It is best to obtain seed material from an operating anaerobic digester. Some wastewater treatment plants have an anaerobic digester and operators are usually happy to provide all of the digester effluent you desire. If an operating digester cannot be located, the instructor can start a special digester to provide seed for the project digester. It should be noted that starting a digester from scratch will probably require three to four weeks. The time is required for bacteria population growth.
Actual time invested is minimal.
Two to three hours should be allowed for initial digester design, fabrication, and setup. For several days in a row the digester should monitored for pH and gas production. In addition, if the digester appears stable it should be fed. After several days the project participants should compare gas production and conduct tests to see if the biogas will burn. Continued gas production means that the digester is producing methane.