[Stoves] VermiChar

[Vuthisa Technologies]

Hi Crispin,

I think Vermicasting or Vermicomposting may be more appropriate, but in this part of the woods everyone seems to be referring to it as a wormery or worm farm.  I think the latter conjures up images of a kid and his worm farm enclosed in glass.

>300/ton is a lousy price.

Yes, but if I needed to sell 150 tons a day that would be good enough.  The buyers still have to combine with their own compost mixes and add cost of packaging and other overheads.  I sold bagged barbecue as late as April 2012 for $340/ton straight to retailers.  The price has since shot up.  Biochar in the US typically fetches $500 USD/metric ton?  I would be happy paying 300 for my own vermichar trials.

It does make me wonder perhaps there is something wrong with their char for fuel usage.  They have had it tested and apparently its good for biochar.  I would like to view those specs...dis wat ek dink.

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Message: 14
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:09:07 -0400
From: "Crispin Pemberton-Pigott"<crispinpigott at gmail.com>
To: "'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'"
	<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Subject: Re: VermiChar
Message-ID:<00f901ce9aa3$522e8410$f68b8c30$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Dear Kobus

Isn't that a 'vermiery'? I had to laugh at the name 'wormery'. Is there
really such a word? Delightful mental image. I must get one.

300/ton is a lousy price. It would be far better to make briquettes. Even
for duff char I think you can get over 800/ton. That is a heck of an
opportunity cost.  Decent burnable char is well over a Rand and the duff
goes for about 60%.  The returns will have to be substantial for an aware
farmer to bury it.

Is there something that makes a viable biochar that is not good enough for
fuel? Can't imagine what it is but maybe it exists. What about bagasse?
Based on Alex English's moving grate burner I bet it would burn well and
make a lot of char if the speed is right.

Net te dink...
Crispin

+++++++

Please check out our VermiChar poposal:http://bit.ly/FNBVermiChar  Seems
South Africans are not to sure about it, but would rather see remote control
planes zooming around our beaches patrolling sharks. We're surprisingly well
connected through social media, with some folks being to amass over 3000
smiles by sharing our idea. That's a lot of votes.
Just been on the phone with a local company that makes 150 tons of biochar a
day and selling it to nurseries.  They cannot source enough vermicast though
for their own vermichar concept. Biochar seems to fetch
$300 per ton over here, bulk rates.  If I can't source enough biochar for my
own trials at least I know who to contact.  As far as producing vermicast is
concerned that's another story and building up a wormery will be our highest
priority.