Update #5

We are almost done with the project. We have proved that mashed bananas greatly increase the gas production by almost double, and the vegetable peelings were not available to us earlier, so we just used bananas and it worked out fine.

Update #4

We finished with test #1. We decided not to burn the gas in this experiment because we knew that only pure methane had collected. We guessed that there was some gas leaking from the balloon, so we reinforced the second bottle and made it more airtight. We emptied out the first experiment bottle, and disposed the manure. We began constructing the apparatus for the second experiment. For the second experiment, along with the manure, we are putting in mashed bananas and vegetable peelings. We are also going to at least test the gas to make sure that something has accumulated this time.

Procedure

Prepare Collection System

1. Gather copper tubing, vinyl tubing, large water bottle, ball valve, cork, balloon, and connectors.
2. Insert copper tubing into Mylar Balloon and tape down (make sure there aren't any leaks).
3. Drill T-Adapter into cork and glue tight (optional).
4. Attach ball valve to vinyl tubing on both sides.
5. Connect vinyl tubing to copper tubing, and attach the other end of the vinyl tubing to the ball valve, which would be attached to the burning apparatus.
6. Add manure(mandatory) + any other optional feedstocks.

Experiment #1: Manure Only

Update #3

It has been 3 weeks since we last met and out the project together. Plenty of manure has collected, and now it is time to burn the gas. There is some gas that collected, not too much, but it is a significant amount. We need to quickly burn it and move on. For our next experiment, we need to collect a large pile of vegetable peelings and mix it in with the manure as part of our second variable.

Update #2

We have acquired the manure from a local farm, and have built the 1st generator. We have about 30L of manure, more or less. We used about 6-8L of manure, and filled it close to the top with water. We needed a smaller balloon, but we just folded down the top of the old to lessen the space where the gas could collect. We now have to wait around a week or so for the maximum amount of gas to collect. It is  averaging at about 40 degrees outside, so it might affect how much gas will collect.

Update #1

We need a smaller Mylar Balloon for the generator because the proportion is too big. We need a smaller balloon otherwise you cannot see how much methane has been collected. We also need to keep updating the journal and the blog (this). The farm needs to send us info about the manure soon.