<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Frans,<div><br></div><div>Good questions. From experience with smaller scale systems with chicken dung mixed with cow dung let me give a first attempt at an answer:</div><div><br></div><div>a) this should work well</div><div>b) the volume of the dung will increase because you mix the chicken droppings with water. and the effluent, while having a lower BOD than the influent, will not be low enough to dump. You will still have to find a way to use the droppings as fertilizer and now that the effluent is semiliquid it will be hard to transport.</div><div>c) this may solve part b) above, but I have no experience with this and I don't know if there are machines for this.</div><div><br></div><div>1) It can be used</div><div>2) You will have to kickstart at first, but you shouldn't have to afterwards</div><div>3) KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple) probably applies here. I think the tubular bag digesters would be best for you as they are cheap and easy.</div><div>4) As long as the average ambient temperature is above 20˚C year round you will not need to heat (even above 15˚C is okay. In Kenya we operate digesters at this temperature with no problem though 15˚C is too cold to start a digester we have found). Heating will just increase cost. If you want to get more gas out of the system, just get a larger bag digester. They are really cheap. Q energy in Uganda sells 300 meter cubed digesters for around $10,000. 150-300 meter cubed digester should be a good size for you. (I am guessing your chickens produce 40 to 100 g of droppings per day per chicken)</div><div>5) True, but only really at 55˚C which is a very difficult system to maintain.</div><div><br></div><div>Another consideration is that chicken droppings have lots of pebbles usually and I would guess this won't be a problem, though you may have to empty your digester every few years to get the pebbles out.</div><div><br></div><div>Others probably have more experience than me.</div><div><br><div apple-content-edited="true">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Kyle<br>Founder and Director of Technology<br>Schutter Energy Ltd.</div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">+254 703113383</div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">kyleschutter (skype)</div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><a href="http://www.takamotobiogas.com">www.takamotobiogas.com</a><br><br><br></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></span>
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<br><div><div>On 28 Nov, 2013, at 10:21 AM, Frans Somebody wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><p>Hi All.<br>
Although I have read a lot, I have no practical experience & would appreciate any ideas & suggestions.<br>
I have 37 000 laying hens but very limited access to cow dung.<br>
The reasons for starting digestion is, in order of priority;<br>
a) Fly control. Too many chemicals being used, which is not working anyway.<br>
b) Manure disposal.The dairy farmer who has taken it for 11 years is changing to sugar cane.<br>
c) Gas production. To assist in the drying of the slurry, for storage & sale.<br>
As a start & a test, I have ordered a heavy re-enforced plastic tube of approx 1.8m round X 10m long.<br>
Mh chalenges are;-<br>
1) I can find no information on pure chicken droppings. Can this be used?<br>
2) If I have to 'kick-start' the bacteria with cow dung, will it be necessary to re-do this at regular intervals?<br>
3) The most effectice system? Fixed dome, floating dome, tubes or?<br>
4) The recommended temp is 37 to 42C, others have suggested that much higher temp, (50), produce more gas.<br>
5) The advantage of higher temp could be a reduction in unwanted bacteria & seeds in the effluent.<br>
Thank you for allowing me on your forum.<br>
Frans (Swaziland)</p>
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