Four students of the HAN won the GasTerra Transition prize 2011 and 50,000 Euros. During the con-gress of GasTerra in Burgers Zoo, they knew to persuade the jury that their idea is most contributing to a fully sustainable energy supply.
Jacob van den Heuvel, Martha Jalink, Roy van Verseveld en Jeffrey Vink have been studying at the HAN since September 2010. They are following the courses Mechanical Enineering, Industrial Product Design, Technical Management and Embedded Systems Engineering. A mixed team, which turned out to work out perfectly well!
The students brought the organic waste eater into existence: a system for affordable biogas production and for individual housekeeping. Yes, that means for you at home as well! Above the ground, there is a container in which organic waste is collected. Below ground level, there is a cheap installation which ferments the garbage without giving off any stench. This installation doesn’t need to be maintained. During its process, biogas (methane) is produced. This, together with natural gas, is used to warm a housekeeping for example. The process is CO2-neutral and the remaining waste can be used as manure.
According to the students, the Organic Waste Eater is the way to become ‘filthy rich’. They were given 50,000 Euros as a prize, of which they are allowed to keep 20% for themselves. The remaining 80% has to be spend on improvements and application of their idea. During the congress of GasTerra in 2012, the team will deliver a presentation on their improvements.
