[Stoves] Fwd: {Vetiver System} Vetiver, stoves, and biochar

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Dr AD

>The roots of Vetiver contain a volatile fragrant oil of great economic
importance. 

Do you know if the extraction process is simple distillation? There is a
relatively successful project based at the Univ of Fort Hare in the Eastern
Cape, South Africa, distilling root oils. I have never heard that Vetiver
was a possible candidate for this.

>Vetiver has no pests or diseases. Even cattle does not eat it. 

That is a pretty attractive plant if it is not invasive. Some of the best
grasses in the British Colonies are for thatching. The Brits realised long
ago that the quality of thatch was not very good in many places so they sent
shiploads of seed all over the Empire. This was tossed out of the back of
Landrovers that drove up and down country lanes in, for example, Swaziland
and Zimbabwe. These grasses grew really well and people hang around the
roadside to reap the product at the end of each summer.  In the past 50
years or so it has moved into the verges of fields but it is not very
invasive. It would make an excellent fuel for stoves. It is dense and grows
to perhaps 3 metres maximum and lasts 25 years as a roof material, or about
the same as asphalt shingles in Canada. It is not elephant grass which is
much taller and not such a good roofing material.

Because it is so easy to transport (being right beside the road in most
places) it is traded all over and has quite a high value. In order to be
attractive as a fuel it would have to be more plentiful and grown as
switchgrass is now.

Does it have high ash? Does it have high C, P and K?  I am thinking of Alex
English's glass manufacturing hay burner near Kingston.  J

Would not papyrus also be a good fuel? There is masses of it around the
shores of Lake Victoria. I always wondered why no one makes paper from it!

Regards

Crispin

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