Since anaerobic digestion reduces the amount of organic waste and produces methane, a valuable fuel, it is becoming more and more attractive as a waste treatment alternative. After the initial setup, a feeding and gas monitoring routine can then be established. This could be either daily or every two to three days. More time should be allowed when students compare gas production and test the gas for its flammability. The anaerobic digestion process is not instantaneous.
Time is required for the bacteria population to grow and stabilize.
The minimum amount of time recommended for this project is two weeks. However, once the digester is established, it is easy to conduct a variety of experiments. As engineers do, you may wish to try improving your design. The digester should easily fit on a card table size table. Power is not necessarily required, but may be desired if temperature control is attempted.