m (→The principle) |
|||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
==What does he get out of this ?== | ==What does he get out of this ?== | ||
* [[Methane]]. The pipe from the tank drives the methane produced in anaerobic fermentation to truck | * [[Methane]]. The pipe from the tank drives the methane produced in anaerobic fermentation to truck inner tubes to be stocked. Enough gas is produced to cook and power a (small french) car. | ||
* Hot water. An additional copper tube is coiled around the tanks ; water runs through it and gets hot with the heat that | * Hot water. An additional copper tube is coiled around the tanks ; water runs through it and gets hot with the heat that aerobic fermentation provides. Fean Pain designed this, in the first place, to cool the digester. He eventually found that it was useless to do so, but provided enough hot water to use for sanitation and space heating. | ||
* Compost that can be used for home farming or sold. | * Compost that can be used for home farming or sold. | ||
Revision as of 09:17, 21 October 2012
Introduction
Jean Pain was a self taught Frenchman who designed a means of achieving (at least partial) energy autonomy, using inexpensive biomass fuel, with a mere mound.
The principle
Pile a mound of vegetable waste and wait : after a while, an anaerobic fermentation will take place, emitting heat and smell. After a further wait, the mound will turn into a fertilizing compost.
Now grind the material in bits 2-3 mm thick. Build the mound; the aerobic fermentation taking place is odourless and yields more heat. Jean Pain simply placed ground material inside a steel tank fitted with a pipe; the tank was in turn placed into a ground material mound.
What does he get out of this ?
- Methane. The pipe from the tank drives the methane produced in anaerobic fermentation to truck inner tubes to be stocked. Enough gas is produced to cook and power a (small french) car.
- Hot water. An additional copper tube is coiled around the tanks ; water runs through it and gets hot with the heat that aerobic fermentation provides. Fean Pain designed this, in the first place, to cool the digester. He eventually found that it was useless to do so, but provided enough hot water to use for sanitation and space heating.
- Compost that can be used for home farming or sold.