Biogas Question For Science Fair

[scoullidesc]

Hi,

When doing biomass to biogas experiment using fruit/vegetables do you still need to add cow manure? I'm not quite sure how to guide her to set-up the project. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[PharmaMan]

Hello,

Just to clarify, are you trying to do the "From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy" project on our website? If so, based on what I reviewed in the project description, it seems to be a necessary component. However, if this is not possible, there may be alternatives that you can buy at the store. I'd check out what fertilizers or other manure substitutes are available at any gardening stores nearby. Let us know if you have further questions.

Best,
Pharma

[scoullidesc]

Hi Pharma,

Thank you for your response. No, she's not trying to do the one from this website. She did some research and there is a girl who did this type of project testing which waste materials produce the most gas, the waste materials is either a fruit or vegetable. I'm just not sure if cow manure must be used or is it okay to just use the fruit/vegetable waste? I'm also unclear how long the actual project takes to produce the gas. Do we sit and watch this for 2 weeks lol. Any guidance in the right direction will be great. I guess I will be learning right along with my daughter. If you can believe that our library didn't have a book regarding this type of project. Thank you!

[scoullidesc]

If there isn't an alternative to fresh cow manure, can you please guide me where exactly does one purchase fresh cow dong from?

[PharmaMan]

I'm not sure I'm the right person to guide you on this project, and hopefully another expert can weigh in on this. However, I'd think that if you did not use a fertilizer/manure, the decomposition will take a significantly longer time. I would try asking someone at your local Home Depot or gardening store to see what alternatives you could use instead of manure.

If you check out the "From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy" project page on our website (just put the title in the search bar on the main site, and then it's the third link down), it has a link to find local farms (under the materials page on the biomass project site) that might be able to provide you with fresh manure. Also check out this project page for further ideas and a guide as to how to perform this type of project.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

-Pharma