[Stoves] jatropha does not burn well for us ....but it probably has for others, somewhere

[Paul S. Anderson]

Dear Boston and all,

I hope you can come to ETHOS meeting next weekend 28-30 Jan in Seattle  
and see the Jatropha-seed stove that will be discussed in a  
presentation and fired up at the stove demo.  It is by "Jet City  
Stoveworks" (JCSW) (Seattle is Jet City) and "Pamoja" (NGO working in  
Tanzania).  I have worked with them on this stove.

The answer is yes, jatropha can be burned cleanly in stoves.  but  
there are challenges.

You and CU (Colorado Univ.?) and others with Jatropha efforts could  
fit in well with additional work on burning jatropha.  Pamoja and JCSW  
and I (independently or together) would be glad to collaborate.

There could be several ways to handle jatropha as a stove fuel.  We  
are working (successfully) with one, which is to use the TLUD  
combustion technology.  In brief, because the top-lit updraft (TLUD)  
functions with a decending pyrolysis front that is quite well behaved  
and uniform, the flaming pyrolysis (limited oxygen present) provides  
heat that vaporizes the jatropha oils, releasing them as gases along  
with the pyrolysis gases.  The challenge is in the combustion of so  
much gas and that type of gas (probably longer-chain hydrocarbons).

To handle the jatropha press cake, pelletizing or briquetting is  
probably the best option.  And the press cake could be mixed with some  
other biomass.  Loose presscake alone would block the needed air flow  
in the TLUD.

I will leave the details of the Pamoja/JCSW to them to present 9 days  
from now.  Then we could get into the real details.

Request:  Do you (at CU) or anyone else have any supply of natural  
(not pressed) jatropha seeds?   JCSW and I are looking for some kilos.

-- 
Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Known to some as:  Dr. TLUD    Doc    Professor
Phone (USA): 309-452-7072   SKYPE: paultlud   Email: psanders at ilstu.edu


Quoting Richard Stanley <rstanley at legacyfound.org>:   -- snipped --

> Boston,
> I would toss this question out to the combustion experts on the  
> stoves and biomass lists...here.
>
> I have not tried it out but I know that others must have by now. The  
> idea is to get behind the reason for poor combustion Crispin if I  
> have him correctly implies that there is  no poor biomass fuel, only  
> poor stoves...Thats one avenue which the stoves group is  
> particularly good at.
>
> It may be that no one has ever successfully burned jatropa...but,  
> personally,  I would not bet on it.
>   snipped   The point of this digression is this:  I have little  
> doubt that if you were to venture out into the jatropa-using world  
> (not just the development project world or institutional research  
> world)  but the user-on-the-ground world, you will probably discover  
> how somebody somewhere has figured out a way to process it as fuel...
>
> The ideal is to do this and to frame your scientific investigations  
> at the same time: to run the "field" investigation in parallel and  
> collaboratively with the lab analysis. Then you get not only the  
> best of both worlds as information and data sources: You form a link  
> to-- and directly or indirectly- help to empower those who can not  
> only benefit from  the results but who can become teachers of others  
> for the future.

NOTE by PSA:  This is what Pamoja is doing.
>
> Then publish it with all your collaborrants, for the rest of us. It   
> will be a great contribution !
>
> Pressing on,
>
> Richard Stanley
> www.legacyfound.org
> Ashland Or.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> On Jan 20, 2011, at 12:39 PM, Boston Nyer wrote:
>
>> Hi Richard,
>>
>> I have a related question to this discussion, which I think is interesting.
>>
>> At CU, we have a Jatropha project that you fielded some questions  
>> about a few months ago.  As I'm sure you've heard, Jatropha  
>> seedcake does not burn well, not even close.  So, one of our  
>> questions now is:  what can we do with this waste stream this is  
>> both useful and desirable?
>>
>> One approach we will test is to carbonize the material and for  
>> biochar briquettes (and a water filter media, etc.).  However, I  
>> wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment on biochar briquettes.   
>> What is your opinion if the ag-waste doesn't burn well normally?   
>> It still seems a bit contrived, eh?
>>
>> I'm looking forward to hearing your perspective.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Boston
>>


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