Methane. Generation from Human, Animal and Agricultural . Wastes, Report by the Panel on Methane Generation for the Nationa! Academy of Sciences under contract AID/csd-2584, tas~ ?rder No.. 1_., 131 _pp., 1977, free to Institutionally Affiliated Rec1p1<:nts (m government, education or research) from: - Commission on International Relations (JH215) National ~cademy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, DC 20418 The book has value to those who may be considering the adoption of the Indian, Gobar-type digestion system. I personally feel that these are not the best units and that several technologies being developed in this q:mntry and elsewhere are more cost effective designs and readily adaptable to third world applications. Planners and practitioners may well be advised to not base their entire program in this area on the Gobar System. There is much to be learned if the development of bio-gas is viewed as experimental rather than demonstrable. The book is very good in its presentation of "Biological Mechanism;" the section on "Safety" is a good outline of the issues but leaves much to be desired in terms of how to apply the hardwa,re necessary for safe operations. _ The book is dated, but nonetheless us_eful. It is time they started a new study to update this artifact. The document is lacking in comprehensive and up-to-date information due to its heavy reliance on the Indian experience. There are brief mentions of the Taiwan experience as well as other South Pacific examples but little if any of this work is des~ribed beyond mention in the introduction. There is a glaring lack of recent developments in this country which would have a great impact on the technology. Other missing examples include the commercial units operating in Australia and New Zealand. 1 ' This lack of reporting on recent development is probably due to ·the lack of any appropria'te technology representation on their panel of "experts." It is an excellent panel except for its one-sided professional bias toward civil/waste treatment engineering. -KS □ EQUILIBRATION AND MIXING CHAMBER SLATTED FLOOR -FOR CATTLE October 1978 RAIN Page 5 The Compleat BioGas Handbook, David House, 403 pp., March 1978, $8.00 from: At Home Everywhere c/o VA.HID Rt. 2, Box 259 Aurora, OR 97002 Atten.tion: Rita Dog The Compleat BioGas Handbook is a book which I read and reviewed with great interest and mixed feelings. It is for the mo~t part simplistic, naive and funky in its approach. It is tediously-wordy, extremely basic and yet at times brilliant in its frequent extraction of rare and obscure tidbits of important observations from the voluminous literature·on the subject of anaerobic digestion (methane gas production from the controlled decay of organic matter in the absence of air). . _It is ar,pare?tly aimed at a "Do-It-Yourself, BackyardTmkerer audience, but its real value is more for the seasoned veteran of_this technology. Significant statements are frequently not documented, leaving the reader to trust the author on ?is word. The bibliography is thorough, but poorly described m terms of real access to the information. There is a great deal of practical information and formulas which are extracted from erygineering handbooks. This material is weU presented. Much of the actual design suggestions, h_owever, may prq~e-to be misleading t? the novice. Fiftyfive gallon drum digesters are for experimental work and , hardly practical for other than novelty demonstration of the technology. Heating requirements based on gas production , and surface-to-volume ratios flag the practicality of 55-gallon drum digesters. Finally there is too little emphasis on gas handling safety. The danger of-digesters in occupied space is disregarded. Di- • gesters·in enclosed spaces such as greenhouses, temperature control rooms and near their use (say, next to a ~tove) are extremely hazardous. Because of the potential of digester gas leakage and c_ombrnation of that gas with confined space air, , all enclosures for digesters or gas handling equipment should have controlled ventilation with gas alarm ,sensors for imme- _ diate warning and removal of explosive vapors. -KS FRESH MANURE BIOGAS PLANT lUC'(CLE WATER Dl&UTIO MAN URI: FIGURE 111-2 Biogas plant for the ,cneration of meth~e fro·m night-soil and cattlHhed waatea. from METHANE GENERATION FROM HUMAN, ANIMAL AND AGR-ICUL,TURAL WASTES from THE COMPLEAT BIOGAS HANDBOOK
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