[Stoves] lactic acid

[Anand Karve]

Dear Jeff,
my idea was to use concentrated lactic acid directly as fuel. Its
general formula, C3H6O3 sugests that it is a carbohydrate like
cellulose or starch. It should therefore be combustible. In any any
combustion device, one gets much higher efficiency and clean burn, if
one has a standardised fuel. That would be lactic acid. Being liquid,
it would be easier to transport and to handle. It can be very easily
produced from any cellulosic biomass.
Yours
A.D.Karve

On Sun, Jul 13, 2014 at 1:30 PM, Jeff Holiman <jeff.holiman at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Dr. Karve and Stovers,
>
> In summary:  what are your thoughts about using biology to concentrate the
> acids from fermentation into fats which can be transformed to stove fuel??
>
> Based on inspiration, in part from Dr. Paul Oliver, this rather convoluted
> path(s) to biodiesel for cookstoves from fermentation of biomass with some
> more potential for value added products, including biochar, if EREI could be
> worthwhile?
> from sun->plants-> microaerobic fermentation (MF) -> produces leachate rich
> in short-chain acids similar to acid fermentation  -> makes good liquid
> fertilizer and / or food source for black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)
> production (Alattar 2012) ->  some BSFL used for fish and poultry feed
> (Burtle et al.) and some used for fuel production Fuel 90 (2011) 1545-1548)
> : The fibrous lignocellulosic material remaining following fermentation used
> for biochar feedstock after pressing (Instove Technical bulletin)  plus If
> technology permits:  chitosan from BSFL exoskeleton to make custom media for
> contaminated sites  (Zhou 2014) or chitosan can be used to make graphene
> coated biochar (Zhang 2012), also for remediation.
>
> Maybe further optimize process if one first adds leachate to animal manures?
> I would be grateful if you provided your impression of this strategy.
>
> Kind regards,
> Jeff Holiman
> Portland, OR
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 10:16 PM, Anand Karve <adkarve at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Dear Stovers,
>>  After having worked on charring and gasification of biomass, I am now
>> attrempting to convert biomass into a standardised liquid fuel, which would
>> burn cleanly. Alcohol is one choice, but the raw material, sugar or starch,
>> is costly. The method of making sauerkraut and silaged grass shows that it
>> is relatively easy to make lactic acid from cellulosic biomass. The relevant
>> literature states that very little energy is lost in this process. This acid
>> can be easily eluated from the reactor by using water. However, the lactic
>> acid obtained in this manner is in a very dilute form. How can one
>> concentrate it? Does one distill it like alcohol? Can one use reverse
>> osmosis to remove the water? And would it burn in its concentrated form? I
>> know that glacial acetic acid burns.
>> Yours
>> A.D.Karve
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 10:33 PM, Richard Stanley
>> <rstanley at legacyfound.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Kevin,
>>>
>>> I heartily agree with Ron re, Beck and Tanton et al. Ron's counterpoint
>>> reference is well taken;
>>>
>
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-- 
***
Dr. A.D. Karve
Trustee & Founder President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)