Development of Biogas Digester Plant

Abstract

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a 31 litre biogas digester. The work was carried out at the National Centre for Energy Research and Development, University of Nigeria Nsukka. The aim is to establish an alternative, green, domesticated and cost effective source of energy for domestic purposes and also to provide a decentralized energy source that can easily be constructed, operated and maintained using waste from ruminating animals such as cows, poultry, pigs as the raw material for use in the production of the gas. The design of the digester includes the following concept; the basic principles of anaerobic digestion processes, socio-economic status, amount of biogas to be produced. A fixed dome digester type is designed, fabricated and constructed using locally available material, for optimum heat conduction and mass transfer to harness the potential of anaerobic digestion animal waste for the generation of methane gas by the decomposing actions of specific ‘domesticated’ bacteria on it. The result showed that the digester volume was 31 litres (31382.41 cm3), and the inlet and outlet chamber design was 2 litres (2345.22 cm3), the pressure was determined to be 5.72 psi (39438 N/ m2)