Ministry launches biogas project in 17 cities

ISTANBUL

A micro-project, which envisages that the animal waste obtained by farmers from three cows will be able to produce enough natural gas to meet their one-day need for cooking, has started to be implemented in agriculture by the instruction of the Energy Ministry.

The project sent to 17 cities as a pilot study aims to support farmers who cannot reach gas in rural areas.

Turkish Electromechanic Industries Co. (TEMSAN) hosts the R&D studies of micro-energy projects that will meet the daily needs of farmers, which were implemented by the instruction of Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez.

With the device called BİOTEM, produced by Turkish engineers, natural gas is provided to farmers who have one to three cattle from animal waste. The device, started to be designed by the instruction of Dönmez, produces 1 cubic meter of gas from 20 liters of waste per day, the amount with which a household can cook three meals a day.

“The villagers liked it very much, and we received positive feedback. They brew and cook their meals with animal wastes,” TEMSAN head Fatih Öztürk said, adding that they produced as much gas as a large cylinder in a month.

He also pointed out that they set up a remote monitoring system through which the quality of the gas can be measured. “This creates scientific data for us.”

Noting that electricity can also be produced with this device, which will soon go into mass production, Öztürk said there is a great demand for the device, especially from Africa.

TEMSAN is also working on another project called MOBİTEM for rural areas where access to electricity is limited. With the system, in which domestic solar panels and equipment are used, it is aimed that farmers can produce electricity from the sun and irrigate fields.

While the company has also completed a prototype of another system that can charge a battery in a day while walking continuously, the project also aims to teach children how electricity is generated through games after installing the system in playgrounds.