>Subject:</b> [Digestion] Re Digestate as fertilizer</span></p></div></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The use of digestate for crop fertilizers, is to me the very best option. </span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The material contains all the nutrients required by plant-life as it is made up of the very same ingredients. </span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Laboratory analysis of the spent material confirms this.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">A very similar substance is derived from vermiculture.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The main problem with spent digestate is the fiber content. This will create nozzle lock-up on any spray delivery system. Fiber is not digested by anaerobes or worms.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">If the digestate is splayed too thick it will smother soil and emerging plants.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The simple solution is to vibro filter the fiber and undigested material from the slurry. The solid matter is ideal for pelletizing and broadcast delivery.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The resultant liquid component is a colloidal nutrient complex containing the same ingredients as the original material but in plant ready form.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">This liquid does contain particulate matter which can clog nozzles. My solution to this is to centrifuge the liquid and trap out the sedimentary material leaving a purely colloidal substance. This can be used as a foliar fertilizer when diluted with water as the substance is too rich to be used neat.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The trapped debris is a rich nutrient mud, primordial ooze so to speak. This is also rich in nutrient and the finest of carbon flocs. An ideal binder for pelletizing the solid matter initially extracted.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">By the way, the carbon flocs are the same as those used carbon-fiber production.</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Biogas is a wonderful bonus to the system, but should not be the be-all and end-all of the process. The spent material is the sort of substance which will make sustainable agriculture a much better option than what chemical farming will ever do. The crop improves, the soil improves, the soil biology improves, soil moisture holding capacity improves, soil carbon increases. Remember, it's the dark matter which differentiates soil from being just lifeless dirt.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Regards,</span></p></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Peter.</span></p></div></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>Digestion mailing list<br><br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br>
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<br>for more information about digestion, see<br>Beginner's Guide to Biogas<br><a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/" target="_blank">http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/</a><br>and the Biogas Wiki <a href="http://biogas.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">http://biogas.wikispaces.com/</a><br>
<br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>***<br>Dr. A.D. Karve<br>President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)<br><br>*Please change my email address in your records to: <a href="mailto:adkarve@gmail.com">adkarve@gmail.com</a> *<br>
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