Making composting more efficient

From Programme Director Martin:

"One thing that caught my interest and that was not particularly mentioned in all those solutions was the fact that one could also tap into the temperatures generated in the composting process. During this process, temperatures of 60 degrees (Celsius) and more can be reached. Perhaps you can picture the steam one can see near a compost pile on a cold day. Biogas production could be made much more efficient when also using that temperature for district heating purposes. This of course remembered me of our energy module in this course. I looked for examples and found an older method of a Frenchman called Jean Pain. He uses quite simple technique which allows the production of biogas while also producing hot water. That way he made himself energy independent (still depending on biomass supply of course). The value of this method is that is relatively simple, probably cheap and can be used in a decentralised manner in agricultural areas or on a shared basis in communities. This makes it also interesting for “developing” countries. But have a look yourself."