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

[Boston Nyer]

Dr. Anderson,

I know that the University of Florida - Lee County Extension Services -
Agriculture and Natural Resources has plenty of Jatropha seeds.  They
offered to send us some a few months back.  You can inquire with Fitzroy
Beckford (fbeckford at leegov.com) or Martha Avila (MAvila at leegov.com).

I'm excited to hear more about your TLUD that runs on Jatropha seeds.
 Unfortunately, I'm in Bangladesh and won't be able to attend ETHOS.
 However, Kristen Matsumura (cc-ed) is also working on the Jatropha research
at CU and will be there.

I look forward to hearing more about it.

Cheers,
Boston




On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Paul S. Anderson <psanders at ilstu.edu>wrote:

> 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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>
>


-- 
Boston Nyer
Graduate Student
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering
University of Colorado at Boulder
(585) 503-3459
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