Maybe you’ve heard of biogas and are interested in creating your own biogas system but you’re not sure where to start. Enter the HomeBiogas system!
What is HomeBiogas?
This system recycles organic waste to produce renewable energy. It’s a fantastic way to turn the waste that your household produces into something useful.
While that sounds great, you might have some questions. Not to worry – here’s everything you need to know about the HomeBiogas system and how it works.
What Is HomeBiogas?
HomeBiogas started out as a crowdfunding campaign in 2015 by an Israeli start-up company called HomeBioGas Ltd.
It had the goal of giving people a way of making their own cooking gas by offering them a structure (known as a digester) in which they could put food scraps. Bacteria would feed on the waste and produce natural gas.
This is a fantastic product because it makes the process of producing biogas much easier than if you have to acquire the equipment, tools, and storage containers to make biogas yourself.
Since their first biogas model, the company has made changes to its biogas system design, creating an easy-to-assemble and simplified machine that works extra hard to stimulate bacteria growth and this ensures an increase of 30 percent in biogas production.
How HomeBiogas Is Different From Composting
Maybe you already have a compost pile in your garden and you love how it enables you to use various items of food waste in order to make your own fertilizer, thus preventing waste.
You might think because you compost regularly you don’t need a biogas system. But HomeBiogas is different from regular compost and it has many extra benefits.
- HomeBiogas not only breaks down organic waste and prevents it from being thrown away, but it collects methane gas that is released during the composting process. This can be used for you to cook with in your kitchen! The reason for this is because methane gas is flammable.
- It produces liquid fertilizer. This rich fertilizer is collected as a by-product of the process and you can easily produce liters of it every day. So, you not only get gas but also fertilizer from HomeBiogas that can benefit the plants and produce you grow in your garden. What’s great about using this type of fertilizer is that it prevents the use of chemicals in regular fertilizer.
- HomeBiogas does all the work for you. Maintaining a compost pile in your garden isn’t always easy. You have to ensure you turn it regularly to ensure that the waste is properly broken down and to encourage aeration. In addition to the above, you also have to make sure that you build a fence around it to prevent animals from getting in, since they will be attracted to the smell of composting food. HomeBiogas is set up so that it takes care of all of that. All you have to do is “feed it” with your food (or other organic) waste and it will take care of the whole process in a sealed container without a fuss.
- You can use a variety of waste for HomeBiogas that you can’t use in your compost pile. Examples include meat and dairy. These are usually prohibited for compost piles because they attract flies, rats, and other pests. Since the HomeBiogas system is in an airtight container, you can use many more types of organic waste without worrying about them.
- You also avoid bad smells by using HomeBiogas. Sometimes compost piles can be unsightly and smelly. But this isn’t the case with HomeBiogas.
What, Exactly, Is The HomeBiogas System?
We’ve mentioned that it makes use of a digester, but what is HomeBiogas and how does it work? There are two types of HomeBiogas systems: 1.0 and 2.0. HomeBiogas 2.0 is the next step of biogas production. It’s made everything super-easy.
When you purchase the system you get everything you need in the box. Here’s what you’ll find inside it:
- A 343-gallon flexible digester tank (this is the main body of the system and it’s where the organic waste gets broken down by bacteria)
- A 185-gallon gas tank with mechanical pressure (this is where the gas created by the system will accumulate)
- Biogas stove top
- 23-foot pipe from the biogas system to the stovetop
- Gas filter
- Inlet sink with plunger
- 10-foot indoor gas tube with gas valves and connectors included
- Fertilizer outlet
- User manual
Here’s How The System Works
- You’ll place the biogas system outside in the garden. HomeBiogas has to be placed outside so that it can absorb the UV rays, and its material is black so that it can further absorb the heat. This is important to ensure that the bacteria can grow in the most ideal conditions.
- Whenever you create waste, such as in the kitchen, you’ll be able to throw a lot of it into this system, and that includes vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and dairy.
- Once you put the waste into the system, it travels down into the digester, where bacteria will break it down into biogas. When the gas is produced, it moves into the filter, after which it makes its way down a pipe into a gas bag.
- Now, once your stove has been connected to the system, the gas that’s produced can make its way through a pipe and into your kitchen stove to power it up with biogas.
- It’s important to note that however much you put into the system needs to be matched with equal amounts of water. So, if you’ve put a liter of food waste, you need to put in a liter of water, too.
HomeBiogas Benefits
As mentioned earlier, the HomeBiogas system will accept more food scraps than what your regular compost could, which is a bonus because it prevents waste. You can even put animal manure in it. Here are other benefits.
- You don’t have to worry about getting a stove to connect to the biogas system because a stove comes with it. It’s made of stainless steel and it’s small as well as portable, so it won’t take up a lot of space in your kitchen. You have to ensure you keep it within 65 feet of your HomeBiogas system, though.
- By now you might be wondering how much gas you can actually produce with this system. The HomeBiogas system produces up to two hours’ worth of gas with which you can use to cook every day!
- The system also creates liquid fertilizer as a by-product that can be used in your garden.
- The entire HomeBiogas system has been constructed out of durable material that has a lifespan of up to 15 years and is completely recyclable. In fact, the system is constructed out of two layers. The first layer is internal and it keeps all the gas molecules and liquids inside, and the external layer is a UV-protected polyethylene and polypropylene layer that gives the system greater durability and strength.
- The HomeBiogas system looks like sandbags that have been joined together, and that’s no accident – it’s been built in this way to produce pressure that pushes the gas so that it flows through the pipe and reaches your kitchen stove.
- You don’t have to clean the HomeBiogas system. This is because it produces approximately one centimeter of sludge every year, which is waste that’s produced from the process.
- Once you start using the HomeBiogas system, you’ll be able to produce gas within two or three weeks.
- You’ll obviously want to use the stove that comes with the system, but you might be wondering if you can use other stoves with HomeBiogas. The great news is that you can easily convert any LPG/propane gas stove to work on biogas.
How Much Does The HomeBiogas System Cost?
If you want to purchase the HomeBiogas System, be prepared to pay $790, but this includes everything you need to set it up and start using it, so it’s convenient.
You won’t have to purchase anything else and can start using it immediately out of the box.
How Big Is The Box That HomeBiogas Comes In?
Although the system is quite large, it all comes in a box that can fit through a standard doorway.
This is because it’s been separated into different components that you’ll have to install, but it means you don’t have to worry about receiving a huge box as a delivery that you won’t be able to carry outside to your garden on your own.
What Are Some Drawbacks Of The HomeBiogas System?
Although the HomeBiogas is certainly a worthwhile investment, it might not be right for you. Here are some potential drawbacks to know about before you buy it.
- The HomeBiogas system is quite large. Its dimensions are 210 x 115 x 125cm. In feet, that’s approximately 6 x 3.7 x 4.1 feet. This size is a 20-percent size jump from the HomeBiogas 1.0 system and it has the purpose of encouraging more bacteria as well as to ensure a faster production of gas. Although the larger size has its merits, it does make housing the system a little problematic, such as if you don’t have a garden and live in an apartment. In such cases, the HomeBiogas system won’t work for you.
- Although two people will be able to assemble the digester in a few hours, you’ll need to connect the stove to your gas pipe with the help of a licensed gas technician. This might prevent you from being able to use the biogas system immediately after purchasing it.
- When you first set up the digester, you’ll need 100 liters of animal manure in order to jumpstart the biogas production process. This might also be tricky to procure, unless you live on a farm.
- You can’t place the digester in shady areas of your property as it requires lots of sun in order for the bacteria to grow. This might not be possible if you live in a region where overcast weather is a regular occurrence, so that’s something to consider.
- Setting up the HomeBiogas system in your garden can be a bit tricky because you need to follow some important rules to ensure that it will work properly. For example, you must put the system in a location where the pipe will be the same height (or higher than) the HomeBiogas system to allow the water to drain properly from the gas pipe. You also can’t put it on soft ground as the system weighs around 2,645 pounds when it’s filled with water – it will sink into soft ground!
- You can’t just throw any type of organic waste into the HomeBiogas system. Even though it’s great that you can feed it a lot of different types of waste, there are some important things to bear in mind. You can’t put sand, dirt, straw, wood shavings, paper, or grass into the system. While fruit and vegetable scraps are generally safe, you should avoid putting in too many citrus peels or hard pits, as these can alter pH levels while they’re also difficult to break down.
- If you put animal manure into the system, you have to ensure that it doesn’t have any sand or litter in it. This can be tricky, and you also have to ensure that it’s been moistened before being put into the system.
- It’s advisable not to connect the biogas to any other gas system. This is because the system can only produce up to 600 liters of gas every day, and this is not enough to support various appliances, such as generators or water boilers.
What Are The Differences Between HomeBiogas 1.0 and 2.0?
Earlier, we mentioned that HomeBiogas 2.0 varies from the company’s previous model because it’s larger in size. That said, there are other differences to know about. Let’s look at them according to how much waste these systems can each contain and how they’re assembled.
Amount Of Waste That Can Be Used
HomeBiogas 1.0 can collect up to six liters of food waste, as well as 18 liters of animal waste on a daily basis. It can also store up to two hours of cooking gas.
By comparison, HomeBiogas 2.0 can accept 12 liters of food waste and 36 liters of animal waste daily, so it’s ideal if your household produces a lot of organic waste on a regular basis. This model can also store up to three hours’ worth of cooking gas!
Assembly
HomeBiogas 2.0 is much easier to assemble than HomeBiogas 1.0. This is because it doesn’t come with an outer cover. Once you install it, you’re good to go.
What Should You Know About Fertilizer That’s Produced By The Biogas System?
The liquid fertilizer that’s produced as a by-product by the HomeBiogas system is ejected automatically. When you put organic waste and water into the digester, this fertilizer will be produced.
Although you might assume that you won’t get a lot of fertilizer from the process, the amount of fertilizer will match how much waste you put into the digester. So, if you put five liters of waste into HomeBiogas, you’ll get about five liters of liquid fertilizer.
The organic waste you put into the system will obviously affect the fertilizer that’s produced. If you put human waste into the system, this fertilizer should never be used on plants or produce because it may contain pathogens that carry diseases.
Biogas FAQ
Can You Use Biogas For Electricity?
In theory, biogas can be transformed into electricity with the use of a fuel cell. But, this process is problematic because it requires extremely clean gas and fuel cells are expensive. Therefore, it’s not practical enough at this stage.
What About Using A Generator With Biogas?
Now, if you convert biogas into electric power with a generator set, that’s much more achievable. However, diesel engines use biogas only in dual-fuel mode.
To be able to let biogas ignition occur, you need to use ignition gas and this should be injected with the biogas, as Energypedia reports.
When it comes to gas motors, on the other hand, if they have spark ignition then they can run on biogas alone. However, a little amount of gasoline is usually required just to start the engine.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in living sustainably and reducing the amount of food waste that your household produces on a daily basis, HomeBiogas 2.0 is a fantastic way to help you achieve your goals.
In this review, we’ve looked at what it’s all about, how it works, and what you should be aware of before you purchase it, so that you can make the best decision.