Philips - Sustainability
2010 Bio Digester Island
The bio-digester kitchen island is the central hub in the Microbial Home system. It consists of a methane digester which converts bathroom waste solids and vegetable trimmings into methane gas that is used to power a series of functions in the home. The bio-digester hub is designed as a repositionable kitchen island, including a chopping surface with vegetable waste grinder, a gas cooking range, a glass tank that shows energy reserves and glass elements showing pressure, volume and readiness of compost sludge. Materials used in the design are copper, cast iron, glass and bamboo. ‘Bio-gas’ is produced by developing a culture of suitable bacteria living on organic waste material from the home. The gas the bacteria generate is collected and burnt. This arrangement is called a methane digester and it has been used in various configurations for centuries.
