Journey to the Centre of the Biomeiler

When experimenting, accidents might occur.

From Amiens we received the news that our biomeiler had stopped circulating water, the energy was no longer flowing, everything was blocked. All around us questions and doubts were raised – we consulted our biomeiler expert Arie, we tried to guess, but the only thing to do was go there and visit our Biomeiler.

Louisa and Andrea drove to Amiens on a rainy day full of hope and restlessness; once there, they meet with the stalwart Guillaume and start to pump, measure, dig, test, feel, smell, listen, discuss, but nothing. The biomeiler was not pumping water anymore.

At that point it was clear: deep inside the Miracle Mountain something was broken, maybe forever.

Five days later the whole team was there: Pieter and Valentina from Berlin, Andrea and Louisa from Brussels and Guillaume with his crew. So at the first light of day, under a threatening grey sky, the open heart operation to the centre of the biomeiler began. It took us several hours of intense digging. Steams and hot vapours were rising from the dense depth of the biomeiler.

The closer to the heart we went, the closer to the answer we were. A hollow sound as the fork hit was the signal that finally we had reached the 200Lt blue barrel reservoir that we had buried inside the biomeiler.

Now we knew: that was a mistake!

The pressure of the woodchips together with the hot temperatures had caused the complete collapse of the barrel and consequently the full loss of water and functionality of the hydraulic apparatus. We had our answer and our solution: bypass the barrel and close as fast as possible the deep scar we had just dug into the biomeiler. It seems that the delicate functioning of this incredible organism has not been damaged by the operation, hot water is again flowing and the microorganisms are still transforming wood into energy.

One week later, the Miracle Mountain was ready to demonstrate to everyone at the festival opening the miracle of transformation.

From “Journey to the Center of the Earth”

by Jules Verne ( Feb.1828 Nantes – March 1905 Amiens)

“In Snefflls [sic] Iokulis kraterem kem delibat umbra Skartaris Iulii intra kalendas deskende, audas uiator, te [sic] terrestre kentrum attinges. Kod feki. Arne Saknussemm.”

In slightly better Latin, with errors amended:

“In Sneffels Jokulis craterem, quem delibat umbra Scartaris, Julii intra kalendas descende, audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges; quod feci. Arne Saknussemm”

which, when translated into English, reads:

“Descend, bold traveller, into the crater of the jökull of Snæfell, which the shadow of Scartaris touches (lit: tastes) before the Kalends of July, and you will attain the center of the earth. I did it. Arne Saknussemm”

Part of the project: