Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Combustion of fossil fuels such as crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy

oils may cause greenhouse gases emissions that will lead to greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms up the Earth’s surface

through radiation, also known as the trapping of heat inside Earth. Greenhouse

gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and

some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Among these

gases, methane, when not burnt, is capable of trapping most of the heat present

in the atmosphere. Methane is a biogas produced from food wastes and other

decaying organic matter. When used as biofuel, burning will eliminate methane

which will directly lessen the emission of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the

emitted carbon dioxide is not very harmful to the environment, rather it is

beneficial to the ecosystem for it is frequently used to grow plants.

Background of the Study

Waste management has been a problem in most communities, especially

in rural areas like Brgy. Pinagsanhan, Maragondon, Cavite, where people are

used to utilize organic (leftover food and manure) wastes as fertilizer as it is,

without proper composting, thus emitting methane gases, which are major

contributors to greenhouse effect. Also, since the community is isolated from the
town proper, livestock such as poultry businesses were established. Such

establishment produce chicken manure as main waste, which contains pathogen

such as salmonella that is toxic to plants, animals, and humans alike.

To help solve this problem, the proponents conceptualized a machine that

functions as a composter for both kitchen wastes and chicken manure for

methane production through anaerobic digestion while utilizing the machine’s

waste as a healthy fertilizer.

Anaerobic digestion, also known as fermentation, is a process in which

microorganisms break down biodegradable matter in the absence of oxygen

whereas the end product is methane. Moreover, according to a study from

northwest region of China, chicken manure resulted the highest daily methane

production.

Conceptual Framework

The figure below depicts the research paradigm for the Development of a

Digester with Shredder for Biogas Production Using Animal and Kitchen Wastes.
 Knowledge
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
Requirements
*Anaerobic Digestion
*Fuel Regulation 1. Planning/Designing
Software 2. Fabrication
Requirements 3. Assembly
* AutoCAD 4. Operation and
* SolidWorks Testing
Digester with
Tools and 5. Revision/
Shredder for
Equipment Modification
Biogas Production
* Welding Machines 6. Evaluation
Using Animal and
* Shearing Machine * Functionality
Kitchen Wastes
* Electric Drills * Efficiency
* Power Tools, etc * Safety
* Sanitation
* Cost-effectiveness
* Aid for production

Figure 1.1 Research Paradigm.

Process variables involves planning and designing of the project, the

fabrication as well as the assembling of the parts, the operation and testing, the

revision/modification of the project and the evaluation process in line to its

functionality, efficiency, safety, sanitation and cost effectiveness.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims to develop a digester with shredder for biogas production

using animal and kitchen wastes. Specifically, the study also aims to:

1. Design and fabricate a digester with shredder for biogas production

that

a. Produce and store more methane gas without escaping into the

atmosphere.

b. Utilize methane as an efficient biogas.

 c. Takes out the slurry as a healthy fertilizer.

2. Lessen the organic waste of the community.

3. Test which chicken manure to food waste mixture ratio (25-75, 50-50,

75-25) is more efficient and massive in methane production.

4. Evaluate the acceptability of the study in terms of its: Safety,

Functionality, Sanitation, Cost-effectiveness, Durability, and

Aesthetics.

Significance of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to design and fabricate a digester with

shredder for biogas production using animal and kitchen wastes. This machine

will lessen improper disposal of decaying kitchen and animal wastes, specifically

chicken manure that can also infect plants or even people, in the surroundings

that emit methane for they will be utilized for fuel production.

The said community, Brgy. Pinagsanhan, would benefit from this digester

with shredder for biogas production using animal and kitchen wastes with its

capability to produce fuel through organic wastes.

Scope and Limitations

Digester with Shredder for Biogas Production is capable of shredding any

animal and wastes that will be digested to produce methane gases. However,

the digester is limited to store 8.23 L of wastes and water mixture. Furthermore, it
will take approximately 3 to 5 days to process the organic wastes into methane

and 15 days to completely produce fertilizer.

Definition of Terms

Anaerobic Digestion – biological process wherein microorganisms or bacteria

break down biodegradable matter that produces methane and

carbon dioxide.

Biogas – gaseous fuel, especially methane, that can be obtained through

fermentation or anaerobic digestion.

Digester – a container in which mixture of substances is treated with heat,

enzymes, or a solvent in order to decompose and extract essential

products.

Greenhouse effect – the trapping of the sun’s heat energy in Earth’s lower

atmosphere and warms it through radiation.

Greenhouse gases – gases which absorb radiation that will contribute to

greenhouse effect.

Methane – a colorless, odorless flammable gas classified as a greenhouse gas

but often used as biofuel.

Shredder – a machine used for tearing, breaking, or grinding solid materials into

fine pieces.

Slurry – a semiliquid mixture, typically of fine particles of manure, cement, or

coal suspended in water.

 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter shows the academic literature and related studies. This will

also present the theoretical approach, present study relevance and definition of

terms for better comprehension of the study. The concept, ideas and design

extracted from these reference sources served as the basis for the core

conceptual model of the project

Conceptual Literature

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s

surface. Energy from the sun reaches the Earth’s atmosphere through

radiation, which gives heat to the planet. Some of this energy is reflected

back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb and emit radiant energy.

Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous

oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons

(CFCs).

The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the

Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s temperature at around 33 degrees

Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing life on Earth to exist.

Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface would

be about −18°C (0°F), rather than the present average of 15°C (59°F).

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse effect is natural and is essential for the sustenance of life

on Earth. However, due to the increasing human activities since the industrial

revolution during 1750’s, the greenhouse effect was enhanced, thus trapping

more heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the industrial revolutions, there

were about 45% increase of concentration of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere, from 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1750, to 415 ppm in 2019.

This increase occurred, despite the uptake of more than half the emissions by

various natural processes that were involved in the carbon cycle.

Most anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions come from combustion

of fossil fuels, primarily coal, oil, and natural gas, with supplementary

contributions coming from deforestation, changes in land use, soil erosion

and agriculture (including livestock).

Must greenhouse gas emissions continue at their rate in 2019, global

warming could cause Earth's surface temperature to surpass historical values

as early as 2047, with possible harmful effects on ecosystems, biodiversity

and human livelihoods. At present emission rates, temperatures could

increase by 2 °C, which the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) nominated as the upper limit to avoid dangerous

levels by 2036.

Process of Greenhouse Effect

 Step 1: Solar radiation reaches the Earth's atmosphere - some of this is

reflected into space.

 Step 2: The rest of the sun's energy is absorbed by the land and the

oceans, heating the Earth.

 Step 3: Heat radiates from Earth towards space.

 Step 4: Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere, keeping the Earth warm enough to sustain life.

 Step 5: Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and land

clearing are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the

atmosphere.

 Step 6: This is trapping extra heat and causing the Earth's temperature to

rise.

Methane

Methane is gas that is found in small quantities in Earth's atmosphere.

Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, comprising of one carbon atom and

four hydrogen atoms. Methane is a prevailing greenhouse gas.

 Methane is combustible and is used as a fuel worldwide. It is a primary

component of natural gas. Burning methane in the presence of oxygen

releases carbon dioxide and water vapor:

CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2O

Although the concentration of methane in Earth's atmosphere is small

(around 1.8 ppm), it is an important greenhouse gas because it is such an

effective heat absorber. The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has

risen by about 150% since 1750, mostly due to human activities. Methane

accounts for 20% of the total radiative forcing from all of the long-lived and

globally mixed greenhouse gases. Both natural and human sources supply

methane to Earth's atmosphere.

Major natural sources of methane include emissions from wetlands

and oceans, and from the digestive processes of termites. Sources related to

human activities include rice production, landfills, raising cattle and other

ruminant animals, and energy generation.

Biogas

Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the

decomposition of organic waste. When organic matter, such as food waste

and animal waste, break down in an anaerobic environment (an environment

with the absence of oxygen) they release a blend of gases, primarily methane
and carbon dioxide. Because this decomposition happens in an anaerobic

environment, the process of creating biogas is also known as anaerobic

digestion.

Biogas is known as an environmentally friendly energy source because

it improves two major environmental problems simultaneously: The global

waste epidemic that releases dangerous levels of methane gas every day;

and the reliance on fossil fuel energy to meet global energy demand.

By converting organic waste into energy, biogas is utilizing nature’s

elegant tendency to recycle substances into productive resources. Biogas

generation recovers waste materials that would otherwise pollute landfills;

prevents the use of toxic chemicals in sewage treatment plants, and saves

money, energy, and material by treating waste on-site. Moreover, biogas

usage does not require fossil fuel extraction to produce energy.

Instead, biogas takes a problematic gas, and converts it into a much

safer form. More specifically, the methane content present in decomposing

waste is converted into carbon dioxide. Methane gas has approximately 20 to

30 times the heat-trapping capabilities of carbon dioxide. This means that

when a rotting loaf of bread converts into biogas, the loaf’s environmental

impact will be about 10 times less potent than if it was left to rot in a landfill.

Biogas Digesters

As opposed to letting methane gas release to the atmosphere, biogas

digesters are the systems that process waste into biogas, and then channel
that biogas so that the energy can be productively used. There are several

types of biogas systems and plants that have been designed to make efficient

use of biogas. While each model differs depending on input, output, size, and

type, the biological process that converts organic waste into biogas is

uniform. Biogas digesters receive organic matter, which decompose in a

digestion chamber. The anaerobic environment allows for microorganisms to

break down the organic material and convert it into biogas.

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a series of biological processes in which

microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of

oxygen. One of the end products is biogas, which is combusted to generate

electricity and heat, or can be processed into renewable natural gas and

transportation fuels.
Fig. 2.1 Anaerobic digestion as a means to produce green energy and fertilizer.

A range of anaerobic digestion technologies are converting livestock

manure, municipal wastewater solids, food waste, high strength industrial

wastewater and residuals, fats, oils and grease (FOG), and various other

organic waste streams into biogas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Separated

digested solids can be composted, utilized for dairy bedding, directly applied

to cropland or converted into other products. Nutrients in the liquid stream are

used in agriculture as fertilizer.

The digestion process begins with bacterial hydrolysis of the input

materials in order to break down insoluble organic polymers such as

carbohydrates and make them available for other bacteria. Acidogenic

bacteria then convert the sugars and amino acids into carbon dioxide,

hydrogen, ammonia, and organic acids. Acetogenic bacteria then convert

these resulting organic acids into acetic acid, along with additional ammonia,

hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Finally, methanogens convert these products

to methane and carbon dioxide.

Food and Animal Waste

Chicken Manure

Chicken manure is one an average hen can produce one cubic foot of

manure every month. With more than one hen, this rapidly adds up to a

significant amount of manure that has to be managed. It can’t continue to

collect in the coop, or it will harm the chickens. However, raw chicken manure

can burn and damage plants. It should be composted or aged prior to use. In

addition, raw manure can contain pathogens that can harm people and

animals. If composting is done properly, the process destroys disease-

causing organisms, making chicken manure safe to use around plants,

people and pets.

Food Waste

Food waste or food loss is food that is discarded or uneaten. The

causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur at the stages of

producing, processing, retailing and consuming.

 Global food loss and waste amount to between one-third and one-half

of all food produced. Loss and wastage occur at all stages of the food supply

chain or value chain. In low-income countries, most loss occurs during

production, while in developed countries much food – about 100 kilograms

(220 lb) per person per year – is wasted at the consumption stage.

Research Literature

Foreign Literature

Maximal Methane Potential of Different Animal Manures Collected in

Northwest Region of China (2017)

Somewhere in China, an experimental study was held to compare

the methane production of different animal manures, namely, chicken, hog

and cattle. The anaerobic digestion of chicken manure resulted in the

highest daily methane production of (22.3±0.4) mL/g volatile solid, which

occurred on day 6 (Figure 2.2), while the maximum daily methane

production for hog and cattle manure occurred on day 10 and 15,

respectively. This delay may relate to their chemical and biological

compositions. Figure 2.3 shows the cumulative methane production of the

chicken, hog and cattle. The cumulative methane production of cattle

manure was higher than both chicken and swine manure.

 Figure 2.2 Daily methane production of chicken, hog and cattle.

Figure 2.3 Cumulative methane production of chicken, hog and cattle.

Experimental Analysis of Biogas from Kitchen Wastes (2017)

An experimental study was held in Selvam College of Technology,

Namakkal, Tamilnadu, India. The study focuses on efficiency of biogas

used as fuel. Furthermore, the biofuel used is compared coming from

different means, cow dung and food waste. They both produced methane

after 15- 16 days, however, very efficient in terms of producing flames that

may be used in cooking or other purposes.

At the initial stage, 300 liters of cow dung is mixed with 600 liters of

water in 1:2 ratio in the 1000 liters capacity digester and is closed at the

top using floating drum and some weights are kept on the drum to

increase the pressure in the gas. Based on figure 2.5 below, from day 1

for an average of 13-15 days, CO 2 is let out to atmosphere through the out

flow gas valve until biogas odor is formed.

Figure 2.4 Experimental Setup.

 Table 2.1 Experimental Analysis of Biogas produced per day.

Local Literature

Development of Biogas with Digester and Shredder Using Kitchen

Waste (2018)

From a Development of Biogas with Digester and Shredder Using

Kitchen Waste worked by students from Technological University of the

Philippines, whereas they improve the process of fermenting. The

students added shredder to have a faster process of fermentation based

 on facts and further researches. They produced methane 10 days after

fermentation and utilized it as a biofuel that will last for 5 days.

Figure 2.5 Biodigester.

Related Studies

RELATED PROJECTS
PROJECT 1: PROJECT 2: PROJECT 3:
Experimental Development Development
Analysis of of Biogas with of a
Biogas from Digester and Fermentation PROPOSED
COMPONENTS
Kitchen Shredder Chamber and PROJECT
Wastes Using Kitchen Dispenser
(2017) Waste (2018) Machine for
Rice Wine
(2018)
I. Food grinding        
 Manual Intake of Waste     
40W motor       
Shredder
80W motor       
Reducer      
II. Fermentation        
Pressure
    
gauge
Digester Ball valves     
Slurry Tank      
Condenser       
Evaporator       
Refrigeration Compressor       
Principle Filter Drier       
Expansion
      
Valve
III. Biogas burning        
with regulator       
Gas
reservoir without
       
regulator
Gas stove     
Table 2.1 Comparison of components.
 Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology used in the project and

development. It involves the project design, the project development, operation

and testing procedure, instruments and techniques used and evaluation criteria.

Project Research Design

The development of digester with shredder for biogas production is a

continuous study of utilizing improperly disposed organic wastes to produce

biofuel. This is a development research conceptualized from existing studies to

be modified and improved for greater efficiency in methane production and

biogas utilization.

To complete the modification, the formulated solution and theories will be

turned into a prototype machine that will undergone experimentation and

evaluation to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed project.

Project Development

The Development of a Digester with Shredder for Biogas Production Using

Animal and Kitchen Wastes undergoes several stages including the following:
 IDENTIFICATION DATA GATHERING AND PROJECT
OF THE PROBLEM CONCEPTUALIZATION DEVELOPMENT

TESTING AND DESIGN

YES EVALUATION FABRICATION PHASE

NO

BIOGAS
DIGESTER

Figure 3.1 Research Paradigm

Identification of the Problem

Waste management has been a problem in most communities, especially

in rural areas like Brgy. Pinagsanhan, Maragondon, Cavite, where people are

used to utilize organic (leftover food and manure) wastes as fertilizer as it is,

without proper composting, thus emitting methane gases, which are major

contributors to greenhouse effect. Also, since the community is isolated from the

town proper, livestock such as poultry businesses were established. Such

establishment produce chicken manure as main waste, which contains pathogen

such as salmonella that is toxic to plants, animals, and humans alike.

Data Gathering and Conceptualization

Analyzing and reviewing different existing experiments and projects is very

important to conceptualize what appropriate design is to be made for the

development of digester with shredder for biogas production. The data gathered
were used to determine what components should be modified and where the

machine must be allocated to optimize its functionality.

Project Development

The previous project Development of Biogas with Digester and Shredder

Using Kitchen Waste (2018) done in Technological University of the Philippines

have some components to be modified for better outcome of criteria to be

evaluated. This includes, the appropriate design of solar panel, motor and

shredder according to the loads, the process of anaerobic digestion that will be

hastened, and the rate of methane production (volume per day).

Design Phase

The initial designs made were very similar to the previous study but

through further researches, some modifications were introduced. Methane is the

main concern for digester with shredder for biogas production. To gain more

methane, the proponents added chicken manure which gives off methane gas at

its maximum for only 5 days when fermented. In addition, the process of

fermentation can be hastened not only through shredding the wastes into fine

particles but also through maintaining a room temperature. Hence, the motor will

be redesigned into 80 W for the shredder to have sufficient power to tear all kinds

of kitchen wastes and aside from that, the digester will be insulated for no heat

will be added nor deducted. Furthermore, to have an even distribution of

microorganism in fermenting, a mixing mechanism will be introduced inside the

digester.

Figure 3.2 Initial Biodigester Design

Fabrication

Consultation from technicians and experts will be done for guidance and

assurance that the prototype will not be substandard in terms of safety and

functionality. Adjustments will be done because of some recommendations from

the fabricators were considered and applied to the machine.

Testing and Evaluation

Several tests were conducted to assess the technical aspects and

functionality of the machine. The Digester with Shredder for Biogas Production

underwent a series of testing procedures to achieve the desired effectiveness

within set limitations and boundaries.

Testing Procedures

1. Operate the machine. Test whether or not the animal and food wastes

can be ground properly. Are food wastes, specifically chicken bones

and fish bones, ground perfectly? Is the motor’s power enough to grind

such bones? Does it damage the shredder or the motor?

2. Test whether the machine can properly hold the methane. Is there any

leak from the system?

3. Determine how much methane is produced depending on the animal

and kitchen wastes mixture ratio. How much methane are produced per

gram of organic wastes used? How many days or hours were the

maximum methane amount produced?

Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria were considered for the basis of evaluating the machine;

• Functionality

o Rate of methane production – the produced methane over

period of time.

o Volume of methane production – amount of methane produced

per day.

o Quality of the methane as biofuel – efficiency of methane as an

energy source
 o Number of days of biofuel utilization – the number of days the

stored biofuel can be consumed until the reservoir is empty.

• Safety – the condition of being free from harm when machine is being

operated.

• Sanitation – the condition of being free from being unhygienic.

• Durability – toughness of every components and its lifespan.

• Cost-effectiveness – good value for the amount of money paid.

Schedule of Research Activities

The figures below show the schedule of activities to be done for specific

months.

Gantt Chart

 
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
Formulating Research Problem
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gathering information
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Making Research Proposal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Approval of Research proposal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Making Chapters 1 to 3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Designing of the Machine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Making Research Plan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Approval of Research Plan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consultation
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fabrication of Design
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Preparation for experimenting
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Conducting the survey and experiment
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Studying the Results
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finalizing the Research Paper
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 3.1 Schedule of Activities

January
February
March

1st week
2nd week
3rd week
4th week
1st week
2nd week
3rd week
4th week
1st week
2nd week
3rd week
4th week

Trial 1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Experimentation (25% Chicken Manure to 75% Food Waste)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Reviewing the Results

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Evaluation of the Machine

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Trial 2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Experimentation (50% Chicken Manure to 50% Food Waste)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Reviewing the Results

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Evaluation of the Machine

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Trial 3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Experimentation (75% Chicken Manure to 25% Food Waste)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reviewing the Results
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Evaluation of the Machine

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Table 3.2 Schedule of Experimentation

References

Prabhu, R. (2017). Experimental Analysis of Biogas from Kitchen Wastes

Yushan, B., Xiaomei, L. (2017). Maximal methane potential of different animal

manures collected in northwest region of China

Cristobal, J.B., Gargantos, A.P. (2018). Development of Biogas with Digester and

Shredder Using Kitchen Waste

Marquez, M., Monsanto, M.T. (2018). Development of a Fermentation Chamber

and Dispenser Machine for Rice Wine