[Stoves] cattle dung processing on a locally sustainiable small scale basis

[Frank Shields]

Hi Richard, All,

In the lab I did what they did but the other way around. The manure was in the bucket filled with water, stirred with a big stick then the screen lowered into the bucket and the water going through the screen into the center was bailed out. Over and over until the water had an EC of less than 1000 umhos/cm. (depends on the EC of the water used). So most of the salts are removed from the ‘burn’ fraction and are left in the water for plants. I was doing a weed seed test. 

I like their way as I think it not only removed salts but also heavy dirt and sand that fall through the screen into the tea.  The way I did it would not. So their way would make better quality bricks for fuel. And if it is found the silts/dirt/sand removed would be better to have some left to stick the bricks together it can be returned from the bottom of the bucket in a controlled amount. 
 
If you have it tested I suggest it tested only once as the ratios from a like feedstock (manures) will likely remain the same. So for quantity of nutrients you just need to determine the dilution and using an inexpensive EC meter makes quick work of that. And you don’t really need to have it tested as the cattle are feed the same good nutrient plant materials so the outcome should be a general distribution of nutrients. Salt blocks and grasses grown on border salty soils may have a higher distribution of sodium and/or chloride so that may need be considered if using the tea on poor drainage soils. 

The 1000 umhos/cm = about 640 mg/liter salts and most should be nutrients. They are all in plant available forms. So you might have 130mg chloride, 125mg sodium, 50mg calcium, 80mg phosphate, 200mg ammonium,  etc. etc until they add up 640. Likely no nitrate. So the EC umhos/cm X 0.64 = TDS = Total Dissolved Salts. EC mmhos/cm X 640 = TDS. Depends on your meter and some meters use other units. 

Thanks for this.

regards

Frank

Frank Shields
franke at cruzio.com <mailto:franke at cruzio.com>





> On Oct 7, 2015, at 1:19 PM, Richard Stanley <rstanley at legacyfound.org> wrote:
> 
> Friends of dung, 
> 
> In Miumbuni Village, about 2.5 hrs east of Nairobi (along the Mombassa highway), and a 9 mile slog north off road,  are two of some the the most dedicated experienced and resrouceful briquette training teams one could hope to know. Husband and wife, Mary and Francis  Kavita, were faced with the challenge of making fuel briquettes from only cattle dung for a group of Masaii about four years ago.
> 
> Here is what hey came up with;
> 1)  soak the dung and crumble it a bit manually,  to form a chunky mash.
> 2) slosh this mash  around in water in a seive (they used an old,  very traditional and ubiquitous woven cane  seiving tray common to  many  traditional cultures: Its used to clean grains such as rice and beans ) replenishing the water until it comes clean.
> 
> The resulting fibers are great for combustion in the briquetted form ( they form a good structural matrix which can encapsulate up to  50% sawdust rice husks or other granular material as well —y crude volume comparison—,or they burn well by themselves), 
> 3) and ….the collected  wash off water turns to  be great as a liquid fertilizer. 
> 
> It appears to be a fra better solution than  the reverse osmosis proposed by one ivy league school whose engineering faculty blithly ignored these little villagers in their pursuit for academic excellence but no matter: The real word is getting out quite nicely thanks to the internet and hopefully your all as well in sharing their story.
> 
> It remains for those inclined to do real science now: How to properly assay what they have acomplished:  what are the metrics are for “clean water”  vs residual fertiliser content; what is the optimium processing time for x input vs output . What are the valuse do he fertiliser vs fuel output and what are the economics of work at that  scale and how to scale it up ..well now,  thats for  you all to discuss and refine but please do not forget to relate the  story about them in your subsequent  communications. This is the real stuff of development, eh ? 
> 
> Thanks in advance for playing it forward. 
> 
> Disfruita  todos
> 
> Richard Stanley
> 
> 
> On Sep 29, 2015, at 6:25 PM, Anand Karve <adkarve at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear stovers,
> India is the world's largest producer of milk. The dairy industry also
> produces a huge quantity of cattle dung. Dung cakes are traditionally
> used as domestic fuel and also for cremating dead bodies. But they
> have the disadvantage of not burning as vigorously as wood. Dung also
> has a very high ash content. Can we devise some method of processing
> it to increase its fuel value?
> Yours
> A.D.Karve
> ***
> Dr. A.D. Karve
> 
> Chairman, Samuchit Enviro Tech Pvt Ltd (www.samuchit.com)
> 
> Trustee & Founder President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)
> 
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