[Stoves] Banglalesh TLUD stove Re: No subsidies in TLUD char peoduction

[Paul Anderson]

Julien,

Thank you for the detailed report.  The non-metalic components are of 
great interest.

Question:   You wrote:
> About 24 small holes in the side wall of the metal reactor make the 
> gasification of chunks of wood more reliable, and less prone loosing 
> the gas flame. 
Is that shown in a photo?   Or please describe with more detail. AND is 
there also a gap (how large?)  for secondary air entry at the top of the 
reactor?

Of the current cost of about $20, please break that down into metal 
(what pieces?), cement/ceramics, and labor (and any other type of cost 
that you can estimate.).

Paul

Doc  /  Dr TLUD  /  Prof. Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email:  psanders at ilstu.edu
Skype:   paultlud    Phone: +1-309-452-7072
Website:  www.drtlud.com

On 12/6/2017 11:05 PM, Julien Winter wrote:
> Hello all;
>
> Thanks for you comments on the Akha-Biochar Project in Bangladesh.
>
> The cost and payback is not fully worked out, because it will take 
> about a year for TLUD-biochar ecosystem to become established in 
> community, and it will continue to evolve. The stove costs about $20 
> to make, this could be brought down as numbers of stoves increase.  
> Also, we are still at the stove-prototype stage, so we can expect some 
> modifications and fine tuning.    Payback is developing, as farmers 
> and gardeners discover the value of biochar for food production. We 
> have "Farmer Biochar User Groups" that are conducting field trials, so 
> they can learn from first-hand experience what biochar can do for 
> them.  There are also graduate students involved in gathering evidence 
> to make recommendations on optimum application rates.  It could take a 
> couple of years at any one location for the local population to be 
> able to place their own value on biochar, and what they are willing to 
> pay for it.
>
> Whether people use the char themselves or sell it depends on their 
> personal opportunities.  There are many families that are landless. 
> Presently, they see char sales as a way to earn cash or barter. They 
> think that is a great idea; save fuel, cook faster, AND make biochar!  
> People with land, especially farmers, see biochar as a way of making 
> permanent improvements to the quality of their land, so expect that 
> using biochar could have very substantial impact on their family's 
> economic well being.
>
> I have been advocating using biochar in composting, or mixing it with 
> manure before it goes onto the field.  We need work on using it in 
> human waste management.
>
> There is no shortage of good soil scientists and agronomists in 
> Bangladesh to work on biochar technology.
>
> The outer concrete cylinder of the Akha stove is cast.  We have made 
> stoves with concrete reactors (lined with clay slip), but their 
> smoke-free combustion was less reliable, and there were some gas 
> burner issues to solve.  That is not to say that concrete reactors 
> will not work, but they need quite a bit of research and development, 
> and a laboratory.  Metal TLUD reactors, on the other hand, are well 
> understood.  About 24 small holes in the side wall of the metal 
> reactor make the gasification of chunks of wood more reliable, and 
> less prone loosing the gas flame.  We use cast concrete (rather than 
> clay) because it is easy to get concrete rings with flat surfaces at 
> the top and bottom. The concrete components are made specifically for 
> the Akha.  There are many small business around who can cast concrete.
>
> Mahbubul has been working with different ratios of Portand cement, 
> sawdust and biochar dust in the concrete. The more organics, the lower 
> the heat capacity and heat conductivity of the stove body. Micro 
> porosity is supposed to make concrete more resistant heat by providing 
> spaces for minerals to expand into.  Obviously there is a trade-off 
> between adding organics and strength of the concrete.  Different 
> recipes are being tested in the field.  It is all trial and error.
>
> Mahbubul has also worked with local ceramic artisans to make the 
> massive stove components from clay.  There very skilled people to work 
> with, and kaolinitic clay, so ceramic components are possible.  The 
> more metal components on the stove that we can replace with ceramics 
> the better, because all metal in Bangladesh is imported.
>
> The Akha is about 25% more efficient than a traditional stove.  The 
> Akha has gone through a water-boiling test at a laboratory in Dhaka, 
> and was about 30% efficient at getting energy from wood into the 
> water.  The main view that the Akha saves 25% of the wood comes from 
> household feedback. That is what the women tell us.
>
> The Akha-Biocahr Project has funding for its current intervention 
> until 2019. It is enough to see if the TLUD-biochar technology will 
> take root.  If it does, then the technology may spread all by itself 
> as local entrepreneurs see an opportunity.  In fact, I think that if 
> these technologies viable, then they will out of our control and 
> unstoppable. The 'market' is 25 million homes.  All the same, I am 
> trying to raise money so that Mahbubul and crew remain as proponents 
> and stakeholders in what they started.  There is work to be done in 
> developing compressed fuels, because there is not enough wood in the 
> country.  We need to monitor the impact on forest cover, and make sure 
> that poorest households don't become energy-starved if the price of 
> wood goes up.
>
> One other thing that will push TLUD-biochar technology forward is that 
> sea-level rise could flood a third of the country, so soil 
> productivity needs to increase.
>
> Cheers,
> Julien.
>
> -- 
> Julien Winter
> Cobourg, ON, CANADA
>
>
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