Compost heater
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A Compost heater (or Biomeiler) is a structure for the energetic use of biomass, more precisely for the heating of buildings [1][2][3]. For this purpose, chipped wood is usually piled up to a heap, and a water hose is passed through it. A microbiological degradation process generates heat for up to 24 months. The heat produces hot water, which is then fed to a heating circuit. By sufficient oxygen supply, the biomass is degraded by aerobic decomposition. The activity of the microorganisms can be regulated by the moisture present.
The method was developed by Jean Pain in the 1970s. Compost heaters are used primarily for demonstration purposes as small systems for heating of a house. Local waste can thus be exploited energetically.
The raw materials of Pain's compost heap were saplings, branches, and underbrush. He spent a considerable amount of time developing the machines required to macerate these materials to the proper size. One of his machines, a tractor-driven model, earned fourth prize in the 1978 Grenoble Agricultural Fair.[4] After he had ground the raw materials, Pain would construct a heap three metres high and six metres across (10 × 20 feet).[5] The heap weighed approximately 50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons), and was mounded over a steel tank with a capacity of 4 cubic metres (140 cu ft). This tank was 3/4 full of the same compost, which had first been steeped in water for two months. The hermetically sealed tank was connected by tubing to 24 truck tyre inner tubes, banked nearby to collect the methane gas. The gas was distilled by being washed through small stones in water and compressed. Pain used the gas for cooking and producing electricity. He also fueled a light van. Pain estimated that 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of brushwood would supply the gas equivalent of one litre (0.22 imp gal; 0.26 US gal) of petrol.
It took about 90 days to produce 500 cubic metres (18,000 cu ft) of gas - enough to keep two ovens and three burner stoves going for a year. The methane-fueled combustion engine drove a generator that produced 100W of electricity. This charged an accumulative battery which stored the energy, providing all the light needed for the household. Some skepticism has been leveled at the quantities of methane Pain was able to extract from his system,[6] and it is not known if anyone has been able to reproduce this quantity by the same system.
In addition to methane, the huge compost heap generated hot water via 200 metres (656 ft) of pipe buried inside the compost mound. The pipe was wrapped around the methane generator with an inlet for cold water and an outlet for hot. The heat from the decomposing mass-produced 4 litres per minute (0.88 imp gal/min; 1.1 US gal/min) of hot water heated to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) — enough to satisfy the central heating, bathroom, and kitchen requirements. The heap composted for nearly 18 months, after which it was dismantled. The humus was used to mulch soils, and a new compost system was set up at once to assure a continuous hot-water supply. [citation needed] In this way, Pain's compost power plant supplied 100% of his rural household's energy needs.
References
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