BioMass Renewable Energy Education

Anaerobic Digestion Kit 101 

The ADK 101 lab kit provides students direct experience with the digestion process from waste to energy. Employing the same technology used worldwide for commercial digesters,  students observe the science, mathematics and biology used in connection with biomass to energy conversion.  Data gathered during the experiments will allow students a deeper understanding of the activity occurring in each environment.  

This unique hands on approach to learning allows students to participate in the process of anaerobic digestion by operating a two stage, state of the art digester.

This lab provides a useful link between metabolism, energy topics and the cycling of elements in the environment.  It introduces the research tools used to cultivate and study obligate anaerobes. 

This kit will enable students to:

1. •Engage in the work of an environmental engineer as they learn properties of biogas and how scientists optimize biofuel production.

2. •Observe the physical and chemical characteristics of methane.

3. •Design and conduct an experiment, collect and analyze data.

4. •Understand concepts of decomposition, of decomposition, bioenergetics, cycling of nutrients and nutrition

5. •Become familiar with the materials and methods used to cultivate strictly anaerobic bacteria and archaea.