Biodigesters
Timbertanks are increasingly being used for the storage of biogas – a by-product of sewage and effluent treatment.
Designed to capture and store the methane gas given off during the digestion of sewage, the gas held in the Timbertank is later returned to the digestor as heating fuel.
The economies of this process are obvious and this form of treatment is proving to be a growing market for Timbertanks worldwide.
Christchurch’s Ian Bywater of Natural Systems Limited recently won an international electrical engineering award for his design of a bio-digester which turns cow waste into methane gas for burning in a generator. His prototype used a 160m3 Timbertank to hold the waste collected daily from the milking yard.
The biodigester concept can be utilised on any farm where animal excrement is produced. As well as generating electricity, the farmer gains the additional benefit of finished waste for spreading on the farm.