using a compost pile for heating . And making methane gas Anybody done it ?

[Sprinklerman]

I had to move some wood chip piles and they were hot , steaming hot . It got me thinking and I ran across Jean Pain using biomass to heat his house and produce methane gas . Well I am tired of Kids science projects that are lame . So i started scrounging materials to make a compost heating system to heat a shed , make some methane gas , and knock out a science project all at once . And if the results are good I will try it at my shop . BONUS ( I get to play with the tractor and since I am doing at my house in suburban yuppieville I get to bug some nosy neighbors)

Has anyone done it sucessfully ?

 

[SPYDERLK]

"Search" the site. I saw a thread on it a couple yrs back.

 

[nybirdman]

I know my nephew that works on a big farm says the corn silage(bunkered)is still steaming in the spring when they dig into it.Your idea may have a lot of merit.
I wouldn't mess with the methane but put a hot water coil in the middle and pipe the heat where needed.

 

[Sprinklerman]

The methane is going to be from table scraps , held in some inner tubes , then hooked to a old coleman stove to show the boys its possible .

 

[CalG]

Payback on the developement is going to be a b...tch.

A hundred foot slab with embedded pipe, a "turning apparatus", Then bringing in the biomass "on demand" . But..

I really like the idea. I keep a couple piles that melt snow all winter. Alas, not enough to heat the shop.

Note also, there is a "high temperature" bacteria that can really put out the btus. for a short time... ;-)

 

[KennyG]

Technically this works but I'm not sure it's worth the effort to get the heat where you can actually use it. Compost gets hot because the pile insulates itself. You start pulling heat out and it's going to cool off fast. Think about how many BTUs you would get if you just burned everything in the pile. The heat available from decomposition that can be captured is a small fraction of this.

 

[BukitCase]

Google anaerobic digestion to see why you won't get methane out of a compost pile... Steve

 

[Sprinklerman]

Payback on the developement is going to be a b...tch.

A hundred foot slab with embedded pipe, a "turning apparatus", Then bringing in the biomass "on demand" . But..

I really like the idea. I keep a couple piles that melt snow all winter. Alas, not enough to heat the shop.

Note also, there is a "high temperature" bacteria that can really put out the btus. for a short time... ;-)

going a little smaller to see how it works , a 16 ft round mound with 300 ft of pipe , going to an old house radiator . Putting in drip irrigation to introduce air and or water . I am using it to see how it works and for a 5th grader science experiment .

Based on Jean Pain who did it in france in the 1970's

 

[CalG]

going a little smaller to see how it works , a 16 ft round mound with 300 ft of pipe , going to an old house radiator . Putting in drip irrigation to introduce air and or water . I am using it to see how it works and for a 5th grader science experiment .

Based on Jean Pain who did it in france in the 1970's

16 ft dia. and 8 feet high covered in insulating grass etc should give good heat for a couple of weeks.

That 300 feet of pipe is going to complicate turning. ;-)

 

[Sprinklerman]

16 ft dia. and 8 feet high covered in insulating grass etc should give good heat for a couple of weeks.

That 300 feet of pipe is going to complicate turning. ;-)

I am not going to turn , I am going to inject air and water via drip irrigation and or slotted well pipe .