[Digestion] Woody Biomass digestion via compost

[Art Krenzel]

Abel,

I believe that you may have the technologies to produce gas from hardwood 
shavings confused.  Normally, woody biomass can be converted to producer gas 
via high temperature gasification.  Producer gas is a mixture of hydrogen, 
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen - not methane.

Woody biomass is not a good feedstock candidate for biodigestion and 
conversion into methane.  Aerobic composting does not produce methane - 
instead it produces carbon dioxide from the digestion of the woody biomass 
by the microbes.  Anaerobic digestion is not a good candidate process either 
since it depends upon dissolving the woody biomass into a water solution to 
be effective unless you have thousands of years of time.  Anaerobic 
digestion depends upon soluble solids which are very low in woody biomass.

Please send me some information on Jean Pain's work.

Art Krenzel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wake Robin Design WRD" <wakerobinlandscaping at yahoo.com>
To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 6:47 PM
Subject: [Digestion] Woody Biomass digestion via compost


> Greetings,
>  I was wondering if any readers have come across the work of Jean Pain. 
> The man who converted overgrown hardwood forests in southern france into 
> healthy woodlands while simultaneously producing methane, methanol, hot 
> water, and compost from the digestion process?  I am trying to track down 
> his book or a book on the subject which illuminates the specifics of this 
> method.
>
>  What I understand is that instead of creating a slurry, he built piles of 
> wood shavings saturated by water.  I am guessing that by composting the 
> debris he was able to heat the inside of the pile enough to produce 
> methane.  It seems like a simpler approach than heating a tank filled with 
> a slurry.  Does this seem possible?
>
>  I want to eventually apply this method in the Pacific Northwest region of 
> the USA.  What is the feasability of using wood shavings from northwest 
> connifers like douglas fir and western red cedar?  Does anyone have any 
> specifics on the amount of energy produced per ton using this particular 
> material?  How hot do you need to keep it?  Does the collection energy 
> justify the energy retrieved by digestion?
>
>  I am also interested in learning more about the way gas is collected from 
> a compost pile.  This particular bit of information has not been revealed 
> by any articles on Pain
>
>  Finally, any ideas on some good chipper shredders in the PNW?
>
>  If anyone has any thoughts on any of these questions I would be grateful,
>
>  Abel Kloster
>
>
>
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