Our Green Energy Composter Installation
You may wonder how a methane digester can be related to a conceptual art installation. We are challenging peoples ideas about what constitutes being green and its association to waste and dog poo. We are currently developing a number of such installations which will be set in local well used areas. Here are a couple to be getting on with.
Aim – To illustrate how green waste can be used to create clean energy for use around our kitchen garden experiment.
This is a visual installation of how renewable energy is created and can be used, by installing a bio-digester on the land we rent from our local farmer. Our Anaerobic biodigester is a system that biologically digests organic material. Microbes and other bacteria break down organic materials in the biodigester. Most food, including fat, greases, and even animal manure, can be processed in a biodigester. Biodigester’s are closed systems; therefore, they gives off no odour from food waste; this will eliminate flies and rodents from the facility, increasing hygiene. By eliminating food waste on-site saves money by reducing hauling costs. The capacity of food a biodigester can process depends on the size; larger the digester more food it can handle. Biodigester’s are a living system and do require maintenance. However, they are easy to use and maintain.
Of course, one of the great benefits of biodigester is they are eco-friendly and will reduce any facility’s carbon footprint significantly. Food scraps and other organic materials decaying in landfills release methane and carbon dioxide contributing to climate change. Food waste is estimated to be 30-40 percent around the world and represents the largest category of materials in landfills. Diverting food scraps and other organic materials from landfills, methane, and carbon dioxide can be captured and used efficiently.
Project – The idea is to set up a composter on the farm mentioned in part one here. This is a public installation so anyone can come and see it working. The Methane that is given off by the digester will be used to power and heat the small farm shop that the farm runs. Basically we will be using digestible waste as shown in the previous drawing. We even are thinking about getting someone form TV down to the Farm as promotion. This project illustrates how a Bio-friendly Circular business works both in energy production and creation of products. Waste from the farm is used to create energy that is used free and bio-friendly waste that is used in the Kitchen Garden and the farm to produce food and vegetables. These are then sold in the farm shop or used in the Cafe. Subsequent waste from these areas is then re-introduced back into the composter and the cycle starts all over again as an example of a circular product.
Reference for concept – Park Spark – This is something we are involved with now. Check the link. It is a social art project. We are adapting the project from one that was set up in Cambridge MA US who originally used a methane disgester to keep a lamppost light burning. This is a really cool project. As the farm has numerous dog walkers either on there way to the local woods or to the farm shop.
Sourcing a Biomass Digestor for the Installation
There are many digesters out thereat present we are talking to a company in North Devon who manufactures the type of digester we are looking for. They offer a range of sizes where we can grow the size of the installation and the is a possibility of creating electricity from the waste.
Reference for Concept
Park Spark
The Park Spark Project is an interactive public art installation by artist Matthew Mazzotta. It uses a publicly fed methane digester to transform dog waste and water into usable biogas, which then powers a continuous gas flame in a local dog park The Park Spark Project.