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Lobster Auto-fed
Replicate full scale AD - in the lab
2 reactors for photography purposes
What's included:
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6x 5L Lobster Set
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2x Automatic Feeder
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PLC Control Panel
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6-Cell Gas Flow Meter
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Arduino Data Logger
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1-Year Warranty
Optional modifications:
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Larger reactor sizes (enquire)
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Pressure valve for higher pressures inside reactor
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PH probe
All for £25000
A key variable in full-scale anaerobic digestion is the feeding rate, which is adjusted to optimise reactor health and biomethane production. Automatic feeding avoids spikes in gas production, producing a more consistent gas production profile which closely represents the full scale operation, even at the microbial scale (ie. you don't cycle between overfeeding and starvation).
Our most popular solution for automatic feeding is the lobster. With six 5L reactors and two automatic feeders, you can simultaneously test 2 different feeding rates across multiple reactors, seeing the effects of additives or new feedstocks on your gas production.
Unlike the common batch test, our automatically fed machines can be run continuously, intaking more feedstock, and removing excess digestate. This allows you to perform tests over longer time periods.
Blue line showing automatic feeding gas production, much more consistent than semi-continuous (red line).
Use real feed in your digester to replicate the industrial process as closely as possible. In our lab, we have been using roughly 19% DS mixtures of food-waste. As the feed is delivered into the reactor, agitators homogenise the mix so the feed is kept consistent throughout.
6 Reactors
you have the freedom to test different feedstocks, conditions, or additives
2 Automatic Feeders
experiment with 2 different feeding rates at once, to adjust in response to gas drops and find the optimal rate
The robust stainless steel reactors provide the non-reactive environment for anaerobic digestion. Enquire for different reactor volumes.
The easily removable effluent bottle collects the excess digestate to avoid pressure build ups and spillages.
6x 5L Reactors
1L Effluent Bottle
Automatic Feeder Syringe
The patented feeder syringe feeds the reactor at your programmed rate. It prevents backflow from the reactor and a full syringe feeds for about a week.
2 reactors for photography purposes
Mixer motor
Each reactor comes with a 20 rpm motor which constantly mixes the inside of the reactors.
Heater Jacket
The custom fit heater jackets maintain a consistent, programmable temperature inside the reactor.
Agitator Motor
To ensure homogenous feed, the agitator mixes the feedstock coming up from the feeding syringe.
Our open source Arduino data logger records and stores the gas production data measured by the gas flow meter. When an event happens in the gas flow meter, a reed switch circuit is closed which is logged by the data logger. The BMP280 pressure sensor and thermocouple inform the data logger to automatically convert any gas volumes to STP. Data is easily extracted at any time through USB connection with any computer.