Gambung, trip 2

On the way back to Gambung, we first did a little bit of sightseeing of the surrounding mountains. The rest of the trip provided some new insights into our biogas/waste management project... and also saw us encounter our first set of problems and issues! But first, the fun stuff.


We took a little detour to the White Crater (Kawah Putih), a beautiful hot spring at the top of a mountain (pictured below), about an hour and a half away from Gambung. Unfortunately it was quite rainy, but it provided for some nice pictures of us in the clouds. It didn't help our breathing situation, however, especially with the smell of sulfur 1800 meters above sea level! The rest of the pictures can be seen via our picture link.

The team and our local project manager, Fikri, in front of Kawah Putih

We were back in the village on Thursday to monitor the installation of the biogas generator. Though the digester was now full, there wasn't enough water mixed into it and therefore the gas produced was very low - only about 10% of the bags' capacity (pictured below). We had to postpone the first test run of the generator because the digester had to be filled up again, this time with the right amount of water. Now we return again this Tuesday to follow up on the process and record our first results. This had some consequences, both to the issues that arose and to the project timeline schedule.

Sebastian and Josh getting their first taste of mixing cow dung to get the right consistency... a highly recommended activity

Our gas bags full... unfortunately the methane quality was too low

We met with the generator supplier as well who provided us with some more information on the cost effectiveness of our pilot. As with any project, we ran into a few issues that we had not anticipated - a valuable lesson learned in terms of preparation and data collection! The team got together and talked through it all, looking at possible solutions and coming up with a contingency plan. In the end, though, it worked out and we realized how exactly to fix the situation. No project, as we all know, goes flawlessly the first time around!

Working out the kinks

Technician connecting the generator to the pipes

In order to speed up the fermentation process so that we could still meet our deadline, we needed to add a soluble solution to the dung. We decided to regroup in Jakarta and adjust a few things, and are now looking forward to our third return to see the progress!

Rizki mixing the bacterial solution