Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

The biogas experiment failed. The balloons did not inflate at all. At the end of the 12 days they had actually inverted. The bottles were kept in the garage with outside temperatures mainly in the 30s and 40s. I only have enough time to redo the experiment once. What should the minimum temperature be?

Hello,

This sounds like a great experiment! You might want to check out this link to a write up of a similar project, http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/fair/sciencefair.pdf

It mentions that the ideal temperature to produce biogas is 35 degrees Celsius, which is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Are you measuring temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit? This will make a big difference in your experiment. The biogas is produced by bacteria in the biomass, so the warm temperature is needed for the bacteria to grow. You also need to be sure that the animals whose manure you are using are not being given antibiotics, because these will kill the bacteria that are needed to produce the gas.

So I would recommend redoing your experiment with higher temperatures and checking the source of your manure.

Hope this helps, and Good Luck
Nithin T