Farmers benefit from gasification of methane Cosy dwellings are seen at the foot of Mt Taebo, when one visits the Kochang Vegetable Cooperative Farm in Chollima District, Nampho City. According to an official of the farm, the houses for dozens of families were newly built last year. Each home has two living rooms, an entrance hall, kitchen, washroom, indoor store and accessory building. Stories about the new houses and gasification of methane continue to be heard among the dwellers, drawing the interest of other people. “Every house in our village is furnished with a methane gas tank made of soft polyvinyl chloride resin. The tank is more convenient than the concrete one in terms of installation, management and operation, and it generates much gas,” said Kim Tok Chol, an official of vegetable workteam No. 2. According to him, the wall of concrete tank is easily damaged due to corrosion when the ground freezes or its operation is stopped for over three months. But the resin tank is movable and can make effective use of solar energy. Its output is 1.5 times more than the concrete tank and the construction cost is only 30 percent. Its serviceable life is 13-15 years, or 8-10 times longer than ordinary vinyl. “I’m very happy to boil rice with methane gas,” said Choe Kwang Wol, wife of Kim Kwang Chun belonging to crop-raising workteam No. 6. “I am free from stoking a fire for cooking after returning home from daily farm work. It is much favoured by housewives as they can prepare meals in a short time and keep the kitchen in a cultured and sanitary manner.” When two buckets of animal excrement is supplemented every week, it generates methane gas much enough to cook meals, she said, adding that raising a pig in each family enables it to gain satisfactory gas for making meals. “Our farm uses the fermentation liquid and dregs from each home as insecticide, quality manure and feed for domestic animals and fish. In a word, the gasification of methane gas helps establish a production cycle of agricultural production, animal husbandry and fish farming and thus increase output and prevent environmental pollution. It is as profitable as killing several birds with one stone,” said the official. The farm is now pushing ahead with a project to introduce the experience gained by the village into the whole farm. By Kim Kum Myong PT