Prometheus Power

The economics of a smaller digester are generally difficult because of the maintenance requirements, the relative cost of the volume (which becomes cheaper with larger concrete lagoons, compared with pre-fabbed plastic tanks), as well as the system's stability. 

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But in the application as a camp sanitation system this technology is

competing with Porta-Potties, which are an extremely expensive service. This means that the digesters don't even necessarily need to break even in order to make a competitive business model.

On top of the money typically paid for waste services as a revenue stream, the digesters produce cooking/generator gas as well as useable liquid fertilizer. There are even great opportunities to link this fertilize output with a hydro or aquaponics system and upgrade this output into vegetables or even fish for human consumption.

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A methane digester is the most efficient disposal system for any wet organic material- it conserves 40% more useable nitrogen than aerobic composting while also preserving a useable hydrocarbon fuel (methane, CH4) from the decaying carbohydrates. In any economy not glutted by fossil fuel abuse these resources, energy and fertility, are essential.

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The economics of centralized mass production make it more profitable to blast this same gas out of the earth (Fracking) than to simply capture it from our own wastes- but this only highlights the insanity of our current living systems, while a viable small-scale digester will help expose this insanity for the racket is.

Developing this design is a step towards sane local autonomy, and a step out of this trap.

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All told the manufacture cost of this unit is likely to be $500-1000 (after  optimization), for a unit capable of processing 30 human's daily waste; and this waste should produce gas to boil over 5,000 gallons of water, and will require constant (digitally assisted) attention and daily tending.