Biogas user manual

BELIZE BIOGAS EXTENSION PROGRAMM

USER MANUAL
OF
BIOGAS PLANTS

Belize Biogas Extension Programme, Central Farm, Cayo District

USER MANUAL
OF
BIOGAS PLANTS

by: Belize Biogas Extension Programme
Cental Farm, Cayo District
Tel : 092 – 2129 / 31

Belize, 1992

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USER MANUAL

Table of Contents

Page

1.0 Why this Manual? …………………………………………………. 4

2.0 Operation and Maintenance ………………………………………... 5
2.1 The Initial Filling of the Biogas Plant …………………..… 5
2.2 Operation of the Biogas Plant………………………………… 5
2.3 Regular Maintenance of Appliances…………………………. 6
2.4 Faults of Appliance ………………………………………….. 7
2.5 Interruption of Gas Production ……………………………… 7
2.6 The Trouble of Scum …………………………………………. 8
2.7 Trouble with Feeding ………………………………………… 8

3.0 Use of Slurry ………………………………………………………. 8
3.1 General Properties …………………………………………... 8
3.2 The Slurry Disposal …………………………………………. 10
3.3 Use of Liquid Slurry ……………………………………….. 12
3.4 Use of Slurry for Compost …………………………………. 12
3.5 Recommendations for the use of Slurry ……………………. 11

4.0 Use of Gas ………………………………………………………… 12
4.1 General …………………………………………………….. 12
4.2 Commercial Domestic Burners to operate with Biogas ……. 12
4.3 Gas Lamps …………………………………………………. 13
4.3.1 Security Advise for your Health ……………………. 13

5.0 Simple Plant Malfunctions and Remedial Measures ……………… 14
5.1 Potential Repair Situations for simple Biogas Plants ……… 14

6.0 Safety Measures …………………………………………………... 15
6.1 Safe Residue Discharge …………………………………… 15

Biogas owners willing to share their expertise..………………………. 15
Biogas Constructors and Masons ……………………………………. 16
Selected Literature ……….…………….……………………… 16

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1.0 Why This Manual ?
Like a ll mach in er y, the b io gas un its a nd the ir ap plia nces n eed
regular ma inte nance ser vice . In ord er to facilitate th is ser vice, th is
man ua l is offered t o yo u so th at you can le arn to d o these ser vice
yourse lf, whene ver necessar y a nd wh ene ver techn ica l ass istance is not
readily at han d.

After so met imes in o peration s ma ll fa ilures or acc idents occur. I n
the lon g ter m techn ica l ass istance m ay n ot availa ble d ue to personne l
lim itat ions in the pro gra m me , wh ile you the o wner ma y not be a ble to
afford the cost of private techn ic ian. For th is reason th is ma nua l will
offer the kno w-h o w ne cessar y to so lve sma ll fa ilures such as lea ka ge ’s,
necessar y c onnect io ns, ado ptions, et c., so that you the o wn er is not
depend ent tota lly u pon th e b io gas per sonne l.

On ly b y co m pletely un derstand in g yo ur plant yo ur b io gas s yste m
can you get the most out of it. T his man ua l will he lp you in crease the
kno w-ho w of your u nit s o that yo u will benef it m ore fro m the e ner gy
produce d an d ut ilize is pro perly.

Photo No.1: Canal of piggery unit, connected to the Biogas Plant of Mr. Ebral Mai,
San Antonio, Cayo District

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2.0 O per ation and M aintena nce
2.1 The Initial F illing of the B iogas P la nt
T he in it ia l fillin g for a n e w b io gas pla nt sho uld, if p ossib le ,
cons ist of either s lurr y fro m anoth er plant or fresh cattle dun g. T he
amo unt of digested s lurr y or cattle d un g sho uld be 2 – 3% of the total
amo unt of s lurr y for in it ial load in g.
W hen the p lant is be in g filled for th e first time , the s ubstrate can be
diluted with m ore water than usua l.
Depe nd in g o n the t ype of su bstrate in use , the p lant ma y ne e d
from se vera l d a ys to se vera l wee ks to achie ve a stab le d igest in g
process. Catt le d un g can usua lly be exp ected to yie ld goo d gas
product ion with in on e or t wo d a ys. Ho we ver, the ver y f irst gas
product ion after clos in g th e p lant, s h ould be vented unus ed for reas ons
of safet y, s inc e res idua l ox ygen p oses an ex plosion hazard.

2.2 O peration of the B iogas P lant
T he operat ion of a s imp le b io gas p la nt is re lat ive l y
unco mp licated. T he ease of ma intena nce ensures consta nt attention b y
the farmer. Ne verthe less , e ven wit h a perfect design, a m in imu m of
daily care is n eeded to rece ive a pro pe r servic e fro m the un it.

The lid. T he sealin g of the lid must stay mo ist. T herefore, the lid m ust
be co vered with water all the t ime. I n order to reduce e vaporat io n and
mos qu ito bree din g, mac h ine o il ca n be add ed o n the surfac e of the
water. Atte ntion ! M inera l o il po llutes gro und water an d sho uld be use d
in sm all qua ntit ies a nd with care. Fr om time to t ime the water ab o ve
the lid must be c hec ke d and ref illed when necessar y. Whe n water is
controlle d, p oss ib le lea ke d at the lid a re als o detected .

Exp ansio n cham ber. Once in a wh ile the expans ion c ha mber sho uld be
clean ed in order to avo id solids ass emb lin g in the corners and thus ,
reduc in g th e gas st ora ge ca pac it y.

F eeding th e pla nt. T he plant must be fed re gu lar ly in or der to ac h ie ve
gas produ ctio n. T he sub strate shou ld be free of stalks and other
impur it ies in ord er to a vo id scu m for mat ion a nd b lo c ka ge of the in let
and out let p ipes. T he ne xt step shou ld be to m ix th e dun g s uffic ie ntly
wit h urin e and/or water to a vo id sepa ration of so lid and liq uid mater ia l
ins ide the d ige ster.
T he overflo w s lurr y s hou ld b e m o ved a wa y fro m the o utle d. Other wise
it can be b loc k the o verf lo w and the gas pressur m igth increase until it
escapes throu gh the in let pipe or blo ws off the water trap. T herefore,
the outlet and the s lurr y cana l must be cleane d. T his must be part of the
daily rout ine of c lean in g the stab le an d feed in g the p lant.

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2.3. Regular maintenance of appliances
Bio gas c ooke rs and st oves ar e
simp le an d eas y to op erate. T here is no
ma intena nce neede d besides keep in g it
clean , in case of harden ed kn obs, it is
necessar y that the y be c lea ned and
greas ed.
It is po ssible to us e an y t ype of coo kers
or sto ves e. g. b utane gas c oo kers. B ut it
is n ecessar y t o ex pand or ch an ge the
injectors (to a bout 1. 4 – 1 .6. m m) and the
air supp ly needs to be c lose d. B io gas
contains ab out 1 – 2 % su lfur ic a cid.
T hat’s the reas on wh y simp le gas st o ves
are gett in g ( most ly) corros io n after one
or two years of use. It is therefore
recom me nded to use so lid stee l coo kers
to a vo id th is corros ion .

T he glass scree n of the gas-lam p Photo No. 2: Cooking with Biogas
needs c le an in g in or der to ha ve br ight in San Antonio, Cayo District
light a ll the time . Clean in g sho uld be
done on ly if necess ar y to a vo id sh oc ks on the la mp that can d estro y the
gas mant le. Gas m antles of la mps only ha ve a certain lifet ime a nd
ou ght to be rep lace d freque ntly. T he y are f ixe d with strin g to the
nozz le an d rep lace me nt is eas y and do es not req uire and s kill.

Attentio n! Use d m antles are rad ioac tive. T herefore , dust or p ieces of
the bro ken mant le shou ld not co me in contact with foodstuff. Ch ildren
shou ld be protected fro m inha lin g th e dust. Hands an d wor kin g p lace
shou ld b e c leane d with water after replace m ent of the ma ntle (see a lso
point 4.4 Se c urit y ad vises for your he alth)

M ain P oints f or the Da ily Operat io n/ Re gu lar M a intenan ce are :
 Fill the p lant wit h m ixture of dun g an d water/ur in
 Chec k the water trap from t ime to tim e, espec ially whe n there is n o
gas a va ilab le or when the f la me of t he coo ker is puff in g
 P oke the in let or out let p ip e fro m time to t ime, es pec ia lly if
substrate does not e nter the p la nt
 Clean a nd ins pect the gas ap plia nce re gular ly
 Keep the o verflo w free fro m s lurr y
 Chec k, if the lid of the digester is co v ered with water
 Chec k the gas va lve s, tube s and fitt in gs

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After one yea r: Inspect the digester f or scum for mation and re mo ve as
necessar y b y o pen in g the p la nt.

2.4. Faults at Appliances
It is surpr isin g to see, h o w m uch comp la ints ar ise b ecaus e
equip ment was not kept c lea n. Often f ood dr ops int o the burner head b it
somet imes dust or c in der b lo c k th e jets of t he b urners or la mps.
Nor ma lly, b loc ka ge of the jet is rem o ved with he lp of a fine wire or
need le.

On ly whe n bloc ka ge occurs in s h ort inter va ls, the jet must be
dis mant led an d c leane d. T he rubb er tube is t o be d isco nnected and
freed from dust b y b lo win g throu gh. If a lamp starts to loose its
brightness, it is ver y like ly that dust partic les ha ve b loc ked the no zzle.
Aga in , the n ozz le must be u nscre wed and c lean ed .

2.5 Interru ption of Gas P ro ductio n
If there is sud den ly no gas reac hin g the po int of use, there mus t
be a lea ka ge so me wh ere, o b vious ly in the p ipe or water trap.

If yo u are the o wner of a f ixe d do me plant , chec k th e slurr y le ve l in the
outlet c ha mber f irst. If the le ve l is high, there s hou ld be gas pressure,
or there must be a bloc ka ge so me whe re: If the slurr y le ve l is lo w, f irst
close the ma in va lve of the gas p ipe (on the p lant). Wa it o ne d a y for
gas press ure b u ildin g up. If ga s is pr oduced , wh ich can be seen o n the
higher s lurr y le ve l or if bu bb les c om e up th ere must be a prob le m in the
pipe .
If the slurr y le ve l is st ill do wn ther e m ight be a b igger pr ob le m. A
crac k in t he d o me is th e worst of a ll cases. T he p lant must be e mptied
and crac ks must be re pa ired. But don ’t th in k ne gative; th is rare ly
happens and in Be liz e we ha ven ’t ha d not yet an y suc h case .

Obser ve a lso the sm ell of the s lurr y. If it s me lls sour, t he fer mentat ion
process has been d isturb ed. Wa it so me t ime (1 to 3 wee ks) witho ut
feedin g the p lant. If gas pr oduct ion d oes n ot start be it se lf a gain, t he
plant must be e mpt ied an d ref ille d wit h fresh material. But s uch a
brea kdo wn of ferme ntatio n is ver y rar e except in case of a nim al dis ease
treated with high d oses of ant ib iot ic.

Start in g a b io gas plant or after cleanin g (em pt yin g), man ure from
rum ina nts e. g. c attle, is us eful to start the fer mentat ion proce ss, or use
the slurr y fro m yo ur fertilizer cha mbe r also, be cause it conta ins a lread y
the necessar y methan o gen ic bacter ia f or the gas prod uction.

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2.6 The P ro blem of Scum
If there is hea vy gas re lease fro m t he in let b ut n ot en ou gh gas
availa ble for use, scu m is mo st like ly the reason. Often the gas pressure
does not bu ild up bec ause of the cont inuous re lease throu gh the inlet. If
slurr y doe s not o verflo w there is da n ger of bloc kin g the gas p ipe b y
ris in g s cu m. T he lid m ust be opene d a nd the sc u m has to be ta ken out.

Stra w, grass, sta lks a nd e ven a lread y dried dun g tends t o float to the
surface. Solid and minera l material tends to s in k to the botto m. W ith
pure an d fresh catt le or p ig dun g there shou ld be n o scu m prob le m.

2.7 Tro uble with F eedi ng t he P lant
W hene ver there is a prob le m of char gin g d un g and water to th e
plant , there must be a b loc ka ge at the in let or out let p ipe.
T he prob le m m ight be c aused b y fibrous su bstrate and cou ld be so lved
b y thoro u gh po kin g. If th is happe ns often, t here m ight be scu m
bloc ka ge in the inlet or/and out let pip e. Be enterin g a stic k or p ip e into
the in let o ne ma y f in d out the nature of the b loc ka ge. On ly in serious
cases the p la nt need s to be e mpt ied.

3.0 U se of Slurr y
3.1 G ener al P roperties
D igested substrate ( B iofertilizer) has almost no s me ll an d is more
liqu id than u nd igested dun g. B iof ertilizer increas e the biolo gica l
activit y and the h u mus content of th e so il. W hich th an incre ases the
mo isture retent io n and t he nutr ient retention . Like wise ph ys ica l an d
technical prop erties of the s oil are bet ter after biofert ilizer ap plicat io n.
Am on g the various effects we see for e. g. th at so il is more porous and
has a greater a vera ge of partic les afte r 2 – 3 years of slurr y a pp lication.
T he betterme nt in a ll areas ( biolo gica l, ph ys ica l, che m ica l resu lts) give
you a higher so il fertilit y and ma n y tests prove the greater yie ld
increas e b y us in g b iofertilizer (s lurr y) .

D igested slurr y has to keep mo ist o r co vered b y so il to preser ve its
fertilizer va lue . T he best wa y is to br in g it im m ed iately in liqu id for m
to the roots of the p lants. An other p ossib ilit y is to co mp ost the slurr y
toget her with or ga nic material.

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M an y che m ica l pr ocesses ta ke plac e at the same t ime wh ich n eed
different attent ion. But in ge nera l, t wo ru les must be fo llo wed for
preser vin g the p lant nutr ients of bo th the undigested dun g a nd the
dige sted s lurr y:
 Avo id lon g stora ge t ime a nd
 Keep m anure m oist and co vere d

It is better to use s lurr y d irect ly e. g. to fod der gra ss or trees tha n o n
annua l cro ps like ma ize or m illet.

Pigpen

Biogas Digester

Slurry Tank

Fodder Grass

Vegetable field near the Plant: 2.5% slope
Slurry is spread on by buckets

Fig No. 1: Example of Slurry Distribution by Gravity
Distribution channels need a slope for drainage. The slurry is dumped amongst the pasture
when cleaning the channels. Slurry flows mainly to recently harvested areas. Slurry is spread
on vegetable fields higher than the outlet and near the plant by bucket.

3.2 The Slurr y Dispos al
Cle ver a nd rea listic p lan nin g of the s ite of s lurr y ut iliz atio n
is the ke y to an econo m ica l b io gas unit. Insuff ic ient slurr y
disp osa l leads bloc ka ge of the out let and r isin g gas press ure
ins ide the f ixed do me pla nt. T he va lu e of d igested slurr y is ab out
t wic e as mu ch as that of fresh dun g.

Slurr y man ure must rea ch the crops witho ut loos in g too m uch of its
fertilizer va lue. Whe ne ver poss ible, slurr y sh ou ld be d istr ibuted

9


direct ly to the crop b y gra vit y. T he best wa y is us in g irr igat ion
channe ls for slurr y d istr ibut ion .
If fertilizer follo ws the crop p in g patte rn, space for a liqu id stora ge tan k
of suffic ie nt s ize must be pro vided be side t he po int of o verflo w.

3.2 Use of Li quid Slurr y
An y use of s lurr y is a go od use .
T herefore when e ver poss ible , slurry
shou ld be use d in liqu id for m after
lea vin g th e o verflo w of the p lant. A s lope
is req uire d for s hort d istance d istribut ion .
D istrib ution of liqu id s lurr y n eeds
mana ge ment. Un contro lled distr ib u tion
ma y create s wa mps or thic k la yer s or
dried s lurr y sea lin g off the roots of c rops
or trees from necessar y o x yge n sup ply.
T he most lab our sa vin g slurr y ut iliz a tion
is for fodd er grass. It sh ou ld be
encoura ged when co ntrolle d fertilizin g is
unlikely a nd pla nted near to the stable
(and b io gas p lant) wher e it is used .

Fodder grass sho u ld be cut when it is
only 8 0 cm h igh . Slurr y is led a lwa ys to
Photo No. 3: Vegetable garden near
the freshly c ut area. P er co w 5 00 m ² of
the biogas plant, fertilized with liquid
fodder grass are a gu id in g figure.
slurry, in Bullet Tree, Cayo District

3.3 Use of Slur r y for C om post
T he preparation of co m post is best if d istribution b y gra vit y is not
possib le. In vest ment and labo ur inp u t are reasonable and the nutr ition
va lu e of the man ure is pres er ved. Co mpo stin g is a for m of storin g the
slurr y o ver so met ime without lo os in g to o muc h n itro gen . C o mpost is
also a m ethod of increas in g th e a mou nt of or ga n ic manure , wh ich
stabilizes the so il structure and for lon g-ter m impro vem ent of so il
fertilit y.

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3.4 Recom m endation fo r the use of slur ry
- CO R N (M ai ze)
Corn is a spec ies of h igh ly re qu ired nutrit ion . W ith so ils p oor in
phosph orus, it is nec essar y t o fertiliz e with th is n utrients . An adeq uate
doses of s lurr y corresp onds to quant ity of nitro gen of a bout 90 t o 1 60
lb/acre, which is e qu iva lent to 4.5 00 t o 8.0 00 gal of s lurr y /acre .

A dos es of s lurr y can be ap plie d to 1 6.000 ga l/acre (or more). But the
slurr y s hou ld be a pp lied before p la ntin g, it will jo in the so il q u ic kly.

At the farm, various app licat ions wit h buc kets are reco m men ded. T he
first app licat ion is don e on the ro w b efore p lant in g, on a ration of one
(1) buc ket t o one (1) meter for e ach r o w.
W hen the c orn has rea ched a he ight of 50 c m, it needs a n app licat ion of
one (1) buc ket per cluster (3 – 4 p lants). Dur in g t he rain y seaso n, a
third a pp lication ca n be perfor med of flo wer in g period.

- SO R GH UM O R M IL LE T
Can be fertilize d like cor n

- P AST U R E CU T TI N G
Im med iate ly after cutt in g an a pp lication of 4.0 00 – 8 000 gal/acre of
slurr y is nee ded. T h is correspo nds t o quant it y of 90 – 1 60 lb/acre of
nitro ge n. For app licat ion wit h buc kets a ration of o ne (1) unt il t wo (2)
ga l p er m² is necessar y; th is mea ns o ne (1) or t wo (2) buc kets of five
(5) ga llon for 10 s q.ft.

- C ASS A V A
Cassa va is a cu ltivation, which a bsor bs gr eat quant it ies of nutr ients
from the soil. T herefore h igh app licat ion of slurr y is reco m men ded. An
adequate app licat ion cou ld be t wo bu ckets of s lurr y per pla nt for ea ch
mont h, d urin g the rain y seas on.

- LIM ES, O R A N GE S a nd T A N GE RI N ES
Reco m men ded are app lic at ions of thr ee (3) buckets of slurr y per tree
ever y t wo (2) wee ks dur in g the ra in y seas on. Lar ger ap plicat io ns of
slurr y s hou ld be acc o mpan ie d b y f ertilizat io n a lon g with phos phoru s
and p otasio, for in crease the yie ld an d for a go od qua lit y of the fru its.

11


- VE G E T AB L E GA R D EN S A N D F AM IL Y O R CH A RD S
T omatoes can be fertilized with s lurr y on a ratio n of one (1) or two
(2) buc kets for 10 sq.ft, with ap plic ations e ver y t wo (2) or three (3)
wee ks dur in g ve getat ive per iod .
Vegetables suc h as lea ves (e. g. lettuc e) should not be fertilized with
slurr y, but c an b e cu lt ivated on s o ils, wh ich ha ve bee n pre vious ly
fertilize d wit h s lurr y at a n ear lier seas on.
Le gu mes , like be ans, s hou ld not re ceive h igh doses of s lurr y. T he
applic atio n is done before p lant in g o n a ratio of not m ore than t wo (2)
buc kets p er 10 sq.ft.

- P AP AY A S AN D O TH ER F R UIT S
Can be fertilized with unt il four (4) buckets of slurr y per mo nth
durin g ra in y seaso n.

- B AN A N AS A N D P L A NT AI NS
Dur in g the h u mid season , unt il three ( 3) or four (4) buc kets per p lant
could be app lied , e ver y t wo or three wee ks.

4.0 Use of G as
4.1 Gener al
Bio gas is a le an gas that can in pr in cip le be us ed like an y othe r
com bust ib le gas . As b io gas burns wit h an open fla me , the place of gas
consu mpt ion sho uld be vent ilated b ut free of draft d irect ly to the f la me.

4.2 Com m ercial Dom estic B urners to O perate with B iog as
An ybod y who a lread y tr ied to do this will ha ve
found that it is s o metimes a c halle n gin g enterpr ise.
T he most ad visab le so lut ion to con vert especia lly
butane gas b urners is to – incre ase the fuel jet
dia meter an d to c lose off the primar y a ir
com pletely. T his c an be done with a lu m inu m fo il or
other inflam ma b le mater ial.
T he fuel jet diam eter for dom estic use of b io gas Photo No. 4: The fuel jet of
burners shou ld be : B et wee n 1.6 – 2 m m for a a commercial burner drilled
F loating Dr um bio gas P lant up to 1.6 mm
and bet ween 1.4 – 1.6 m m for F ixed Dom e P lants.
If combust io n is perfect, the fla me is dark b lue an d almo st in vis ib le in
da ylight. If there is to o m uch a ir sup ply the f la me will be yello w, the
fla me c oo ls off and thus pro lon gin g t he coo kin g time and increase t he
gas de man d.

12


4.3 Gas Lam ps
T he princ ip le of a gas la m p is s im ilar to that of the
stove. T he secret beh ind a gas la mp is to adjust the
fla me in such a wa y that the hotte st part of the
fla me exact ly matches the for m of th e mant le, T he
burn in g gas heats the mant le un til is glo ws
brightly.
P roper air mixture a nd a ppropr iate siz e of the
mant le p la ys the b iggest roles . T he m ethane content
(or the gas pressure on fix ed d o me p la nts) of b io gas
somet imes c han ges. T herefore, the br ightness of the
light will also ch an ge .
Photo No. 5: The bright
T he meta llic parts of the la mp can corrode ver y light of a Biogas Lamp
fast, T his d e mands frequent ly la m p c leanin g. in San Antonio/Cayo

T he bright light given off b y gas la m ps is the resu lt of in candes cence,
e. g. the intense heat induc ed lu m in osit y of s pec ia l m etals s o ca lled
“rare earth” like thor iu m, cer iu m etc . After b urn in g the se meta ls will
chan ge a nd c ons ist of 9 0% T horiu m Rad ioa ctive (T horiu m 232) and
that gives the br ight light. For the radio active conte nt of the gas
mant le, p lease fo llo w our sec urit y ad vises under th e next po int.

4.4 Securit y A dvises fo r yo ur health wh en ch angi ng Gas M antles
 Be ware when you re p lace gas mant les : M a ke
sure, that p artic les don ’t blo w a wa y; enter your
eyes an d do not in hale
 P ut a wet p last ic or pap er ba g u nd er the gas
mant le whe n ch an gin g. M a ke sure tha t all ash es
go into the ba g.
 If ashes still re ma in , rem o ve it with a piece of
wet pa per an d p lace it in the ba g.
 D ispose the ba g in a pla ce where it will not be Photo No. 6: Change of
disturb ed b y an imals (e. g. hens), or in cas e of gas mantle, placing a plastic
wind. bag under the mantle
 Was h your han ds proper ly after handlin g gas
mant les
 P lace ne w u nuse d gas ma ntles a wa y f rom foo d and out of ch ildren ’s
reach
 Be ver y carefu l th e first f ive minutes after light in g the mant le
 P lace your la mp, where it will not be disturbed b y win d and where
you ca n eas ily c han ge the mant le

13


5.0 Sim ple P lant M alfunctions a nd Rem edial m easures

P roble m P ossib le Cause Cou nter M easures
Sudden Loss of Gas - broken gas line Repair
- blo w off wat er t rap Fill up wit h wat er
- open gas cock close
Pulsat ing gas pressure Wat er in t he gas pipe Pu mp out t he pipe
Relo cat e t he sect io ns o f
pip e
St uck gas cocks Co rrosio n - Apply o il
- Operat e repeat ed ly
- Change t he t ype o f gas
cocker (gas cocks)
P lu cked-up inlet p ipe Fibro us su bst rat e Use rod t o unp lug t he
pip e
St uck gas ho lder Flo at ing scum - Turn t he gas ho lder
(Flo at ing Drum P lant s) - Take o ff t he gas ho lder
and remo ve scum
S mall Fla me Insuffic ient pressure I f t he plant has enough
pressure, t he valves must
been checked
Yello w Flame Incorrect air supp ly Close t he air supp ly at
your st ove

5.1 P otential Re pair Sit uations for sim ple B iogas P lants

Da ma ge Detect ion Re med ia l M e asures
Damag e masonr y and Inspect io n of o pen Inspect t he plant and
render ing plant , su bsiding slurr y repair any damage, t ear
level do wn t he plant if large
cracks are fou nd
Damag e or broken - See abo ve Rep lace p ipe, repair
in let /o ut let pipe connect io n t o maso nr y
Damag e/ leaky Gas seal t est Repair render ing
Fixed Do me P lant Visua l insp ect io n o f Renew seals coat ing
open plant

14


6.0 Safet y M easur es
Bio gas is a co mb ustible, ex p lo s ive ga s. It’s s afe han d lin g is necessar y.
T herefore, you must learn f ollo win g b asic r ules :
- Ne ver lea ve a n ope n f la me u nattended
- Alwa ys c lose the gas a nd safet y va lves of each app liance after eac h
use

Exper ienc e sho ws that lea k and o pen gas co c ks can and will be detected
ver y q uic kly, b y s me llin g of th e sus piciou s o dor of unb urned b io gas i.e.
before ex plosive m ixture f orms .
As lo n g as the abo ve safet y aspects are achie ved, s mall b io gas pla nts
require fe w or no s pec ia l safet y de vices , the m a yor except io n be in g
applia nces that operate on the ir o wn , i.e. refr igerators, in which case
the use of safet y p ilots are ob ligator y.

6.2 Safe Resid ue Discha rging
W hen d isch ar gin g the d igester do not enter im med iate ly after d ischar ge
and n e ver wor k a lo ne. Do not a llo w open fires an d a vo id s mo kin g
around the open digester. Keep the t o p of the ma in ho le open for one or
t wo da ys . In the course of d isc har gin g, one p erson is not a llo wed to
operate the digester !

T he follo win g biog as pla nt o wn ers ar e willin g to s hare the ir e xpert ise :

Toledo District:
- M r. Alfred o Villor ia, San P edro Co lo mb ia V illa ge

Corozal District
- M r. Justo Cob b, San P edro V illa ge

Cayo District
- M r. Ebra l M ai
- M r. Be njam in T zib
- M r. Arturo & Sa lvador M esh
- T oh-O la M e n’s Gr oup

15


Following Biogas Constructors and Masons are working:
In Orange Walk District:
Leo nell Guerra, Co nst ruct or, Orange Walk Town (Tel: 03 – 227 11)
Gabr iel Perez, Maso n, Orange Walk Town
Francisco Sanchez, Chair men o f OBTC, Orang e Walk Town (Tel: 03 -2214 9)

In Cayo District:
Valent ine Vasquez, Mechanic for biogas eng ines, San Ignacio (Tel: 092-2980)
Ricardo Rejo n, Bio gas Tecnican at Cent ral Far m
Manu el Balo na, Mason, San Ant onio Village

The personnel of the biogas program are always at your disposal:
Drop in at the office in Central Farm, Cayo District . If it is too far,
contact your Extension Officer or phone the Biogas-Office at Central
Farm 092-2131, Ext. 106, and ask for the biogas technician .

Selected Lit eratu re

- Uli Wer ner, Biogas P lant s in Animal Husbandr y, g at e/Eschbo rn 1989
- Ludwig Sasse, I mpro ved Bio gas Unit for Develo ing Count r ies, Gt z,
Eschborn 1992
- Difu sió n de la t ecno logía del Bio gas en Colo mb ia, Gt z, Cali, 1987
- Int ernat io nal Biogas Training Workshop Paper, Car mat ec, Gt z,
Aru sha/Tanzania, 1990
- Biogas E xt ensio n Pro gramm e, Tanzania, The Desig n o f I nject ors Bur ner s
for Do mest ic Biogas St o ves, May 1988

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