Trash to Gas Project- Please advise

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Sona123
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:14 pm
Occupation: Student

Trash to Gas Project- Please advise

Post by Sona123 »

Hello! I am doing the Trash to gas project for my school STEM fair. I have done the procedure as described and placed them in the patio. Even after 3 days I don't see the balloons inflating, instead they are sinking in the bottles. Weather is cold (30-50F). Please advise to make my project successful.Thanks in advance.
RicaC
Former Student Expert
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:14 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Trash to Gas Project- Please advise

Post by RicaC »

Dear Sona123,

As the temperature decreases, the gas molecules in the balloon move less faster and have weaker collusions with the interior wall of the balloon. As a result, it is hard for the balloons to inflate in a cold weather. Is there a warmer place where you can place the balloons?

RicaC
Sona123
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:14 pm
Occupation: Student

Re: Trash to Gas Project- Please advise

Post by Sona123 »

RicaC,
Thank you so much for your advise. I had moved the bottles indoor after being kept outside for 3 days. Today is the 3rd day since the bottle is indoor (75 degree F). There is not any progress yet. Not sure what to do. Should I wait or should I repeat the experiment? :(
Thanks,Sona123
Sona123
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:14 pm
Occupation: Student

From Trash to Gas

Post by Sona123 »

Hello!
I am doing the 'From trash to gas' project for my science fair. I am on the 6th day of the experiment. But none of the balloons are inflated.
1) On the initial 2-3 days, there seemed to be a little gas in the balloons with CM + veg Peeling, and I could see bubbles also in the bottles. But now, there are no bubbles, also what ever (little) gas was there in the balloons seems to be lost.
2) Bottles with only CM are showing some bubbles now, but balloons are not at all inflated, rather they are sucked in.
3) In the bottles with banana + CM, Biomass is floating on the top of the bottles. 2 out of 3 bottles seems to have fungi growth on the top.

All bottles are at 75 degree F. I am not sure if there is any progress in the biogas production or not.
Kindly advise.
Thanks,
Sona

moderator note: Please keep all of your posts in the same thread so the expert who has been helping you will see your follow-up question. Thanks and good luck!
RicaC
Former Student Expert
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:14 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Trash to Gas Project- Please advise

Post by RicaC »

Dear Sona,

I apologize for this late reply.

Answer to 1) and 2) : Have you looked at "Troubleshooting" section in "From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy" (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure)? According to the section, you should make sure that the manure is fresh, you could possibly increase the amount of manure, and you could check to make sure that the balloons do not have any holes and that they are completely sealed around the mouth of each bottle.

Answer to 3) : The fungi growth might be indicating that manure is not fresh anymore. You could increase the amount of manure, vegetable peels, and mashed banana by the same amount. By doing this, this might help the balloons to inflate.

"I am not sure if there is any progress in the biogas production or not." : In "From Trash to Gas: Biomass Energy", it says, "If you see a buildup of biomass at the top of any of your bottles, as shown here, this can prevent some biogas from getting into the balloon. To dislodge the biomass, carefully tilt the bottle (so that it is momentarily horizontal). Make sure you treat all of the bottles the same way." Check to make sure that there is no buildup of biomass, since this might be one of the reasons why you cannot clearly see biogas production.

Again, I am truly sorry for not noticing your follow-up questions. I hope this helps you.

RicaC
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