Mr. Chapuis in his exploitation / Capture INA archives.
Sometimes it’s good to look back at history, and not just that of great public figures, but also the history made by little people. And it is in an INA video unearthed by a farmer on LinkedIn that we will find a surprisingly modern aspect of the energy transition.
The video was broadcast by the ORTF program Lorraine Soir on January 10, 1974. It is a fairly short report: 2 minutes and 23 seconds, which begins with the image of a rooster crowing, while the journalist sets the tone: “the revenge of dung on black gold”.
For some, the oil shock did not happen
It must be said that 1974 was just after the first oil crisis. The latter followed, in 1973, the start of the Yom Kippur War which pitted Israel on the one hand and an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria. The sharp rise in oil prices – a quadrupling in six months – has led many importing countries to look for ways to diversify their energy production. In France, the Messmer Plan was launched in 1974, aiming to accelerate the deployment of the nuclear power program. It was also at this time that the slogan was launched “in France, we don’t have oil, but we have ideas”still famous today.
In this context, producing gas from manure begins to present a whole new interest. Thus, this ORTF report on André Dupuis, breeder, who, in terms of energy, has been at the forefront of local solutions for more than twenty years.
A rustic installation of great simplicity
The installation is made up of three 8 m cement tanks3 each. The manure, from the litter produced by around twenty cows, is poured into these tanks once a month on average. It is then continuously watered there for a week, in order to start fermentation. The gas produced is then tested by burning, then it is accumulated in a gasometer, that is to say in a large tank lightly pressurized by a metal bell.
Every day, the installation produces approximately 4 m3 of gas, which is then used for heating or cooking. The only drawback noted by Mr. Dupuis: very cold days slow down fermentation.
Also read
How does a methanizer work?
Great synergy in the farming environment
The installation did not cost the breeder much. He built most of it himself, including the cement tanks. He only called on a craftsman for the boilermaking work. The gas produced costs him nothing, except for the work time necessary for filling and emptying the tanks, which Mr. Dupuis describes as follows: “ it’s not great ».
Furthermore, methanization leads to an increase in the value of the manure remaining after fermentation, by around 1/3 depending on the breeder. Manure, in fact, retains a greater proportion of its nitrogen after methanization than in simple composting: this nitrogen is found in a soluble form in the liquid and solid phases, rather than being lost in gaseous form. A significant part of the nitrogen can be directly used by the vegetation on which the manure will be spread.
Today, methanization is a solution in full development. Energy autonomy, decarbonization, protection of biodiversity, these are low-tech technologies, aiming to keep things simple and inexpensive, at the local level. In France, the PicoJoule association in particular is very active in this area. Considering our current energy challenges, but also in terms of recycling and the ecosystem, this INA report is a beautiful illustration of the “Return to the future” that certain aspects of the energy transition have in store for us.
