Home Learning Task-Biogas generator

Objective
Be able to name the types of biogas generator
To describe the design of each type of generator
To compare the two types of generators and give their advantages and disadvantages
Task: Use your revision guide to revise and learn
about biogas generators
Using the information sheets on the following
slides compare generalised and fixed dome
generators.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each?
Attempt the exam style question and self assess
Extension available 
 Task:
• Using the information sheets on the following
slides compare generalised and fixed dome
generators.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each?
• Attempt the exam style question and self
assess
• Extension available 
 A Generalised Biogas Generator

Biogas generators take in waste material or plants, and biogas and

useful fertilisers come out the other end.
 Fixed Dome Biogas Generator

Advantages
Disadvantages
• Low initial cost
• Sealing of the gas holder
• Long useful life as no moving
not always tight
or rusting parts involved • Gas pressure fluctuates
• Does not require regular
• Small scale production
servicing
• Well-insulated from cold or
very hot weather Why are these
problems?
 Floating-drum Biogas Generator

Advantages Disadvantages
• dome reactors have the advantage
• Metal gas holder
that the gas pressure remains
constant as it depends on the relatively expensive
weight of the gasholder. • Not as insulated when full
of gas
• Oil seal maintains anaerobic
conditions • Regular maintenance
• Large or small scale production needed
• Well-insulated from cold or very
hot weather
 Types of process
Biogas Digesters
With biogas technology, waste (called slurry) is
stored in specially constructed containers while being
digested. There are a number of technologies used to
accomplish this:

Batch type digesters: treat a large amount of

material at once. They are used for large scale
application
Continuous flow units: add and remove waste
material on a daily or regular basis. They are best
suited for small-scale domestic applications.
 Summary of main steps
– Source of materials: sugar factories,
animal waste, sewage etc
– Shredding and digestion of
carbohydrates, proteins and lipids by
aerobic bacteria
– Conversion of acids to methane by
anaerobic bacteria Methane from landfills is often
allowed to escape directly to
the atmosphere. Can you think
of: one environmental and one
economic reason why this is
bad?
Extension: suggest how different designs are suited
to different climates and societies

• suggest how biogas generator materials and

design might be adapted to work in:
1. A colder, rainy climate
2. An economically challenged & isolated
community
3. An industrial city
4. A region where intensive farming may take
place 1. Why might peat
bogs sometimes
• explode?
2. Might dung
powered cars be
the future?
 Plenary
• Who am I?
• Animal waste rich in methane
• Agricultural waste that you use in making
biogas
• Reaction in which heat energy is released
into the surroundings.