ASCOT Research International Journal, Volume 3, December 2010

OV-UVFO MOVAGAS DIGESTER USING CHICKEN MANURE AND SAWDUST AS SUBSTRATES

Digma, Geronimo L., and Macose Eduardo F. Aurora State College of Technology, Baler Aurora 3200 Philippines

ABSTRACT This study aimed to test Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester using chicken manure and sawdust as slurry to produce methane gas. This gas can be used as fuel and the slurry from the digester will serve as organic fertilizer in solid and liquid form. The study used one 200 liter plastic drum as a digester and two 180 liter gas holders. Chicken manure and sawdust were being used as substrates with a ratio of 1:1 kilo. Fifteen kilogram of cow manure and 150 liters of water were fed to the digester as starter for anaerobic bacteria. After 20 days, 13 kg of chicken manure and 3 kg of sawdust were fed to the digester. Methane gas started to accumulate on the 30th day after the starter cow manure was fed to the digester. On the 33rd day 4.07 cubic feet methane gas was accumulated in two gasholders. Accumulated methane gas was tested by lighting the burner connected to the gas holder. The flame color was bluish. Average methane gas volume accumulated daily was 4.07 cubic feet and monthly average was 122.1 cubic feet. It was observed in 4 months duration. The accumulated 4.07 cubic feet of methane gas was used to cooked rice and viand for a family of five with one cooking time a day. Twenty percent (20%) solid slurry or 3 kg of solid was removed from the digester and replaced every ten days. Solid waste from the digester was utilized as fertilizer. INTRODUCTION Methane digestion is an anaerobic process, it occurs in the absence of oxygen. In anaerobic digestion, organic matter is mixed with large population of microorganisms under conditions where air is excluded. Anaerobic bacteria grow under this condition and capable in converting organic waste to Carbon Dioxide and Methane gas. There are two phases of anaerobic digestion; first, the complex organic waste will be converted to acid forms and second, the organic acids are converted by a special group of bacteria called the methane formers into gaseous carbon dioxide and methane. Anaerobic fermentation of animal manure
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and industrial waste produce methane gas for cooking. The slurry from the digester is a good source of Compost and Liquid Fertilizer (CLF) for plants. Commonly constructed digesters are tanks (Rectangular and Dome type) made of cement, bricks and special plastic, they may be dug in or fixed in nature, occupy space and are expensive. They also need bulk waste materials to operate. There are portable biogas modified locally but they need 10 drums for the digesters and four drums for the gas holder (a BioCLF model of DA-CVIARC, Ilagan, Isabela, modified Sri-Lankian biogas technology). The author designed an Ov-uvfo Movagas using 200 liter plastic drum as digester and two 180 liter drums as gas holder. A single liquid gas burner was converted as a biogas burner. Ov-uvfo is a Bontoc term of doing work as a group and Movagas as Movable biogas. A good starter for the digester is cow manure which is gradually replaced with Chicken manure and saw dust - 50% sawdust and 50% chicken manure. It is diluted in three parts of liquid. Twenty percent (20%) is replaced every 10 days. Once the slurry that is removed from the digester settles, the liquid is taken and used for the new dilution, while the solid particles are dried and the compost is utilized as organic fertilizer. Very expensive designs of biogas are not accessible and affordable to the lower class of society. Also, they are fixed and not easy to transfer. An industrial waste once burned can cause pollution to the air and if they are thrown in the land it will cause uncollected methane. Manure becomes habitat of insects that carry bacteria, if it is uncollected it emits bad odor. Using an Ov-uvfo Movagas we can transform industrial waste and manure to fuel and we can generate a Compost Liquid Fertilizer for our plants. Full operation of Ov-uvfo Movagas is not a task of one person but a task of the whole family. Ov-uvfo Movagas is not only a technology but it is a way of life that one can contribute to combat global warming. It is passion in dealing with our biodegradable waste, uncollected manures that emit methane gas, dependency on wood as fuel, and pollution from burning dried leaves and papers. With this technology we will be able to conserve scarce natural resource that diminishes due to emission of gas. This project aims to develop a movable biogas digester using plastic drums and to use manure and local industrial wastes as slurry to the digester.

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Specifically, the project aimed: 1. To use 200-liter plastic drum as digester; 2. To use 2 drums with 200-liter capacity and 1 drum 150 liter capacity as gas holder; 3. To use chicken dung and sawdust as slurry to the digester; 4. To use accumulated methane gas for cooking. MATERIALS AND METHODS a) Materials The materials used as a digester were 1 plastic drum with 200-liter capacity, and 2 plastic drums with 180-liter capacity as gas holder and two 200liter capacity as base of the gas holder. The total material cost was Four Thousand One Hundred Two pesos (PhP 4,102.00) as shown in the table below. The plastic drums that were used were chemical empty containers that are being sold from authorized empty drum dealers. PVC pipe (orange), air hose (red), gate valve and clean out. PVC adopter was also used in the project which can be purchased locally. Qty Unit Particular Price Total 3 Pc Plastic Drum 200 liter capacity 500.00 1,500.00 2 Pc Plastic Drum 150 liter capacity 450.00 900.00 3.5 Ft PVC pipe 4 X 4 (orange) 65.00 227.50 15 M Air hose (red) 20.00 300.00 1 Pc T joint (gas joint) 3/8 85.00 85.00 2 Pc Gate Valve 3/8 100.00 200.00 1 Pc Clean out 65.00 65.00 1 sachet Vulca seal 45.00 45.00 4 Pc Male PVC Adopter (1/2) blue 10.00 40.00 4 pc Female PVC Adopter (1/2) blue 10.00 40.00 1 pc Single burner 650.00 650.00 1 load Sand 37.50 37.50 3 kl Portland Cement 4.00 12.00 Total 4,102.00

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b) Methodology 1. Construction of Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester a) Assembling the Digester. Four (4) inches PVC pipe was installed to a 200 liter plastic drum capacity. The lower portion of the PVC pipe was cut diagonally measuring 8 inches in height. The said PVC pipe was inserted at the top of the drum; solvent cement was used to connect the cover and the PVC pipe. Vulcaseal was also used to support the connection. Clean out was also installed at the top of the PVC pipe. Likewise air hose was connected from the digester to the gas holder and from gas holder to the burner. All fitting were sealed to avoid leak of gas. Valve was installed adjacent to the digester and another valve was installed between the gas holder and the burner. The top of the digester was cemented to support the inlet and the air hose. b) Two small drums were placed in inverted position to the two bigger drums. Air hose was connected from the gas holder to the burner. The two drums (gas holder base) were three fourths filled with water. 2. Activation of the digester. a) Fifteen (15) kg of cow manure was diluted to 150 liters of water then fed to the digester. After 20 days 20% of the solid slurry was removed and replaced with new substrate of chicken manure and sawdust. b) One and half (1.5) kg of chicken manure and 1.5 kg sawdust were mixed. The liquid portion of the removed slurry was used to dilute the next mixture. c) Every ten days 20% of solid slurry was removed and replaced with a new mixture. The solid was separated from the liquid and the liquid was used to dilute the new substrate/slurry. Water was added to attain 90% dilution. d) Stirring every five days was done to the digester to avoid hardening of the substrate/slurry in the upper portion of the digester. This also facilitated the movement of methane gas to the gas holder. 3. Solid parts of the slurry was further composted and utilized as organic fertilizer. 4. Utilization of the gas as fuel. The gas emitted from the digester was listed daily. Pressure of the methane gas was also recorded. Weight was added to the top of the gas holder to push methane gas to the burner. The burner that was used was a converted standard burner.
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ASCOT Research International Journal, Volume 3, December 2010

RESULTS Gas started to accumulate on the 30th day since the starter was introduced to the digester. Gas of 4.07 cubic feet was accumulated on the 33rd day and on that same day the gas was lighted and it was observed that the flame was bluish. Gas pressure was tested using pressure gauge and it registered a pressure of 0.25 pounds per inch (psi). The digester accumulated an average of 4.07 cubic feet of gas per day and which was observed for 4 months. The accumulated gas 4.07 cubic feet was utilized to cook rice and viand for 5 persons daily. The said gas accumulated per day was good for one cooking only per day. Nine kilograms of compost fertilizer was gathered monthly and ninety liters of liquid fertilizer was extracted per month. Total cost of materials used in the project was P 4,102.00. The materials were purchased locally. DISCUSSION Results show that the Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester emitted gas of 4.07 cubic feet per day which could be utilized for cooking once a day for a family of five. Thirty packs of charcoal at P10 per pack amounting to three hundred pesos (P300) can be saved per month in using the Ov-uvfo Movagas. Nine kilograms of compost fertilizer was extracted from the digester which is worth P6 per kilo with a total of P54.00 per month. Ninety liters of liquid fertilizer was extracted from the Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester per month which is worth P0.50 per liter with a total of P4.50 per month. A grand total of P358.50 is being saved per month in using this technology. The total cost of materials used in the project was P 4,102.00. The materials were purchased locally. P 1,434.00 was saved in four months duration. It will take 11.5 months to recover the initial amount invested in the project. Data shows that a low pressure of gas passes from the digester to the gas holder and to the burner with only 0.25 psi so it needs to put a weight on the gasholder to push the gas to the burner. The methane gas emitted for 1 day did not reach the maximum capacity of the gas holder so there is no accumulated pressure because it was being used daily. Additional weight was put at the top of the gas holder to push the gas to the burner.

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The 200 liter capacity Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester emitted methane gas with a blue flame. The average gas accumulated per day is only good for 1 cooking, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION a. Conclusion. Based on data gathered and actual cooking the movagas digester accumulates methane gas good for one cooking a day for a family of five. The design is functional as it can accumulate an average of 4.07 cubic feet daily. No high pressure was recorded so it is safe for explosion. Eighteen kilograms of sawdust did not burn and eighteen kilograms of chicken manure did not emit bad odor because they were fermented in the digester and ready to be used as organic fertilizer. Since it was fermented the solid and liquid fertilizer from the digester can be used in vegetables following proper recommended dilution so it will not harm the plants. The author named the digester as Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester, Ov-uvfo meaning bayanihan because it is not only one but all the family members help each other in the operation of the digester, collecting manure and sawdust, mixing the digester every five days and storing the Compost Liquid Fertilizer and Compost Fertilizer and utilizing them as fertilizer in backyard gardening. Utilizing industrial waste by not burning them but using them in the digester is a modest contribution in caring for our environment and reducing global warming. The odor of chicken manure decreased after passing through anaerobic fermentation; Compost Liquid Fertilizer is produced and it served as a venue for family working together. Also, dependence of the family in using charcoal lessened secondary to minimized cutting of trees for fuel. The digester should be frequently stirred to avoid hardening of substrate at the top of the digester. Observe proper dilution of solid and liquid to facilitate good anaerobic fermentation, some liquid from the digester can be utilized to dilute the new substrate. It is recommended to use 3 digesters with a capacity of 200 liters to satisfy the need of the family of five in cooking three times a day, and also opportunity for using methane gas for lighting purposes. Other substrate like kitchen left over, vegetables and fallen leaves can also be use as a substrate.

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The slurry from the digester should be diluted with water to avoid stress and entrance of pathogen to the plants. Make use of the opportunity to methane gas as lighting, and challenge the College to develop a low cost methane gas lighting fixture. Illustration of the Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester
Inlet Gas Hose to the Burner Gas Valve

Digester

Water Level

Methane Gas Holder

The Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester Project

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author wishes to express his heartfelt thanks, gratitude and great indebtedness to the following persons who in one way or another have helped him in the accomplishment of the project: To Ronald Biares who helped him in gathering data and assisting him in putting and removing substrate mixture to the Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester; Dr. Eutiquio L. Rotaquio, for opening opportunities to the students to be involved in college research, also in facilitating funding for the project to construct new set of Ov-uvfo Movagas Digester; Dr. Eusebio V. Angara, for the encouragement and support for the project; Ms. Arceli C. Bitancor, for her time in editing the manuscript; The Staff of Research and Extension Office for providing technical assistance, time in monitoring the project and other forms of support during the project data gathering; Mr. Edgar Guevara, of Geo Farm Philippines for providing appropriate technology manual on Biogas with a design of 2 meters X 5 meter rectangle type of cement digester using manure, urban waste and agricultural product as a substrate; To the Department of Agriculture Ilagan, Isabela for their BioCLF model using 10 drums as a digester and using rice straw as a substrate with a batch system.; To my wife Mildred, my daughters Sierra Cordillera and Amihan Namnama for trimming the family budget in order to purchase materials for the digester; for the support and encouragement they have given to achieve the project goal. REFERENCES October 2002, Technology, Manila Bulletin Agriculture Monthly Magazine, Philippines, pages 40-44 December 2009, LEISA, Low External Input and Sustainable Magazine, Netherlands, Volume 24 no. 4 Pages 22-23 2002, Integrated Appropriate Technology, Geo Farm Manual, Pangasinan Philippines.

ASCOT Research International Journal, Volume 3, December 2010