Hi All- I’m involved in a school exchange project between my school in Wales and our partner school in Lesotho. They have requested information about small scale biogas production, to help produce cooking gas for the school kitchen I believe. Currently they cook for 700 plus students and staff daily using firewood. Needless to say this has a serious effect upon the local trees as well as the schools finances.

I have absolutely no expertise in this field and don’t really know where to start. FWIW, they have hole in the ground/ long drop toilets. They keep three or four pigs too, fed on food waste.

I’d really like to be able to help these guys- but I’m needing help myself 🙁

Ambrose

something im very interested in
I have some good links but have to go to bed now,
send me a mail… address is in profile an ill dig out what i got
cheers
Jamie

You probably need to improve your research abilties

See here

EDIT: I need to improve my linking abilties but I found this https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&gs_rn=8&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=7dCJAMBoPV75nl_ktd3EMg&pq=cooking%20africa%20relplcing%20firewood&cp=20&gs_id=1z&xhr=t&q=cooking+africa+replacing+firewood&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=cooking+africa+replacing+firewood&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=c0f160f5827ad74b&ion=1&biw=1280&bih=687&bs=1

Second item down, click quick view

May I suggest you also look into rocket stoves?

Hi,
I work primarily with gas engined generators, we often install bio gas systems at AD (anearobic digestion) and sewage treatment sites, the capital cost for bio gas production plant would be very high, would require constant and fairly vigilant maintenance routines, it is pretty nasty stuff (hydrogen sulphide and methane) hence the reason for putting it through an engine or flaring.

Good luck

For a small cheap and dirty system have a look for Kevin (Grand Designs) Mcloud’s home made shed progam.
He made a crude composting toilet that collected the gas and fired a cooking ring.
How much gas was produced and how safe / reliable it was is another matter.