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Old 02-13-11, 08:19 AM   #1
S-F
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Default Biogas in Vietman

I have a friend who is working in economic development in Vietnam and has been for several years now. I spoke to him yesterday morning (the miracle of Skype and the internet) and he was describing to me how in the north where he is (Hanoi) they are diverting all of their human and animal waste to giant underground air tight cisterns where it is allowed to ferment and is producing gas at an astounding rate with great pressure. The gas is then routed to domiciles where it is used for cooking and lighting. They have installed gas lights, not like the traditional gas lights of England, but more akin to a Coleman lantern with mantles which are plumbed into the domestic gas main. So this morning I decided to see what Google had to say on the subject.

vietnam biogas - Google Search

The first 2 links are quite informative:
http://www.hedon.info/docs/BP53-Teune-5.pdf
TheBiogasProgrammeInVietnam : HEDON Household Energy Network

I know that we have a great supply of natural gas in this country but it makes no sense to me that we are operating waste water treatment facilities without employing such measures. I live about a block away form the local waste water treatment facility and I would much rather have everyone's sewage being turned into clean burning fuel instead of stinking up my yard when the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. I imagine that setting up such a biogas infrastructure wouldn't require much more of a capital investment than the construction of a conventional sewage treatment plant.

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Old 02-14-11, 04:46 AM   #2
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Quote:
I imagine that setting up such a biogas infrastructure wouldn't require much more of a capital investment than the construction of a conventional sewage treatment plant.
A biogas plant would be incredibly more expensive (in my opinion) than a conventional sewage treatment plant due to the sheer volume of the sewage we generate, that and the efluent would still have to be processed.

Solid waste (the part that produces gas) is a small percentage of the total that makeups sewage. Most of it is water. (grey water and storm run off from leaky pipes).

Ask for a tour of your local waste water treatment facility and you will see what it takes to process that volume.

I went years ago with my son's cub scout pack. It was very interesting.

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Old 02-14-11, 12:31 PM   #3
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From what I understand the anti bacterial soaps, bleach and so on that gets put in our water kills off so many of the microbes that our sewage is hard to brake down, that when rental properties turn over in the spring and everyone is cleaning that the sewage treatment plants have a hard time dealing with the chemicals that are being dumped.
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Old 02-14-11, 09:03 PM   #4
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That's a really interesting point. It's probably less relevant in Nam where people on the whole are less concerned about disinfecting every last bit of everything.
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Old 02-16-11, 05:43 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Ryland View Post
From what I understand the anti bacterial soaps, bleach and so on that gets put in our water kills off so many of the microbes that our sewage is hard to brake down, that when rental properties turn over in the spring and everyone is cleaning that the sewage treatment plants have a hard time dealing with the chemicals that are being dumped.
This is also why one should never put these chemicals into their septic tank system if they have one. Seperating the sewage from greywater will give you years of trouble free use.

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Old 02-20-11, 01:46 PM   #6
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Default How about "Trash to Gas"?

Google 'trash to gas'
or
Trash to gas: Landfill energy projects increasing - Boston.com
or just
LNG

I work for Linde, I helped commission this plant.
Many more on the books.
It would seem power generation is the most cost effective, but until there are electric heavy vehicles, this is an alternative.

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