Bhutan news paper (kuenselonline) talk about energy converter Cooking gas from garbage The apparatus: It burns garbage, except glass and metal to produce gas A made-in-China converter system is to be used in Dechenphodrang monastic school Energy: Monks in Dechenphodrang monastic school will be cooking their meals with methane gas produced by burning garbage. An energy converter system, brought from China, was installed last week at the school. The five cylindrical-shaped machine installed near the school gate burns waste, except glass and metal, collected in the school. Tshewang Namgay, a monk, who operates the machine, said the first container has dry charcoal as the bottom layer, covering a pipe connected to the gas collection container. The second layer is made of dry garbage covered with wooden pieces, atop which is another layer of garbage. “The wooden pieces are processed into charcoal and, from a small valve of the first container, a paper is set on fire,” Tshewang Namgay said. Story behind the machine Karma Tenzin, who owns a dog pound near Ranjung, Trashigang, couldn’t stand the stench from a nearby dumpyard. “I happened to talk about it with a friend in Hongkong and through him I learnt about the machine that could tap methane gas from garbage,” he said, adding he then left for China, the place where it was found. The garbage pressure in Thimphu, he said, was the first to strike him when he saw the machine. “I decided to keep the machine at Dechenphodrang school, where a cousin is enrolled,” he said. The system at Dechenphodrang is worth Nu 0.9M and the one on the way to Taktsang, Nu 0.2M. “If Thimphu thromde could take a look at how the machine works, the 25MT garbage the city produces every day need not find another landfill,” he said. The second container has cold water, which lowers the first container’s temperature. It also has oil. “The air carrying water vapour and gas flows in and out at a temperature of 70-80 degree Celsius,” he said. The third container collects dirty water. “Sawdust in the fourth container absorbs water mixed with gas, which is purified, so it burns well,” Tshewang Namgay said. “The last one collects hot water, which come from the second container in the form of steam.” At the end of the last container, two stoves are connected via metallic pipes. “Soon we’ll be extending these pipes to the school kitchen so we can cook meals,” Tshewang Namgay said. The school, he said, will not only be conserving electricity and firewood, but reducing the amount of garbage going to Memelakha landfill. A similar system of a smaller size is installed on the base of the Paro-Taktsang route. It is not operational yet. By Nirmala Pokhrel
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 09:48:03 +0000
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